Career
From 1892 to 1909 he played in 18 Open Championships, finishing in the top-10 nine times. His best was a second-place finish to brother Harry in 1903 at Prestwick, and other notable placings were 1897 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake – 8th, 1902 at Hoylake – 5th, 1904 at Royal Street George"s Golf Club, Sandwich, Kent – 4th, 1907 at Hoylake – T3. Vardon tied for ninth place in the 1916 United States. Open held June 29–30 at Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He continued playing professional golf for four decades and became the oldest competitor at the 1930 United States. Open at Interlachen Country Club.
Vardon was born at Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands, to Philip George Vardon (1829–1914) and Elizabeth Augustine Bouchard (1837–1920). They had two children, Stella F. Vardon and Leonard Harry Vardon.
Vardon was the head professional at a number of golf clubs including Ilkley Golf Club from 1893 to 1900 and Royal Street George"s Golf Club. In 1909 Vardon emigrated to the United States, departing Southampton, England, aboard the Steamship Majestic on 16 June 1909 and arrived on 24 June 1909 in New York City.
He had been given four months leave from Royal Street George"s to work at the Onwentsia Club.
This was part of a deal that allowed Vardon to enter that year"s United States. Open held at Englewood Golf Club, New Jersey. He finished his career at White Bear Yacht Club, located at White Bear Lake in Minnesota, arriving in 1913 and remaining there until his death in 1938, although he retired on pension one year before his death. Vardon was involved in golf course architecture, designing or helping with the design of 40 courses.
Pamphlets that survived the clubhouse fire at White Bear Yacht Club in 1937 record that although the original golf course design was by William Watson, there was further development by Vardon and Donald Ross.
Along with Robert West. Diehl, Vardon also wrote a how-to manual on golf, the Diehl-Vardon Golf Manual which was published in 1927 by the Western Golf Publishing Company. Vardon designed courses
Kendal Golf Club, Kendal, England - alterations to the original layout
Minot Country Club, Burlington, North Dakota (1929)
Spooner Golf Club, Spooner, Wisconsin (1930)
Saint Augustines, Cliffsend, England (1907)
Meadow Lark Country Club, Great Falls, Montana (1920)
Stillwater Country Club, Stillwater, Minnesota (1924) - Vardon designed the original 9-hole course
Strathpeffer Spa Golf Club, Strathpeffer, Scotland - added pot bunkers (1908)
University of Minnesota, Les Bolstad Golf Course, Falcon Heights, Minnesota (1929)
White Bear Yacht Club, White Bear Lake, Minnesota - Course design by William Watson, redevelopment by Vardon and Donald Ross
Vardon died on 13 October 1938 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Vardon was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Professional Golf Association Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.