The early years of any golf club are always interesting and they usually bear testimony to the endeavour and enthusiasm of a small group of golfers. It is easy to forget that although golf was seen to be an elitist sport when most of our clubs were formed there were not many people with deep pockets to finance the purchase and upkeep of a course and clubhouse. Most, if not all, of our clubs are indebted to an original “few” and Ashton is no exception.

The co-founders of Ashton-in-Makerfield were Tom Mayall and Andrew Molyneux who set up a 9 hole course for the staff of Garswood Hall Collieries. Their chosen site was adjacent to the Colliery at Old Bryn and in 1902 a meeting of 15 enthusiasts agreed to proceed. All went well until 1906 when their clubhouse, the size of a small bungalow, was burnt down but nothing daunted, they built a larger one and carried on playing. In 1946 the members had the good fortune and good sense to buy the land from the Colliery for £750 and this decision was to prove to be the salvation of the club.

Those old enough to remember the World War of 1939/45 will recall the post-war years when everything was in short supply and essential goods were rationed. Coal was particularly in demand and not enough could be produced from the mines to meet the needs of our homes and industry. It was discovered that coal could be retrieved from just below the surface in certain areas and this led to a widespread devastation of the landscape when open cast mining was introduced. Old Bryn was a natural target and in the late 1950s a golf course was deemed easy pickings. The 9 holes were reduced to 6 and the final bombshell arrived in 1961 when Lancashire County Council threatened a Compulsory Purchase Order for the whole site. Like many such disasters, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Careful negotiations with the County Council produced a compensation package of £28,900 and an even better bargain was achieved when Lord Gerard agreed to sell 60 acres of his Garswood Hall Estate for £5,000. This enabled the members to construct a new 9 hole course on the present site which was opened when the Captain drove in on 16 October 1965. Hawtree & Son were the Golf Course Architects and they were also appointed in 1974 when the course was extended to 18 holes. The extra 50 acres of land had previously been leased to the National Coal Board who agreed a surrender, thus allowing the club to buy it from Lord Gerard. A major building project saw the present Clubhouse completed in 1996 at a cost of £340,000 - far removed from it’s original form in 1902 and showing the effects of inflation because the tender for the Garswood Park Clubhouse in 1965 was only £14,900. Current members can now enjoy the benefits laid down by Lord Gerard in the 19th century when he planted species of trees from every country in the British Empire. His legacy is a golf course often described as a miniature Wentworth where precision driving is essential.

In April 1953 the club applied and was admitted into the Society of Liverpool Golf Captains. Harold Winstanley, Captain of Ashton in 1966, was the first from his club to be appointed Captain of the Society in 1985/86 and was later President of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs in 1988/89. Dennis Boardman, Captain of Ashton in 1987, was the second from his Club to be appointed Captain of the Society in 2003/04.

CAPTAINS OF ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD GOLF CLUB

1902 A  Molyneux 1903 A  Molyneux 1904 A H Bell 1905 W A Gilby  1906 F Edmondson 1907 J W Mayall  1908 J H Edmondson 1909  J H Edmondson  1910  J H Edmondson  1911  J H Edmondson  1912  J H Edmondson  1913  J H Edmondson  1914  J H Edmondson 1915  J H Edmondson  1916  J H Edmondson  1917  J H Edmondson  1918  J H Edmondson  1919 T S Mayall 1920  T S Mayall  1921  T S Mayall  1922  T S Mayall 1923  F V Waddington  1924  F V Waddington  1925  F V Waddington  1926  E Bullough  1927  E W Stephenson  1928  E W Stephenson  1929  H T Pigot  1930  E Marsh  1931  W L Thomson  1932  W Walker  1933  J G Gray  1934  J G Gray  1935  T Crompton  1936  T Crompton  1937  E Hindley  1938  H G Whitehead  1939  J G Gray  1940  J G Gray  1941  J G Gray  1942  J G Gray  1943  J G Gray  1944  J G Gray  1945  J G Gray  1946  W Jackson  1947  W Jackson   1948  W Jackson   1949  H Speakman  1950  H Speakman  1951  E Halliwell  1952  A French  1953  W H Spencer  1954  W Jackson  1955  W Jackson  1956  H H Elce  1957  H H Elce  1958  F S Dickinson  1959  S Hughes  1960  L K Pilling  1961  J Ward

1962 G W Hampson 1963  L K Pilling  1964  F S Dickinson  1965  S Hughes  1966  H Winstanley  1967  J Holland  1968  F Dean  1969  K W Griffiths  1970  T F Vincent  1971  T Ashby  1972  G Lyon  1973  F Aspinwall  1974  G E Hewitson  1975  H Pedley  1976  J R Jones  1977  H Hardman  1978  K Sudworth  1979  F Wilkinson  1980  W Cunliffe  1981  L Hewitson  1982  K Pendlebury-Green  1983  J Taylor  1984  W Lowe  1985  F Moran  1986  K Wood  1987  D J Boardman  1988  G F Simpkin  1989  T Rose  1990  A Tushingham  1991  S Smith  1992  R Brisco  1993  F W Howgate  1994  D Thompson  1995  G Darbyshire  1996  J Fairbrother  1997  C A Brand  1998  J Simm  1999  G Hall  2000  W Steele  2001  J R Hurst  2002  D Pendlebury-Green  2003  A W Clift  2004  N Pickersgill  2005  R Miller  2006  D Heyes  2007  N W Shutler  2008  R Hilton  2009  J Rigby  2010  J C Birchall  2011  L B Cross  2012  C M Hulme  2013  I Jones  2014  E Taylor  2015  T Hateley-Lowe  2016  L McNally  2017  M J Bohannon  2018  K J Hackett  2019  S J Lowe

Back to top of page

On 24 May 1913 a meeting took place at the Grove Hotel, Wallasey where members of three local golfing societies, Grove, Warren and West Wirral, met to discuss their logistical problems of having to play their golf on the congested 9 holes of the Warren Municipal.  They agreed to combine their resources and lease a piece of land between Leasowe Road and the River Fender to form a new 9 hole course. Within three months the new club was ready for action and on 16 August 1913 the first Captain, S Forsythe, drove off to inaugurate Bidston Golf Club.

Ten years later the club leased a further piece of land between the railway and the River Fender and in 1924 the course was extended to 15 holes. In the following year the course became a full 18 holes which was to remain unchanged until World War II. Like many other courses Bidston had to sacrifice some of its land for farming and 15 acres were given over to the local farmers for ploughing and sowing oats. In the early 1950s the construction of the Leasowe housing estate caused the loss of the view over the sand-hills but, conversely, provided an access which alleviated the problem of members relying on railway staff to open the level crossing gates at Bidston station.

The construction of the M53 Motorway in the late 1960’s deprived the club of 20 acres of land and the course layout had to be changed. Compensation for the loss of the land helped the club to maintain its facilities which had taken a serious blow following a disastrous clubhouse fire in 1972. However, the future of the club was secured in 1992 when the members were able to purchase the lease of the land and in the following year a new entrance from Bidston Link Road was opened. This allowed the club to close off the Scoresby Road access to all but pedestrians thus eliminating the annoyance of vehicular traffic crossing the course. The development of several plantations of trees has helped to restore the character and definition of the course.

Bidston was not amongst the 20 clubs listed in the Society records for 1939 and it is assumed that they joined around 1949. They have had strong links with the administration of the Society in two eras, the most recent being through the Immediate Past Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, Eddy Hampson. The Society is indebted to Eddy for his hard work and also to the staff of Bidston Golf Club who provided the back-up secretarial facilities. Bill Lodge was Captain of Bidston in 1950 and 1951 and served as the Society Treasurer for 7 years before he was elected Society Captain in 1958/59. Doug Cox was the second Bidston Captain to serve as Captain of the Society in 1998/99 and has served on the Committee for many years.

