He was born in Crewe, the son of sports journalist Rod Davies and his wife Peggy.
Rod Davies worked on the Birmingham Evening Mail and his family came from Swansea, hence Dai chose to be called Welsh.
After the war, he attended King Edward's School, Aston, Birmingham.
He did his national service in Singapore as a member of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
[4] In 1983 he married Patricia, who was a successful amateur golfer and a golf writer.