Family
The Thompson family at their 10 Walter Street residence (Toronto, ca. 1900.
(left to right, standing) Isabel, Bill and Nicol. (left to right sitting) Matt,
Frank, mother Thompson, Jean, Marion, Stanley, father Thompson and Betty.
Stanley Thompson, born in 1893, was one of five brothers and four sisters. The eldest, Nicol was born in Scotland, as was his sister Marion. The other siblings were born in the Toronto area being progressively raised, at first, in Newmarket then in East Toronto where Stanley attended Malvern Collegiate.
It was here where the golfing careers of the brothers began. They caddied at The Toronto Club learning their golf under prominent golf professional George Cumming, who would later become a partner in the Thompson family golf construction and design business. And it was here where the boys designed and built their first golf course, six holes, known as Rye Field.
The five brothers – Nicol, Matt, Frank, Bill and Stanley – would become known in North America as the Amazing Thompsons for their collective golf abilities. Two were professionals – Nicol and Matt – the others were amateurs. From 1921 to 1924 they dominated Canadian golf.
Nicol, regarded as a fine teacher and a ‘trickster’ with the golf ball, was the golf professional at Hamilton G&CC for almost fifty years. In the winters, he held court at the Belmont Hotel in Bermuda where he gave lessons to an elite group. He also won the CPGA Championship in 1923 and was runner-up that year in the Canadian Open.