 

CAPTAINS OF BIDSTON GOLF CLUB 

1913 S Forsythe  1914  S Forsythe 1915  S Forsythe  1916  C H Drake  1917  E T Tetley  1918  A Evans  1919  J W Newsome  1920  A C Tetley  1921  W H Richards  1922  C F Bier  1923  D R Davies  1924  G Gourley  1925  C Collard  1926  J P Crooke  1927  W A Walker  1928  E Totty  1929  J Samuel  1930  H E Taylor  1931  D Kirkpatrick  1932  H Birley  1933  H Stewart  1934  R Hogg  1935  E W Carr  1936  C H Fry  1937  J A Devlin  1938  W O Hannaford  1939  C L Kemp  1940  C L Kemp 1941  C L Kemp  1942  C L Kemp 1943  C L Kemp  1944  C L Kemp 1945  C L Kemp  1946  S J O'Connell 1947  W A Eilbeck  1948  G E Denson  1949  W J Jones  1950  W Lodge  1951  W Lodge  1952  G V Carlyle  1953  G W P Shaw  1954  R Y Knagg  1955  B Murphy  1956  B Murphy  1957  W Jones  1958  W H Connerton  1959  W H Connerton  1960  J L Richardson 1961  E C Williams  1962  J D Hislop  1963  M D Jackson  1964  E D Jones  1965  D E Williams  1966  P Kennerley  1967  W E Daniels

1968  W E Daniels 1969   N C Bragg 1970  C J Clissold  1971  T Cole  1972  W E Leigh  1973  R Worsnip  1974  T Doherty  1975  S Davenport  1976  G J W Moss  1977  P G Bargery  1978  G S Weatherilt  1979  F C Jones  1980  E J Clare  1981  S I Scrimshaw  1982  D A Tew  1983  J J Tracey  1984  W G Broster  1985  D Cox  1986  F Taylor  1987  E Miller  1988  J L Forbes  1989  G H Mackey  1990  B L Voller  1991  J Milton  1992  R T E Atkin  1993  G C Totty  1994  R W Melvin  1995  D Simcoe  1996 N W Reid  1997  E Hampson  1998  E W Cull  1999  T C Birkett  2000 J G Daly  2001  J P Kinder  2002  W P Colebourne  2003  M Gerrie  2004  S C T Jones  2005  J E Morris  2006  R H Woods  2007  N G Vasper  2008  G M Harvey  2009  C J Taylor  2010  R Brooks  2011  G Cockroft  2012  M James  2013  S C T Jones  2014  J R Smith  2015  T Birks 2016  B L Voller  2017  D Parsons  2018  R Clague  2019  A E Chatterley

Back to top of page

 

Like many golf clubs, the early days of Bromborough are not accurately recorded. Their Centenary book refers to a meeting at a Bromborough school in 1903 at which a plan was agreed to form a club on a 9 hole course that had been built by the Hassall family who were local farmers. It was decided that the annual subscription should be one guinea and the initial membership target of 100 was soon reached. In 1904 a local landowner, Major Herbert Lancelyn Green, was elected as the first Captain and in the following year his daughter became the first Captain of the Ladies Section.

The Hassall family were tenants of the Earl of Shrewsbury who owned the land and who subsequently sold it to William Hesketh Lever in 1911. He later became the first Viscount Leverhulme whose interest in golf continued through three successive Viscount Leverhulmes until the death of the last holder of the title in 2000. William Hesketh Lever was elected the first club President in 1912 and the Presidency continued through William Hulme Lever and Philip William Bryce Lever the second and third Viscounts. William Hulme Lever was Captain for three successive years from 1920 to 1922 and Philip William Lever was Captain in 1949. The latter generously donated two acres of land to the club on which to build a new Clubhouse. The Leverhulme estates still own most of the land through a family Trust.

Golf was suspended during the first World War and in 1915 the old clubhouse was converted by the Red Cross into a military hospital. It was fitted out with some of the most modern equipment available at that time with accommodation for an average of 160 beds. A total of 1,245 patients were treated at the hospital before it was handed back to the golf club in 1919.

The restoration of the golf course after the war coincided with its expansion from 9 to 18 holes and the clubhouse, built after the original had been destroyed by fire in 1910, was extended and improved. The club enjoyed a period of relative stability until war again intervened in 1939. This time the impact was even more severe due to its proximity to Hooton aerodrome and the whole course was lost to the war effort. Concrete roads were constructed to build a base for the American forces and the course was used as a build-up for the D-Day landings in France.

Britain’s first motorways were built in 1955 and golf courses were prime targets for the new routes. In the late 1960’s Huyton & Prescot and Bromborough simultaneously lost land to their respective local authorities and both were fortunate to be compensated with new land and new holes designed by Hawtree & Son. Bromborough lost four holes to the M53 and was temporarily reduced to 15 holes until re-opening in its present form in 1972. Good course management and tree planting since then have created one of the most testing courses on the Wirral, producing some outstanding men and women golfers and being regularly used by The Cheshire County Union for its competitions.

Bromborough was a founder member of the Society and has produced three Captains, Frank Hayes (1964/65), Harry Wellings (1981/82) and David Kerr (1994/95).

CAPTAINS OF BROMBOROUGH GOLF CLUB

1904 H L Green 1905 H L Green 1906 R Johnson 1907 R Johnson  1908 Z I Bradbury  1909 C H Bushell  1910 W S Williamson  1911 S G Wood 1912  S M Hutchinson  1913  H Montgomery  1914  W Johnston  1915  W Johnston   1916  W Johnston   1917  W Johnston   1918  W Johnston   1919  W Johnston   1920  Hon W Hulme Lever  1921  Hon W Hulme Lever   1922   Hon W Hulme Lever  1923  T S Fogg  1924  H F Fernie  1925  L Ravenscroft  1926  J A Bewley  1927  G S MacKay  1928  F Buckley  1929  G A L Green  1930  A J Hodgson  1931  J E Gordon  1932  F J Baslam  1933  R F Hindle  1934  A Davies  1935  H G Alexander  1936  W Lees Evans  1937  J Wilson  1938  L O B Harding  1939  D G H Jones  1940  D G H Jones   1941  D G H Jones   1942  D G H Jones   1943  D G H Jones   1944  D G H Jones   1945  D G H Jones  1946  D G H Jones   1947  D G H Jones   1948  D G H Jones   1949  Hon P W Lever  1950  J E Hassall  1951  G Wallace  1952  F D Hayes  1953  T T Lunt  1954  C Dalzell  1955  W N Stokoe  1956  W G Cheshire  1957  R D Dowell  1958  M F Yarwood  1959  R G French  1960  H W Morgan  1961  G B Brigham  1962  T Kennan  1963  L Harrison

1964 W Fairclough 1965  J R Dodds  1966  W Lomas  1967  A M Moult  1968  H Wellings  1969  F Aspden  1970  C W Hancock  1971  C H Mohin  1972  E P Lancashire  1973  W H Jones  1974  L R Graham  1975  J Harper  1976  H Nicholson  1977  N F Nathanson  1978  Dr D B Kerr  1979  E A Kimpton  1980  T H Griffiths  1981  M Robertson  1982  N M Edwards  1983  P E Jones  1984  A Smith  1985  L H Anderson  1986  C A Abbott  1987  G A Hughes  1988  J W Horrigan  1989  J Neville  1990  A Rimmer  1991  J Forbes  1992  R J Taylor  1993  T Collins  1994  A P Brady  1995  K D Bowman  1996  N H Withers  1997  D M Griffiths  1998  Dr M R O'Neill  1999  D A Griffiths  2000  W H Range  2001  A S Mackay  2002  W Lally  2003  C J Garrett  2004  B D Gainer  2005  J P Jones  2006  T D Holmes  2007  D Faulkner  2008  P J Stones  2009  G W Scott  2010  R J Evans  2011  D H Munro  2012  P Darch  2013 J J Colligan  2014  M G Heathfield  2015  H Dawson 2016  J Graham  2017  R Newnes  2018  B L Dingwall  2019  H L Jones

Back to top of page

Caldy Manor Estate Limited was formed in 1906 to purchase and develop the 600 acres of heath and farmland known as Caldy Manor. The Company planned to create a pleasant residential village with only one shop and individual building plots of at least one acre. A golf course was deemed to be an attractive amenity for residents and their friends and Jack Morris, the first professional at the nearby Royal Liverpool Golf Club, was paid a fee of one and a half guineas to design the 9 holes. All of the holes were to the West of the railway line with the River Dee as the other main boundary.

The first meeting of the Golf Committee was held on 31 July 1907 and it decided that the club should be a private one and that the original shareholders should be Life Members. Ladies should be permitted to use the course under the usual conditions imposed by local clubs. Sunday play was not permitted for many years and then only after 12.30pm and the clubhouse was not open for refreshments. It was 25 years before the first bar was introduced in 1932 for the sale of intoxicating liquors.

In 1908 a cottage style clubhouse was built near to the present 6th green and is still clearly recognisable as part of the private house now adjacent to the 7th tee. In 1909 the club contributed to the cost of building a new railway station nearby and this was to prove a popular means of transport for members and visitors. It was not until 1925 that the men had the use of a locker room, built as a separate structure to the east of the clubhouse.  The ladies had to wait until the early 1950s to get theirs on the opposite side.

By 1920 the Estate Company had agreed to allow the golfers to run their own affairs and o ered to rent the land to them. The following year a private Members club was formed with membership limited to 200 Full Members and 100 Lady Associates. In 1923 the Estate Company offered to sell the 50 acres of land and the clubhouse and this offer was accepted. A further 50 acres on the other side of the railway were bought in 1929 and James Braid was commissioned to design an additional 9 holes. His fee of 10 guineas proved to be money well spent and in 1931 the club became an 18 hole course.

The crumbling cliffs along the River Dee boundary have been a concern for many years and remedial work has been expensive and, hopefully, successful. A further protection for the future has been the astute purchase of extra land which also enabled the clubhouse to be moved to its present site in 1974. A major upgrade in 1998 created a fine clubhouse to match an enjoyable golf course in a superb location.

Although the club celebrated its Centenary in 2007 its Captains are only listed from 1920 when it became a private Members club. Prior to that date it would appear that the office of Captain was not filled annually and only two names are recorded.  There is also uncertainty as to when the club joined the Society of Liverpool Golf Captains and the first time that Caldy appears in the Minute Book is 1949. Despite this late entry into the Society, Caldy has made up for lost time having produced four Society Captains, Ken Adams (1961/62), David Evans (1977/78), Jack Ormrod (1991/92) and most recently Philip Bailey (2015/16).

