He had been an athlete in his youth, playing cricket as well as competing internationally as an oarsman and in rugby, winning the cap against England in 1877.

Jackson's mother, Bella, was an accomplished golfer, playing at international competitions for Ireland and in British and Irish championships.

Her brother, Cyril "Cracker" Jackson, was a tennis player who was the non-playing captain of the 1931 Irish Davis Cup team.

[1] Jackson was a contemporary of Mabel Harrison and Patricia Jameson, and among the best female golfers in Ireland in the early 20th century.

She won the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase stroke-play competition in 1921, beating the top British female player of the time, Cecil Leitch, and the U.S. Women's Amateur champion Alexa Stirling.

Leitch described Jackson in her autobiography as "a long hitter and one of the best players of the present day.