Peter Alliss, the BBC’s legendary ‘voice of golf’, dies at 89.
Peter Alliss, the former BBC commentator known as ‘the voice of golf’, has died at the age of 89, the European Tour has announced.
‘Having enjoyed great success as a player, Peter began his legendary broadcasting career with the BBC in 1961, going on to become our lead golf commentator in 1978.
Born in Berlin on February 28, 1931, where his father Percy worked as a club pro, Alliss followed in his father’s footsteps and quit school at 14 to work for him at Ferndown Golf Club in Dorset, before turning professional himself two years later.
After his career was largely put on hold by two years of National Service in the RAF from 1949 to 1951, Alliss soon began to make a name for himself and finished ninth in the 1953 Open, one of five top-10 finishes in the event.
His move into broadcasting came about after he was overheard by the BBC’s Ray Lakeland talking to a friend on a flight back from a tournament in Ireland in 1960.