CAPTAINS OF CALDY GOLF CLUB

1920 A O Lowry 1921 A O Lowry 1922 H Williamson 1923 F Brocklehurst 1924 F Brocklehurst 1925 C A Wallworth 1926 A H Steinthal 1927 R Wilson 1928 H K Holden 1929 A E Brown 1930 A E Brown 1931 F B Brown 1932 J M Marshall 1933 J L Hagger 1934 W Mitchell 1935 D Mathieson 1936 E G Miller 1937 W T Deacon 1938 J Dyer Simpson 1939 J Dyer Simpson 1940 J Dyer Simpson 1941 J Dyer Simpson 1942 J Dyer Simpson 1943 J Dyer Simpson 1944 E S Doran 1945 E S Doran 1946 E S Doran 1947 E O Morris 1948 K Adams 1949 P A Goodwin 1950 J W G Purser 1951 C Hilton Spence 1952 G L Grant 1953 H E Anderson 1954 P S Cooper 1955 T D Woods 1956 D W Evans 1957 F Huth Jackson 1958 M W Coventry 1959 C S Brown 1960 J T Jones 1961 J D Neal 1962 G Elston 1963 R H Campbell 1964 C B Burrows 1965 C A Steinthal 1966 A D Sheppley 1967 N M Quayle 1968 B F Holden 1969 R C M Reid 1970 J R Spencer 1971 R P Booth 1972 B M Frazer 1973 G D Scarrow 1974 A L Speight 1975 A R Widdowson 1976 J L Filer 1977 W H Taverner 1978 E J Ormrod 1979 J M Shennan

1980 G M Hehir 1981 G I Crutchley 1982 J W Bolton 1983 D W Norman 1984 K W Stafford 1985 R G Roberts 1986 R B Ellison 1987 J M Mickle 1988 A E Proffitt 1989 G Latham 1990 J Meecham 1991 R F Dulson 1992 M Garrett 1993 P J Pugh 1994 R Simm 1995 R W Fairclough 1996 J J Marchbank 1997 N H Ellis 1998 P M Bailey 1999 R W Walker 2000 P A Chesham 2001 H Pearson 2002 W F S Neillie 2003 D J Payne 2004 R H Carruthers 2005 B S McCartney 2006 D A R Reid 2007 R J Beswick 2008 P W H Stafford 2009 A J Almond 2010 I C Free 2011 P R D Humphrey 2012 R J Diprose 2013  N Wilson  2014  M R Pennington  2015  M L Hayman 2016  A Bickerstaffe  2017  D Crinson  2018  J Crosby  2019  C S Litherland

 

Back to top of page

 

Childwall Golf Club has occupied three sites and has undergone three name changes since its formation in 1912. It started life as a nine hole course on the meadows bounded by Speke Road, Watergate Lane and Macketts Lane. The course was owned by Peter McGuffie, a wealthy ship owner, who had bought Woolton Hall, a former Molyneux family country house and opened it as the Woolton Hall Hydro Hotel. He built the golf course for the benefit of his family and the Hotel guests and in 1912 a group known as the Hydro Links players was formed and were allowed to use some rooms in the stable block. On 15 March 1913 they changed their name to the Woolton Hall Hydro Golf Club.

When the Hotel closed in 1915 the golfers operated the course under licence and in 1917 they obtained a five year lease and dropped the word Hydro from the title. At the expiry of the lease on 31 December 1921 the Council was unable to agree satisfactory terms with the McGuffie family and in the following year they found a new site leasing 52 acres from the Marquess of Salisbury. In May 1922 the name was changed to The Childwall Golf Club and twelve holes were opened followed by another six holes constructed two years later on an extra 24 acres of land.

In 1935 a new Town Planning scheme, plus the desire of Lord Salisbury to dedicate part of the course as a site for a voluntary Hospital, caused another change of location. This proved to be the defining moment in the club’s history because the members were able to raise £8,000 to purchase the 204 acres Holt Hall Farm estate and to instruct James Braid to design the 18 hole layout. In 1938 W H Baines, the Town Clerk of Liverpool, laid the foundation stone of the new Art Deco style clubhouse which was formally opened by the Lord Mayor on 10 June 1939. The forecast at that time was that one day the course would be one of the finest parkland courses in the area, an accurate prediction.

Childwall’s initial application to join the Society was rebuffed on 17 June 1926 when the Committee met at 6 pm on the day of the Annual Competition.  The record in the Minute Book states “It was regretted that the application from Childwall GC for membership could not be entertained.  The Committee did not see their way to increase the numbers”. As only 45 cards were taken out that day and 36 men sat down to dinner this would appear to have been a surprising decision. One can only speculate that the Committee might have been anxious to get back to the bar rather than have a long deliberation on the merits of Childwall’s case! However, a second application coupled with Grange Park on 2 May 1931 met with a more favourable response.

Childwall has produced three Society Captains, Jack Stanway Johnson (1962/63), George Morrow (1978/79) and John McAuley (2004/05). Jack Stanway Johnson played a signifcant role in the development of the Society having served as Honorary Secretary/Treasurer for a period of 35 years. Following his retirement he was elected as Honorary Life President of the Society and in the following year he presented a trophy bearing his name.

CAPTAINS OF CHILDWALL GOLF CLUB

1913  H H Longhurst  1914  H H Longhurst   1915  A E Noon  1916  E Harrison  1917  E Harrison   1918  E Harrison   1919  E Harrison   1920  T Blake  1921  G Henshaw  1922  E Ward  1923  W Treneman 1924  J F Taylor 1925  C E Williams  1926  H E Cubley  1927  D Downey  1928  D C Sloss  1929  J G Petrie  1930  D C Sloss  1931  S H Foreman  1932  S H Foreman  1933  J P Green  1934  G A Strong  1935  J R Green  1936  G W Robertson  1937  G W Robertson  1938  A F Bennett  1939  A F Bennett  1940  A F Bennett   1941  C T Doyle 1942  C T Doyle 1943  C T Doyle  1944  T Roberts  1945  T Roberts   1946  T Roberts  1947  F Heap  1948  F Heap  1949  J M Kennan  1950  I Legge  1951  I Legge  1952  L Hobson  1953  L Hobson  1954  J Stanway Johnson  1955  L W Lewis  1956  E Lunt  1957  J O Preston  1958  W V Hurst  1959  H D Hughes  1960  D J Dennehy  1961  H S Jennins  1962  A L Knipe  1963  S E Smith  1964  G Haslam  1965  A Metcalf  1966  G E Williams  1967  G E Morrow  1968  G H Roberts  1969  G H Roberts  1970  C W Walton  1971  T M Brown  1972  P T Stephenson

1973 C J C Haimes  1974  A J Neale  1975  G R Byrne  1976  H G O'Kane  1977  N E McCormack  1978  J Chambers  1979  A Mackenzie  1980  S J Bradbrook  1981  D C Elliott  1982  A W Booth  1983  Dr I G Bogle  1984  Dr P M Kinloch  1985  P H Critchley  1986  W J Williams  1987  K Hall  1988  J H McAuley  1989  B Hannaby  1990  L W Kirk  1991  D N Booth  1992  A Doherty  1993  C W Scarisbrick  1994  S Huxtable  1995  S E Murphy  1996  J D McMillan  1997  A J Rawlinson  1998  R J Worsley  1999  D S Williams  2000  T B Lawrence  2001  S J Tamlin  2002  E Hogan  2003  J D Cunningham  2004  A H Gardner  2005  A Gibson  2006  Dr R B Jones  2007  A F Croxford  2008  G R Ferguson  2009  L M Lee 2010  G J Pate  2011  W E Maitland   2012  P C Quinn 2013  G Callaghan  2014  S A Landon  2015  T Gibson  2016  J E Birchall  2017  J A Turner  2018  Dr T S Kinloch  2019  P Bibby

 

Back to top of page

On 4 January 1922 a meeting took place in the Orrell Council Offices when it was resolved that a golf club be formed and that it should be known as the Dean Wood Golf Club.

Later meetings took place in the more informal surroundings of the Abbey Lakes Hotel and the Stag Inn. Subscriptions were initially fixed at £2 for men and £1 for ladies. The Chairman of the first meeting was Mr R O Hall who subsequently became the first Captain of the club.

In the absence of proper facilities the original members had to make do with nails driven into an oak tree but fairly soon a wooden clubhouse was built at a cost of £175. It was constructed on the site of the present greenkeeper’s bungalow by the 13th tee but was later replaced by a new two storey clubhouse off Lafford Lane. This in turn was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the present clubhouse.

Like many golf courses Dean Wood was constructed with 9 holes which started on the present 13th hole and finished at the present 12th. In 1932 it was decided to extend the course to 18 holes and James Braid was commissioned to design the extra 9 holes. It is said that he saved the life of the crucial oak tree on the second hole for which he should be remembered with gratitude.

