How do you pronounce “Llandudno” in Welsh? It takes some practice to master the catchy signature name of the hardware of the PGA Cup.
By Bob Denney
The "Ll" sound is made by placing the tongue in the position for saying "L" and then blowing through it. It comes out like “Clan.” So, once you have mastered that, the pronunciation is "LLan (as described) --did- no. The stress is on the middle syllable.
The historic trek of the Llandudno International Golf Trophy, the impressive silver hardware of the PGA Cup, began just before the Second World War disrupted lives and put golf on the shelf throughout Europe.
In 1938, the attractive seaside links of the Llandudno Golf Club (Maesdu) in Conwy County, Wales, was chosen as host site for a Quadrangular Tournament, Sept. 28-30, between the home professionals of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It was intended as the first of several matches between the countries.
The local Llandudno Urban District Council became involved in helping promote the tourism of the seaport city in Wales. The Council presented a showpiece silver trophy to The Professional Golfers’ Association for the winning team. Samuel Pitt & Company near Birmingham, England, designed the 18-pound piece, with four color national emblems in color on top of the lid.
The Llandudno Golf Club agreed to meet the expenses of staging the tournament. The funds raised from gate receipts, parking and programs would cover the expense. A local hotel would host the professionals at no charge, and players would be reimbursed for caddie fees and clubhouse meals. Additionally, the golfers would be given three guineas each for out of pocket expenses.
The host club layout was set up at 6,310 yards and a par 73. Among the players competing were England’s past Ryder Cup players – Harry Bradshaw, Johnny Fallon and Dai Rees and Open Champions Alf Perry and Alf Padgham. Additionally, Ryder Cup experienced players of Dick Burton, Sam King and Arthur Lacey completed a team captained by Percy Alliss, a five-time Ryder Cup veteran and father of future World Golf Hall of Famer Peter Alliss.
It was no surprise that England rolled to victories in its three matches and became holders of the Llandudno Trophy. Scotland, after downing Ireland and Wales, was runner-up, while Ireland edged Wales in a battle to “avoid the wooden spoon.”
With war breaking out in 1939, the tournament was never renewed and Percy Alliss kept the trophy. That was where the trophy’s rollercoaster second chapter in golf lore began.
The trophy would take a tumble and incur a dent on its lid, as Germany’s relentless bombing missions against Britain reached a crescendo. During one particular mission to rain havoc upon Southampton and Portsmouth, a German bomber was perilously low on fuel and had to turn its munitions loose on non-targets.
One bomb exploded on the first fairway of Ferndown Golf Club near Bournemouth, less than 50 yards from the home of Percy Alliss. The ensuring tremor was so strong that it rumbled through the neighborhood and anything fragile within nearby homes was in peril.
“My grandmother (Dorothy) kept the trophy on the mantelpiece,” said Master Professional Gary Alliss of Sutton Coldfield, England, who served as Great BritainIreland Captain in 2007 and ’09. “Well, it tumbled to the floor on its head and caused the dent to the lid. After my parents married in 1953, my mother took on the role of guardian and cleaned that trophy for years.”
Percy Alliss, who passed away in 1975, ensured that the Llandudno Trophy would be forever secure with the “Home Professionals.” In 1972, he and his son, Peter, a former captain of the Professional Golfers’ Association, an eight-time Ryder Cup participant and one of BBC’s most popular voices of golf, donated the trophy to the Professional Golfers’ Association. The trophy would forever be awarded to the winner of the PGA Cup. The Professional Golfers’ Association later restored the trophy, with famed dent on the lid repaired.
“It was such an impressive trophy that I think my father and grandfather felt it deserved to be back with the PGA,” says Gary Alliss. “It was a trophy looking for a home and by happy coincidence the PGA Cup came along and it’s a perfect match.”
With the United States claiming victory in 2011 at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif., the Llandudno Trophy has currently resided at the PGA Museum of Golf in Port St. Lucie, Fla.