Peter O’Hare was one of the three golfing professionals from the same family from Greenore. Born to Annie and John O’Hare, a railway labourer, from County Louth and Down respectively. There was eleven in the family altogether, four sons and five daughters. The eldest son was a carpenter for the railway.
Peter was the professional at the Greenore Golf Club in County Louth between 1907-1908 and before he emigrated stateside in 1915 he was the professional at Foxrock Golf Club after being engaged at the Monkstown Golf Club between 1908-1914.
From the ships manifest of the Cymric:
First Name: Peter
Last Name: O'Hare
Ethnicity: Britain, Irish
Last Place of Residence: Dublin, Ireland
Date of Arrival: Apr 07, 1915
Age at Arrival: 27 y Gender: M Marital Status: S
Ship of Travel: Cymric
Port of Departure: Liverpool
Manifest Line Number: 0018
Name of nearest relative given as Mr Patrick O'Hare, Foxrock Golf Club on the passenger list of the Cymric.
Peter O’Hara played in the 1915 US Open at Baltusrol GC but like his travelling companion on the Cymric, Patrick Doyle, he failed to qualify (85,79) and at the time he was unattached. In the North and South Open in March 1918 he was playing out of Haworth.
In the Western Open Championship being played at Westmoreland CC, Evanston Ill between 15-17 September 1917 P. O’Hara, playing out of Pittsburgh, he was joint fifth (296) behind Jim Barnes (283) and Walter Hagen (285). At Interlachen in 1930 he finished joint 11th in the US Open Championship a resident professional at the Westmoreland Country Club (Verona).
In the 1920 PGA Championship at Flossmore Country Club he reached the third round after beating Pat Doyle in the first round by a single hole.
Peter O’Hare was the first of the O’Hare (or O’Hara as it became known Stateside) brothers from Greenore G.C. to emigrate in 1915 and was engaged by Haworth GC then followed by Shackamaxon CC where he was joined by his brother Patrick, the reigning Irish professional champion in 1919, in the Spring of 1920. Later Patrick joined the Richmond County CC but not before the two brothers joined forces to record an incredible 6 and 5 victory over Vardon and Ray at Shackamaxon CC.
Following his time at the White Beeches Golf and Country Club in Haworth, New Jersey Peter was engaged at the Bretton Woods Golf Course
In the 1920 September edition of the American Golfer in wrote a full page article entitled – Eliminating Lost Motion. An Idea in Pulling Which Avoids Trouble from a Faulty Back Swing.
“….. Peter O’Hara, the well known professional, used no back swing at all on a short putt, merely placing the club head back of the ball and then hitting it. I found this system good practice for developing a short back swing.”
Golf Illustrated 8 April 1922
Reading Sources:
The American Golfer April 1922