A handbook published in 1933 described the course and its surroundings as follows:

“The course itself offers an excellent day’s golf made all the more enjoyable by some splendid views and a bracing atmosphere. For the first few holes the quaint old village of Upholland is constantly in view but beyond number 5 one feels that the real open country has been reached and with it some of the finest views in the district. On the one hand is rolling well-wooded country stretching to Rivington and its surrounding hills of Anglezarke, whilst on the other hand is the Billinge-Ashurst Ridge, with St Joseph’s College standing out prominently. In between, the Douglas Valley presents a pretty picture.”

Tony Coop served as club professional for 45 years until his retirement in 1999 when he was elected as an Honorary Life Member. He achieved national fame in the 1960s with his performances in the Open Championship and he has played an active part in the Liverpool and District Golfing Alliance.

On 22 April 1954 the Society Committee accepted the application from Dean Wood to join the Society of Liverpool Golf Captains. The club has been a staunch supporter of the Society and its Captains have won the Leverhulme Salver on four occasions to date. In 1990 Norman Whittaker was elected as the first Captain of the Society from the Dean Wood club and has since been followed by David Morris in 2009.

CAPTAINS OF DEAN WOOD GOLF CLUB

1922 R O Hall  1923  R O Hall  1924  K Fraser  1925  K Fraser  1926  K Fraser   1927  K Fraser   1928  W A Halton  1929  W A Halton  1930  W H Lown  1931  W D Platt  1932  R Ball  1933  R Ball  1934  T A Rathbone  1935  T A Rathbone   1936  J Ball 1937  W G Pigot  1938  J Mason  1939  D H Hartley  1940  D H Hartley  1941  D H Hartley  1942  D H Hartley 1943  S Rathbone 1944  S Rathbone  1945  S Rathbone  1946  W Crabtree 1947  A McCormack  1948  J Hitchen  1949  J Hitchen  1950  F C Simm  1951  F C Simm  1952  W Foster  1953  J A Atherton  1954  A C Short  1955  A C Short  1956  C A Worswick  1957  J S Whittle  1958  J S Whittle  1959  F Alker  1960  H M Harrison  1961  R P Heaton  1962  F M Partlin  1963  J R Baxter  1964  J R Baxter  1965  J R Baxter  1966  T J Gaskell  1967  I H Coop  1968  I H Coop  1969  R E Spencer  1970  J A Mangnall  1971  M E Richards  1972  M E Richards  1973  G R Millar  1974  E J Marsden  1975  A S Doig  1976  E Miller

1977  K Parkin  1978  A Gaskell  1979  D C Williams  1980  J Speakman  1981  N Whittaker  1982  J Hatton  1983  R H Pheasant  1984  J Nelson  1985  L Jones  1986  R Morris  1987  G R Millar  1988  J Dawber  1989  J Clooney  1990  J Wilcock  1991  W H McCrea  1992  J K Brown  1993  J Sweeney  1994  A Pheasant  1995  B J Wildman  1996  R R Lang  1997  P D Gore  1998  D J Morris  1999  F N Manley  2000  W C Edwards  2001  D B Allen  2002  A D Cunningham  2003  D W Hare  2004  H Nelson  2005  H Mawdsley  2006  J E Delves  2007  J D Oliver  2008  R M Clayton  2009  G J Simpkin 2010  I M Richardson  2011  W S Molyneux 2012  T J Gore  2013  I Compton  2014  F J Stuart  2015  G Rawsthorne  2016  H Sweeney  2017  Dr D S K Chang  2018  A Crusham 2019  P J F Carletti

Back to top of page

For many embryo golf courses the railway provided a connection with the outside world and Freshfield Station was the link that helped to establish Formby Golf Club. Uniquely, it also divided the club from its neighbour, Freshfield Golf Club which was situated on the other side of the line. Both clubs are featured in the early Minute Book of the Society with Formby as a founder member hosting the Annual Competition in 1927 and fielding a strong team including four Past Captains (all in single figures) in the top 10 scores. Freshfield Golf Club was converted into an aerodrome in 1941 and was not rebuilt after World War II.

The History of Formby Golf Club,written by Ivor Thomas in 1972, attributes the formation of the club to John Bushby who convened the first meeting on 11 December 1884 and acted as Hon Secretary for the first two years. He was never Captain, the honour of the first holder of that office going to William MacIver. The first members were 21 gentlemen who allowed ladies who were related to a member to play, except on Saturdays. The 9 hole course was on Mr William Halewood’s Warren and he was elected an Honorary Life Member and received £10 per “season” as rent. The season ran from 1st October to the Saturday nearest the following 15th April but the conception of golf as a part time activity was soon abandoned and in 1886 it was decided to rent the links for a whole year at a cost of £30 per annum.

The original clubhouse was primitive with a thatched roof and cost less than £3. It was enlarged five years later at a cost of £30 to provide a self-service “cellar cool” bar accessed by a trap door. In 1891 the Council authorised £2,000 to be spent on a permanent clubhouse which was further extended in 1895 but then destroyed by fire in 1899. Undeterred, the 483 members raised £7,000 to build an even better clubhouse which was opened on 4 May 1901. This included residential accommodation and set the standard for the future. A more recent refurbishment and extension has created a clubhouse to match the grandeur of the course.

By the early nineties the course had been extended to 18 holes and in 1896 Formby Ladies Golf Club was formed with a membership of 120. A separate pavilion clubhouse was built for the ladies and, uniquely, they have their own 18 hole course constructed inside the circle of the men’s 18. The men’s course has undergone changes over the years with the well known names of Braid, Willie Park Jnr, Hawtree, Taylor, Pennink and Steele all making their contributions. The club became a Limited company in 1948 and the future of the course was secured in 1963 with the purchase of the freehold interest of 400 acres for £24,500.

Formby has a long association with amateur golf and has staged the Amateur, the Brabazon, the English Close and the British Ladies’ Championships and in 2004 hosted the biennial match between the USA and GB&I for the Curtis Cup. It has supported junior golf through the Boys’ Championship and the Liverpool & District Colts, and the Formby Hare provides an open scratch competition for low handicap golfers. As a founder member of the Society Formby has had two Captains, F Stanley Morris (1951/52) and Peter Wilson (1973/74). Peter has also served as President of the Lancashire and of the English Golf Unions and in 2008 he was awarded the Gerald Micklem Award for services to golf. P B S (Sands) Johnson, to whom Geoffrey Leece passes considerable thanks for his assistance in this research, has also served as President of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs.

CAPTAINS OF FORMBY GOLF CLUB

1884 W MacIver 1885 R D Welch 1886 R D Welch 1887 J S Beauford 1888 J Ainsworth 1889 E Hewer 1890 J Cullen 1891 J Shepherd 1892 J S Beauford 1893 R H Prestwich 1894 R H Prestwich 1895 J Hornby 1896 E Storey 1897 J Corbert Lowe 1898 C A Earle 1899 J Talbot Fair 1900 E C Hornby 1901 Lord Stanley 1902 J H Brand 1903 H A Sanderson 1904 R H Porter 1905 W B Leitch 1906 J H Evans 1907 T Croft 1908 Jos. Shepherd 1909 W Cluley Lord 1910 A B Rathbone 1911 R O'C N Deane 1912 C Blundell 1913 F W Rathbone 1914 W S Higgin 1915 A J Oakshot 1916 H Skelerdine 1917 D E Glynn 1918 J P Reynolds 1919 J H Coney 1920 A C Wilson 1921 W H Ridler 1922 W R Neilson 1923 R Fitzgerald 1924 A E Bennett 1925 H H Edgecombe 1926 B Hacking 1927 H de Bels Adam 1928 J Ravenscroft 1929 S J Lister 1930 J Walwyb White 1931 G W Fraser 1932 E E Fletcher 1933 F R Verdon 1934 Rt. Hon. 17th Earl of Derby 1935 A J Taylor 1936 H S Henderson 1937 R G N Henry 1938 T Stone 1939 T Montgomery 1940 T B Job 1941 T B Job 1942 T B Job 1943 T B Job 1944 P Forrester 1945 P Forrester 1946 T L C Heald 1947 F S Morris 1948 P J Taylor 1949 M G Garry 1950 W B D Stoddart 1951 Rt. Hon. 18th Earl of Derby 1952 W Paton 1953 S N Lister 1954 F Harvey-Isaac 1955 C C Birch 1956 S R C Walnsley 1957 W H L Lister 1958 E Senior Smith 1959 I Buchanan 1960 W Greenwood 1961 J Coney 1962 W Snell 1963 C R Walmsley

