Shade enjoyed unrivalled success as an amateur player in the 1960s, winning five consecutive
Scottish Amateur Championships from 1963 to 1967. (He also lost in the final in 1962.) In 1966, he also finished as leading individual player at the
Eisenhower Trophy, low amateur in the
Open Championship, and reached the final of the
British Amateur Championship, losing to
Bobby Cole. He represented Britain and Ireland in the
Walker Cup on four occasions (1961 to 1967 inclusive) and was three times winner of the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship (the
Brabazon Trophy). Shade's amateur golf success was all the more noteworthy, since he came from a working-class background, and during that era British amateur golf was the preserve of the well-to-do. Shade was awarded the
MBE as an amateur. He was often referred to by fellow players as "Right Down the Bloody Middle," a nickname based on his initials and his exceptional accuracy. == Professional career ==