1964 G W E Ray 1965 J Lysaght Finigan 1966 J E H Wolff 1967 N H Stockley 1968 A W Hollway 1969 P H Wilson 1970 J B Machan 1971 A M Cheetham 1972 N A Woodhead 1973 J Nichol 1974 R A Spedding 1975 E S Atherton 1976 R J Cock 1977 L D Hayward 1978 N O K Gibbon 1979 S E Baucher 1980 K A Millichap 1981 T J B Roberts 1982 R S O'Mahony 1983 G W Thomas 1984 Rt. Hon. 18th Earl of Derby 1985 A G Lewis 1986 J Winter 1987 A M N Scorah 1988 P C Corkill 1989 M J Reece 1990 R J Guinee 1991 J E Burns 1992 P D Snell 1993 G B Capstick 1994 A L Lewis 1995 D J Appleton 1996 J E Kinder 1997 S G Povall 1998 G A Ensor 1999 P J Laker 2000 H A Thomas 2001 M J Neep 2002 S P Marsh 2003 J R Smith 2004 P B S Johnson 2005 B N Lewis 2006 B Birkinhead 2007 J D Parsons 2008 H F Smyth 2009 J B Harrocks 2010 G A Walsh 2011 A D H Cheetham 2012 N A C Roy 2013 T G Apel 2014 B J Billington 2015 M A Owen 2016 I N Jamson  2017  A M S Webster   2018  D A Hughes   2019 R A Wilson

Back to top of page

The four founding fathers of Gathurst Golf Club were Alfred Broach, William Griffin, Matthew Taylor and Ernest Brooks (EB) Naylor, all neighbours living in Gathurst Lane, Shevington. They convened a meeting on 18 December 1913 at which 15 men decided to form the club and to sign a lease for a plot of land owned by a local farmer, John Ball. The land measured 13 acres, 3 roods and 26 perches (how many of us remember these old measurements?). William Griffin was appointed the first Captain for 1914 and Matthew Taylor was President. The first reference to lady members relates to a prize presented to the ladies in 1917 by the Captain, E B Naylor.

One can only speculate as to the condition of the course which was opened to play 5 days after the inaugural meeting. Of the 9 holes, the longest was no more than 150 yards and three were less than 50 yards so by present standards it was more like a pitch and putt course. The part-time greenkeeper was assisted by a boy fitted with a halter to pull the mower. The only “clubhouse” facility for the early years was a barn at Naylor’s Farm until a disused cricket pavilion was acquired but even this had no basic amenities. The greenkeeper also had the less than pleasant task of emptying the contents of the outside privy pail into the open ditch at Liptrot’s Wood. Health and safety was not a consideration in those days!

The playing area was doubled in 1922 when an additional 15 acres were leased from Mr Liptrot. The members still had to contend with grazing animals and playing over hedgerows but at least they had 9 holes of reasonable length on which to play. In 1927 the club had its first custom-designed clubhouse situated on Gathurst Lane but further trouble was looming after a dispute with the landlord. The outcome was the purchase of the freehold in 1937 and this was to provide some much needed stability until the arrival of the M6 in 1959. The motorway bisected the course affecting 8 out of the 9 holes and left the clubhouse on the “wrong” side of the motorway. Fortunately, a local farmer was in the same situation and a swap deal was arranged. Compensation money enabled the course to be re-planned and a new clubhouse erected on the present site.

In the years between 1959 and 1989 the course was extended to 12 holes as a step towards the creation of an 18 hole course. In 1991 Mr J Wilkinson, a local landowner, agreed to sell 26 hectares of land on the west side of the course thus allowing a further 6 holes to be created. The proposals were approved by the membership and in December 1993 the contract for purchase was signed. Mr M Pearson was appointed to design the layout of the new holes and the 18 hole course was formally opened on 22 July 1995.

Gathurst joined the Society on 28 November 1968 and Frank Smith, Captain of Gathurst in 1966, was elected Society Captain for 1997/98. Tom King, who had been Club Captain in 2004, became the second Society Captain from the club when he was elected for 2017/18.

CAPTAINS OF GATHURST GOLF CLUB

1913  W J Griffin 1914  W J Griffin 1915  W J Griffin 1916  J D Reid 1917  E B Naylor 1918  E B Naylor  1919  E B Naylor 1920  E B Naylor  1921  E B Naylor  1922  E B Naylor  1923  E B Naylor  1924  E B Naylor  1925  E B Naylor  1926  E B Naylor  1927  D G Wilkie 1928  W W Wilson  1929  W W Wilson  1930  W W Wilson  1931  W W Wilson  1932  J Benson 1933  J Benson  1934  J Benson  1935  J Benson  1936  J Holland  1037  L S Jolley  1938  L S Jolley  1939  F Payne 1940  P G Watkins 1941  H Roscoe 1942  H Roscoe  1943  H Roscoe  1944  E Ball  1945  E Ball  1946  J Farrimond 1947  N Abbott 1948  P G Watkins 1949  W B Fleming 1950  R F Norris 1951  R F Norris  1952  S Greene 1953  J Prescott 1954  H Thornton 1955  J Greenwood  1956  N Rigby  1957 N Rigby  1958  E A Rigby  1959  E A Rigby  1960  E A Rigby  1961  E A Rigby  1962  E A Rigby  1963  E A Rigby  1964  W F E Simpson  1965 G F Barton  1966  E F Smith  1967  P G Seston

1968  K Clarke  1969  J W Kirkham  1970  F Pigot  1971  A W Ashurst  1972  J Speakman  1973  G Tait  1974  R Tomlinson  1975  L Walford  1976  S Bennetta  1977  E J Jordan  1978  A Parkinson  1979  B R Fouracre  1980  J Walls  1981  T Charnley  1982  J F O'Neil  1983  E Cheetham  1984  E Beasley  1985  H Marrow  1986  E Leigh  1987  R Galloway  1988  R F Jones  1989  J M Lomax  1990  W L Penk  1991  G G Whitter  1992  A Blan  1993  J Clarke  1994  M Lang  1995  B G Ball  1996  R Else  1997 D Wilde  1998  A A Goulden  1999  N Clark  2000  S G Lythgoe  2001  D A Holland  2002  G Saunders  2003  S W Haigh  2004  T King  2005  J P Torney  2006  J C Hudson  2007  R A Hodder  2008  W H McMath  2009  T K Fisher 2010  J D T Scott  2011  D Stockley 2012  P I H Davies 2013  M P Jordan  2014  A Priestley  2015  R Jones  2016  T B Nelson  2017  R Nicholson  2018  J D Dean  2019  J Wall

Back to top of page

In his Centenary book the late Bert Fairclough referred to the theft of the original Minute Books which left historians with little information regarding the first 26 years of Grange Park Golf Club. Newspaper articles from that time have helped to establish that the first meeting of interested parties took place in 1890 at the home of Mr Benjamin Bradshaw Glover who was appointed Captain when the club was formed in the following year. The task of finding a suitable plot for a 9 hole golf course was given to Mr C H Jolliffe and he eventually located a 42 acre site on the south side of Prescot Road, opposite to the entrance of the present course. After using 24 Lugsmore Lane as a clubhouse for the first 10 years the men moved into the upper rooms of the Grange Park Hotel with the ladies in Grange Park Farmhouse.

The course was “marked out” by the Hoylake professional, John Morris, with the holes varying between 185 and 220 yards in length. The fortunes of the club suffered fluctuations during the early years with falling membership and shortage of funds which tempted the club Council in 1900 to accept a fee of £25 to allow the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Show to use the site. The success of the show was not shared by the club which was left with a major reconstruction problem after 15,000 spectators had trampled all over the tees and greens to watch horse jumping and similar activities.

On 22 April 1911 the club was incorporated into a Company Limited by Guarantee with a unique clause in its constitution. This stated that in the event of a winding-up any surplus assets would not be distributed among the members but would be given to some institution having similar objects, thus ensuring that the funds would be ploughed back into the game of golf. Two years later an extra 9 holes were added of which 8 were on the other side of Prescot Road and required the golfers to cross the road twice. The 1913 course of 18 holes would undergo a further 6 major transformations over the next 78 years. Changes of location and layout in 1923, 1927, 1957,1967, 1969 and 1991 have now established the course on the north side of Prescot Road with two loops of 9 holes.

The clubhouse from 1926 to 1957 was the Sycamores, an old Victorian Building in Prescot Road. The present clubhouse, built in 1957 at a cost of £25,000, has since been extended and refurbished. The land on which it stands was purchased from Pilkington Brothers and no mention of Grange Park would be complete without reference to this family. Having grown to be one of the world’s leading producers of flat and safety glasses as well as providing employment to the local population, Pilkington Brothers has also been generous to the golf club. In 1968 Lord Pilkington agreed that his Company would sell the leasehold interest in the course for £40,000 and for the ensuing 999 years the club will hand over a red rose as “rent” each Midsummer. Following the death of Lord Pilkington, the Chairman of the Company is now the regular recipient of this traditional gift.

Grange Park joined the Society in 1931 and has produced three Captains, Ben Spaven (1960/61), Leslie Stewart(1975/76) and John Currie (1999/2000). Leslie Stewart also served as President of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs and in the 1952 Open Championship John William Jones was the leading Amateur and Silver medallist.

In 1977 Ben Spaven presented a trophy for the over 65s which is competed for at the Annual Competition.

CAPTAINS OF GRANGE PARK GOLF CLUB

1891 B B Glover 1892 B B Glover 1893 B B Glover 1894 F R Dixon-Nuttall 1895 F R Dixon-Nuttall 1896 H Varley 1897 H Varley 1898 A Gray 1899 A Gray 1900 J Hammill 1901 C H Jolliffe 1902 D McKechnie 1903 J Hamill 1904 J Hamill 1905 W J Glover 1906 W J Glover 1907 J Hamill 1908 J Hamill 1909 G P Varley 1910 G P Varley 1911 A Brewis 1912 A Brewis 1913 J R Turner 1914 J R Turner 1915 J Fordsham 1916 J Frodsham 1917 R J Knapman 1918 R J Knapman 1919 J Mercer 1920 G P Varley 1921 R W Blades 1922 R W Blades 1923 W P Collins 1924 J Saywell 1925 J Saywell 1926 A S Wilson 1927 A S Wilson 1928 A J A Orchard 1929 A J A Orchard 1930 J Hammill 1931 J Glover 1932 H J Lyon 1933 H J Lyon 1934 G F Denning 1935 A S Owen 1936 W Heaton 1937 W Heaton 1938 T H Wood 1939 F Heaton 1940 F Heaton 1941 F Heaton 1942 F Heaton 1943 F Heaton 1944 F Heaton 1945 F Heaton 1946 C E B Griffon 1947 C E B Griffon 1948 B Spaven 1949 F G Taylor 1950 S Sumner 1951 H Lockhart 1952 A Dewsbury 1953 A Dewsbury 1954 W C Rothery 1955 W C Rothery 1956 E W R Bywaters 1957 B Spaven 1958 P J O'Sullivan

1959 A O Cowper 1960 A O Cowper 1961 P Johnson 1962 I H Stewart 1963 I J Wolfe 1964 W A Barr 1965 A T Coe 1966 R W Heaton 1967 K Brown 1968 H L Fairclough 1969 T Callon 1970 W Rigby 1971 T Pursell 1972 J M L Spaven 1973 F J Howard 1974 G H Corrigan 1975 F S Brown 1976 G G Twist 1977 J J Appleton 1978 R Marsh 1979 H Jacoby 1980 C Buck 1981 W Lyon 1982 R Saunders 1983 G Smith 1984 E Leavesley 1985 J Grundy 1986 J F Currie 1987 L D Bradbury 1988 J P Coan 1989 J E Travis 1990 E Wilson 1991 A J Crick 1992 D Knowles 1993 G A Billington 1994 D Peter 1995 A D Molyneux 1996 K Proudfoot 1997 G H Jones 1998 G A C Wands 1999 G Makin 2000 A A Barr 2001 J Rawlinson 2002 D A Williams 2003 J Price 2004 K Stringer 2005 J Whittle 2006 K Gill 2007 A Brown 2008 P F J Seddon 2009 A Rawlinson 2010 J Clarke 2011 M H Devenish 2012 S M Gange 2013 A H Lane 2014 D Larcombe 2015 P Bradley 2016 W E Guest  2017  J P Greer 2018  R Pilkington  2019  E McFerran

Back to top of page

On 5 January 1877 with Queen Victoria on the throne and Disraeli as Prime Minister Haydock Park Golf Club was formed. Records from that era report that there were only ten golf clubs in the whole of England at that time so Haydock could well have been the eleventh. Another early record from the local newspaper, The Wigan Observer and District Advertiser, reports on the first Captain’s Prize provided by Dr Lister and held on 12 May 1877. It was reportedly played over 22 holes but as the course in 1877 was either 9 or 12 holes there is some mystery as to the number of holes played that day.

Unfortunately, some of the club records for the next thirty years are missing. However, there is an Ordnance Survey map which shows the location of the course approximately half a mile to the west of the present course. An entry in the Victorian History of the Counties of England states “  The course of the Haydock Park Golf Club adjoins the well-known racecourse at Dean Dam Moor, Newton-le-Willows. The club was founded in January 1877 by Dr Lister, Dr Watkins, the Rev H Siddall and others and its original links of nine holes have never been extended to the regulation eighteen. The links are charmingly situated in a wooded district and the pasture land on which they are laid out is slightly undulating”. The list of founders should also include the Rev.Pym Williamson whose medal is still competed for to this day.

The move to Golborne Park was taken at very short notice in December 1921 and seven months later Fred Green drove himself into the Captain’s office on the new 18 hole course. The club was also reconstituted as a Limited Liability Company with an 18th century mansion for a clubhouse instead of the previous humble sports pavilion.

The club suffered more devastation than most golf clubs as a result of World War II. The course was closed for play and part of the land was turned over for grazing. In 1943 the course was requisitioned for military purposes to billet American troops preparing for the invasion of Europe. It was not until Easter of 1948 that it was restored for the benefit of members and on 29 July 1951 the Captain drove off to reopen the course as 18 holes.

In May 1961 four Ex-Captains of the club, whose names are not known, applied to join the Society and were duly admitted. Thus, Haydock Park became a member of the Society and the club has since produced two Society Captains, Tom Boydell (1980/81) and Derek Walkden (2007/08).

CAPTAINS OF HAYDOCK PARK GOLF CLUB

1900 G Smith 1901  A Smith  1902  A Smith  1903  C S Bennie  1904  L E Pilkington  1905  L E Pilkington  1906  L E Pilkington  1907  J D P Smith  1908  A W Anderton  1909  F Lomax  1910  F Lomax  1911  L E Pilkington  1912  C Cole  1913  C Cole  1914  J Robinson  1915  J Robinson  1916  J Dickinson  1917  J Dickinson  1918  T Barnes  1919  T Barnes  1920  T Southern  1921  F A Green  1922  F A Green  1923  W Goslin  1924  W Goslin  1925  W Boardman  1926  J Naylor  1927  J Naylor  1928  W Longton  1929  C T Naylor  1930  C T Naylor  1931  C T Naylor  1932  H Horrocks  1933  F Hindley  1934  F Hindley  1935  J Sims  1936  J Sims  1937  J W Beswick  1938  J W Beswick  1939  E W Stephenson  1940  E W Stephenson  1941  S Bridge  1942  S Bridge  1943  S Bridge  1944  S Bridge  1945  S Bridge  1946  W Naylor  1947  W Naylor  1948  W Naylor  1949  H Scholes  1950  H Scholes  1951  J Gaughan  1952  C Ledger  1953  S Smith  1954  S Bridge  1955  H Finlayson  1956  J Twiss  1957  M D Connolly  1958  A J Fairhurst  1959  A J Fairhurst

1960 A H Randall 1961  T J Robson  1962  F H R Jones  1963  J Ryan  1964  F G Naylor  1965  J L Carragher  1966  R Lancaster  1967  H E Rimmer  1968  J Laithwaite  1969  J Hunter  1970  T Catterall  1971  J G Gibson  1972  L Ball  1973  W E Jones  1974  C A Pilling  1975  T O Boydell  1976  K D Jones  1977  H M Tarbuck  1978  R Gleave  1979  A Smith  1980  J I Bentley  1981  E Squires  1982  J Kibbler  1983  G Tait  1984  R B Sankey  1985  J Litton  1986  E Brown  1987  L Calvert  1988  J Foy  1989  C D S Burton  1990  M Potter  1991  H Fairburn  1992 W F Powell  1993  C Goodwin  1994  K Blake  1995  D E Walkden  1996  A Tipping  1997  M H Gallagher  1998  T R Horton  1999  D Wood  2000  F S Halliwell  2001  A Crompton  2002  L Prescott  2003  C Jackson  2004  J Yates  2005  L Walkden  2006  J Haigney  2007  D Atherton  2008  B Lutas  2009  J R Kilshaw  2010  B Jameson  2011  F Buckley 2012  D Barton 2013  J Holcroft  2014  D McGrory  2015  M J Sherlock  2016  J Arrowsmith  2017  C Anderson  2018  L Lowe  2019 B E Flanagan, MBE

Back to top of page

Southport Golf Club was founded on 3 January 1885 at the instigation of Captain J Hardy Welsby “and a few friends”. He was one of 29 founder members some of whom, including John Dun a Past Captain of Royal Liverpool, were members of other clubs. Membership and involvement in a number of clubs was a common feature of the early golfers and part of the mechanism that resulted in the spread of the game. The land for the course at Marshside was leased from Colonel Edward Fleetwood Hesketh and the 12 holes were soon increased to 18 later in the year.

Until 1891 the course was known as the New Inn Links, named after the nearby Inn which provided a club room for the members. The golfers had to negotiate their way around the scattered cottages of fishermen and shrimpers and along the tracks on which they travelled and a further impediment were squatters who inhabited the nearby hamlet of Little Ireland. They numbered about 500 and lived in slum dwellings situated near to the present clubhouse and the problems they created motivated the club to move inland to Moss Lane in 1892. The Moss Lane Links were leased from the Scarisbrick Estates, Charles Scarisbrick having been one of the original founding members. The new course had 18 holes, one being a monster 546 yards, and membership flourished with a ceiling of 250 members imposed in 1894.

However, by 1901 the Hesketh family had sorted out their problems at Marshside having cleared out the unwelcome squatters. The Hesketh Estate decided to restore the former New Inn Links to its former glory with additional land and a new clubhouse and Charles Hesketh Bibby Hesketh issued a prospectus setting out his plans. Furthermore, he invited the Southport Club to join him back at Marshside and despite having signed a new lease at Moss Lane the members agreed to return to their original home. Thus in 1902 the name was changed to Hesketh Golf Club using the splendid clubhouse sitting on top of the old beach cliff which still serves the present members, albeit somewhat extended over the years.

The 1920s were troubled times for the club following several attempts by the landlord to sell the land. The course was saved when Southport Corporation bought the land in 1936 and granted a 99 year lease to the club. There were conditions attached but the club survived and the future was finally secured by a later 999 year lease. There have been a number of changes to the course layout over the years but the essential links features have remained.

In 1908 the possibility of a Golf Union for Lancashire had been debated and this led to 29 clubs deciding to go ahead and form the Union. The inaugural Lancashire Championship was played at Hesketh in 1910, the winner being Hesketh’s G F Smith. The brothers Arnold and Harry Bentley also played 82 times for the County and 70 times for England. The club played an even bigger part on the national scene when a Past-Captain, J Rayner Batty, convened a meeting in 1924 that was to lead to the formation of the English Golf Union and also to his appointment as its first President. Derek Holden, a twice Captain of Hesketh in 1967 and 1985, served as President of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs in 1997.

As a founder member of the Society, Hesketh has provided four Captains in Bryce Hanmer (1950/51), Norman Thorpe (1970/71), Peter Jones (1993/94) and Colin Roberts (2016/17).

CAPTAINS OF HESKETH GOLF CLUB

1885 J H Welsby  1886  J Hardy Welsby  1887  J Hardy Welsby  1888  J Hardy Welsby  1889  H McNicholl  1890  T O Clinning  1891  C Scarisbrick  1892  J Betham  1893  W E Buckley  1894  W E Buckley  1895  W E Buckley  1896 C J Mulleneux  1897  W E Bland  1898  J Morison  1899  W Thompson  1900  R O'C N Deane  1901  D C Anderson  1902  T Aitken  1903  C H B Hesketh  1904  G F Smith  1905  R A Nicholson  1906  C Smith  1907  W Hendserson  1908  H E Mason  1909  A H Leech  1910  J W Wilson  1911  H J Walker  1912  A S Mead  1913  A S Mead  1914  J Brown  1915  J Brown  1916  J Brown  1917  W Hodge  1918  W Hodge  1919  A E Evans  1920  J R Batty  1921  J R Batty  1922  H Walker  1923  F W Carter  1924  W Hodge  1925  W K Ball  1926  W K Ball  1927  E H Q Henriques  1928  R A J Berry  1929  R A J Berry  1930  J C Taylor  1931 R A Barnes  1932  S Whittaker  1933  WG Radcliffe  1934  W R Gregson  1935  W R Gregson  1936  T Goffey  1937  T Goffey  1938  B M Hanmer  1939  B M Hanmer  1940  B M Hanmer  1941  B M Hanmer  1942  T M Mawdsley  1943  T M Mawdsley  1944  J D Ashworth  1945 R G Taylor 1946 R G Taylor 1947 W Morris 1948 A L Ashton 1949 J S Hollings 1950 J N Howarth 1951 F H Duncan  1952 S Bradshaw  1953 A L Bentley  1954 J L Braithwaite  1955 D C MacNicol  1956 F H Lomax 1957 A C Radcliffe  1958 H C Crowther  1959 T N Thorpe 1960 P K Horrocks

1961 L Wells 1962  L Wells  1963  T N Thorpe  1964  R F Legat  1965  D Wood  1966  R C Terry  1967  D T Holden  1968  R G WElls  1969  A L Blackhurst 1970  J R Craig  1971  B W Pierpoint  1972  C Grindlay  1973  F S Martin  1974  N Webb  1975  W H Kernahan  1976   A R Wilson  1977  W P Howard  1978  R Mentha  1979  C Rawstron  1980  J Harris  1981  P D Carroll  1982  M W Molyneaux  1983  J D Owen  1984  J Fearn  1985  D T Holden  1986  P Dougherty  1987  G C Farrow  1988  P W C Jones  1989  R H Foster  1990  A J Hartley  1991  R Abram  1992  P F Butterfield  1993  E J Usher  1994  D C Cobham  1995  H J Foster  1996  C Ryding  1997  E Oldroyd  1998  T Walton  1999  K Brady  2000 P Griffith  2001  J A Fleetwood  2002  M G Cruickshank  2003  M A Williams  2004  A F Roe  2005  R E Price  2006  A Rodwell  2007  A S Tilbrook  2008  R Fletcher  2009  C B Roberts  2010  R W Reeve  2011 D Harrison 2012 S W Mentha 2013  J McInerney  2014  R W Stevens  2015  P M Killick  2016  S S Jones  2017 J B Watkins 2018  P I Powell  2019  I H Garden

Back to top of page

The Hotel Victoria, now demolished, was the venue on 12 June 1902 for a meeting of prospective Heswall Golf Club members. The meeting was summoned by Mr G Bradstock Lockett and following the unanimous decision to form the club he was appointed Honorary Secretary. By 31 July 1902 a total of 66 Members and 45 Lady Associates had joined. As with many other courses, the railway was a major factor as regards location and Heswall station on the old London & North Western Railway provided a convenient access for the members. Today the old line, now a public footpath known as the Wirral Way, acts as a barrier between the East and West sections of the course and must be crossed to complete the round. Unlike most courses Heswall started as 18 holes and although new holes have been added and the layout changed over the years the essential parkland features have remained. The original course was designed by Jack Morris, the professional at Royal Liverpool, who was involved in the layout of many local courses during that era.

Lady Associates were encouraged from the start and at the course opening on 6 September 1902 the first Captain, Mr E Twigge, stated “One of the objects of the club is the abolition of golfing widows in the district.” His philosophy has endured to this day as Heswall still has one of the largest ladies sections in the locality. Gladys Temple Dobell (nee Ravenscroft) is by far the best remembered lady member having won the English and the American Ladies Championships in 1912/13 as well as featuring in many other international golfing events.

In the early days rooms were rented from Gayton Hall farm but these were soon given up following several outbreaks of diphtheria. On 13 February 1904 the members approved plans for the construction of a wood and iron clubhouse on a brick foundation at a cost of £1,500 and they also approved a new 21 year lease for the course. This clubhouse, together with all club records, was destroyed by fire on 20 January 1924 and two years later the first stage of the present building was constructed. There are few golf courses that can boast a location that the Heswall clubhouse enjoys. Sitting on rising land above the 18th green with views down to the River Dee and the mountains of Wales, the present clubhouse has been extended over the years. Its most popular feature is the outside terrace, sheltered from the winds, where an evening drink can be taken whilst watching the sun set over the Clwyd hills.

On 21 December 1948 the Council took the opportunity to buy the freehold of the land nanced by promissory notes from members. Frank Pennink reviewed the course in 1968 and made suggestions for improvement including the construction of new holes. More recently, Donald Steel drew up and supervised the plans for the new land purchased in 2000 and opened for play in 2007.

On the administrative side, Heswall has had two Presidents of the English Golf Union, Stuart Cookson in 1994 and Fred Caroe in 2006 and both have also served as President of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs. Other Cheshire Presidents have been Frank Harkins and Stuart Gorman. As far as the Society is concerned, Frank Harkins in 1988 and Robert J Carter in 2013 have served as Captain. 

CAPTAINS OF HESWALL GOLF CLUB

1902  E Twigge 1903  C MacIver  1904  E Johnston  1905  E Johnston  1906  E Johnston  1907  R Brancker  1908  R Brancker  1909  W T Lee  1910  T W Baker  1911  A W Stone  1912  R H Hooper  1913  T H Forgan  1914  C P Coulevas  1915  C P Coulevas  1916  C P Coulevas  1917  C P Coulevas  1918  C P Coulevas  1919  C P Coulevas  1920  H Williams  1921  C E DeWolfe  1922  R H Anderson  1923  G Q Dinn  1924  A Barrett  1925  W M M Forwood  1926  W M M Forwood  1927  F J Cope  1928  E E Hough  1929  R E Roberts  1930  G Bradley  1931  J P Wardle  1932  J E Roberts  1933  J R Fleming  1934  P B Hughes  1935  P B White  1936  F A Reece  1937  C Band  1938  T N White  1939  J P Wardle  1940  J P Wardle  1941 J P Wardle  1942  J P Wardle  1943  H V Evans  1944  H V Evans  1945  P L Davies  1946  E H Peters  1947  J Escolme  1948  R W G Scott  1949  J B Dowler  1950  W Rose  1951  A Hughes  1952  C L Ball  1953  J B Dowler  1954  E G Thomas  1955  F B Cope  1956  W D Armstrong  1957  A N Lockier  1958  E L Wiard  1959  F Hiscocks  1960  C A Leggett  1961  A Batty

1962 G C Lees  1963  J M Harvey  1964  C L Overton  1965  J B Tomkinson  1966  G Bancroft  1967  R J Critten  1968  H B Kelly  1969  E Woodhead  1970  R C Blair  1971  C W Berry  1972  S P H Cookson  1973  R G H Binnery  1974  R J Keating  1975  N E Kitchen  1976  C F Caroe  1977  B H Keenan  1978  D J Jardine  1979  E A Wilson  1980 E Raspin  1981  P H Kenney  1982  F Harkins  1983  J I I Bissett  1984  A C Craig  1985  D I Hewitt  1986  M A Meakin  1987  G S Gorman  1988  C B M Kenrick  1989  B B Wright  1990 J A Teare  1991  B T Ridge  1992  R May  1993  F W Taylor  1994  F W Spencer  1995  P J Dowell  1996  A Brooker  1997  S A Allen  1998  P J Thomas  1999  J Deakin  2000  R J Carter  2001  K J Davies  2002  J H Roberts  2003  P G Lees  2004  A R Williamson  2005  J Darbyshire  2006  W J P Smith  2007  P M Higgins  2008  D Holgate  2009  K Housley  2010  H J Sharman  2011  H P Jones  2012  P D Rogers  2013  C Hornsby  2014  M Greaney  2015  P Rodgers  2016  C T Hillock  2017  T Moon  2018  T Cornford  2019  R Christian

Back to top of page

Hillside is the tasty meat in the sandwich between Royal Birkdale and Southport & Ainsdale on a superb stretch of coastal sand dunes. These three courses sit side by side, divided only by the electric railway that links Southport with the City of Liverpool. The railway line is uppermost in the mind of a golfer standing on the first tee at Hillside where a hooked shot is not the recommended route.

The absence of club records prior to 1923 hinders the research into the early history which is believed to have started with a meeting at the Portland Hotel in the summer of 1911. Those present decided to make use of the 9 holes that had been laid out by the Blundell Golf Club which had moved to Ainsdale that year and which disbanded in the 1930s. The course was on land leased from Hillside Farm and situated to the East of the railway but by 1922 more space was required to accommodate the increasing membership. New housing development in that area meant that a move to the other side of the railway was a preferred option and discussions were opened with the Weld Blundell Estate to lease a stretch of land suitable for an 18 hole course. A 21 year lease was agreed and the new course was opened to play on 4 August 1923. The first Captain was R Mook in 1919 and he held office again in 1922.

On 28 February 1923 a Limited Liability Company was formed with a share capital of £3,000 and each founder member was issued with a share certificate and a commemorative mug. The early meetings were not without discord as some members objected to the move and to the proposed construction of an “expensive” clubhouse which was specially designed to allow it to be sold as a house if the club should be forced out of business. The clubhouse was opened on 19 December 1924 and the structure still forms the nucleus of the present building. Finances were stretched but under the Chairmanship of Louis Rowlandson with Hugh Davies as Honorary Secretary the Board was able to provide the financial stability to steer the club through a di fficult period of transition.

In October 1957 the respected golf course architect, Fred Hawtree, produced his plans which were to take Hillside into the top flight of courses throughout the world. It involved the release to Southport Corporation of 4 holes at the far end of the course in exchange for unused land between the Hillside and Birkdale courses. A unique feature of the exchange was that the construction of the new holes would be financed by the sale of 200,000 tons of sand taken from the new area. Hawtree subsequently reconstructed the front 9 holes and the new Championship course was opened in June 1967. Only 4 of the holes now bear any close resemblance to the holes of the original course.

Hillside has hosted the Amateur, English Amateur, European Amateur and Boys Amateur Championships as well as the Ladies British Open and a host of professional events. It is regularly used as a qualifying course when the Open Championship is played next door at Royal Birkdale. The Club joined the Society in 1934 and has produced two Captains, Bert Collinge (1959/60) and Bryan Greenwood (2000/01).

CAPTAINS OF HILLSIDE GOLF CLUB

1919 R Mook 1920  G A Kelley  1921  J D Carpenter  1922  R Mook  1923  G Sherrington  1924  G Sherrington  1925  C H Taylor  1926  A F Darah  1927  J M T Reynolds  1928  J M T Reynolds  1929  L F Rowlandson  1930  M E Bishop  1931  H S Collinge  1932  A Poirette  1933  W R H Gibbs  1934  H Davies  1935  J A W Hepburn  1936  J A W Hepburn  1937  G Worsley  1938  A Crampton  1939  J Carson  1940  J Carson  1941  J M T Reynolds  1942  J M T Reynolds  1943  J M T Reynolds  1944  G Dixon  1945  G Dixon  1946  B Turner  1947  C Hodkinson  1948  C Hodkinson  1949  J Moody  1950  B Turner  1951  T S Bolton  1952  G H Ball  1953  F W Veale  1954  N P Vanderbilt  1955  W McMurray  1956  T Garstang  1957  R W Barraclough  1958  J W Raynor  1959  L Rushton  1960  H L Greenwood  1961  J Moody  1962  H S Collinge  1963  N H Gough  1964  F Beck  1965  E B Taylor  1966  J B Mawdesley  1967  W Sawyer  1968  W B Allison  1969  T Johnson  1970  J P Proctor  1971  J D Giddens  1972  H V Bateson  1973  J Maher

1974 J A A Bent 1975  T E Broughton  1976  K N Owen  1977  J McAllister  1978  C F Wilson  1979  J E Mawdesley  1980  G C C Lindsay  1981  R J Smith  1982  D E Wood  1983  R M Allan  1984  J Mullen  1985  W C Backhouse  1986  B L Greenwood  1987  H G Noad  1988  G H Attwood  1989  F A Hennessy  1990  G P Owen  1991  D M Cox  1992  J R Walls  1993  J J Simmons  1994  G C Hinds  1995  D Hindle  1996  G D Anderton  1997  G C Kendrick  1998  G Brunskill  1999  I W McKittrick  2000  R A Hennessy  2001  I A McDiarmid  2002  G A Charnock  2003  B G Crilly  2004  C E Pennington  2005  J A Proctor  2006  D Lanigan  2007  K R Parkinson  2008  J A Taylor  2009  D K Dixon  2010  P Molloy  2011  D A Harkness  2012  A J Davies  2013  J J Bradburn  2014  G S Jones  2015 R Walker  2016 G J Williams  2017 D Rooney  2018 D J Veney  2019  P Edgeller

 Back to top of page

The first 35 years of the club appear to have run smoothly, possibly masked by the loss of all records, trophies and honours boards. Huyton Golf Club was formed in 1905 at the instigation of the Atherton family who owned and lived on the estate. Hurst House had been a rural retreat in the early 1700s having originally been constructed as a square manor house with later additions in 1879 including the clock tower with its five bell chime. The Atherton family were founders of the nearby British Insulated Wire Company, later to become BICC, and their family home was the first domestic property to be wired for electricity using the paper insulated wiring that they had introduced to Britain. The two Atherton brothers who lived at Hurst House did not get on together as evidenced during the 1961 clubhouse refurbishment when it was discovered that part of the house was wired for alternating current (AC) and the other part for direct current (DC).

James Braid directed the layout for the 18 hole course and Herbert Baxter was appointed Captain and the Hon. Arthur Stanley, the son of Lord Derby, elected as President. Lord Derby was a friend of the Athertons and would sometimes bring the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, to play at Huyton. Deer donated by Lord Derby roamed the park until one of them attacked a local golfing vicar and his Lordship was asked to take them back to Knowsley. The initial membership was 77 men and 45 ladies with the latter having the same voting rights as the men - an enlightened philosophy that was extended to the mixed use of the clubhouse, thus setting the standard for future social relations within the club.

The year 1939 brought bad news to the club, not only for the outbreak of World War II when it became a convalescent home, but also because the Athertons served notice that the lease would not be renewed. They set up Huyton Golf Links Ltd to manage the course on a “pay as you go” basis and many members left to join other clubs.Those who remained formed Huyton & District Golf Club paying green fees until 1945 when they formed Hurst Park Golf Club with a scheme to sign a new lease. However, before they could do so the Athertons announced their plan to sell the estate and that they had received a firm offer. A determined group of 62 members managed to raise and borrow £29,000 to buy the course and clubhouse. Thus on 26 August 1948 Huyton & Prescot Golf Club Ltd was formed and the other bidders graciously withdrew and went o to build Lee Park. Bob Knowles was elected Captain with Jack Vaughan as Secretary, a position he held for 34 years. His daughter, Sheila Maher, a former international golfer, was Captain of the Lancashire Ladies Golf Union in 2007.

There was welcome financial relief in 1954 when land at the paddock was sold for building. A major reconstruction of the clubhouse in 1961 was followed by an even greater upheaval in 1969 when the M57 motorway removed a quarter of the land. Compensatory land from BICC enabled the course to be re-planned under the guidance of Fred Hawtree and Dave Smith’s Development Committee. As a member of that Committee Geoffrey Leece enjoyed a unique opportunity to plan a new golf course and his lasting epitaph is that he can claim the 5th hole as his idea.

Harold Hayco was one of the four men who attended the first recorded Committee meeting of the Society in 1923 and in the following year he presented the trophy that still bears his name. Walter Coombs was Society Captain in 1965/66 and Geoffrey Leece  followed him in 1987/88.

CAPTAINS OF HUYTON & PRESCOT GOLF CLUB

1905  H Baxter  1906  H Baxter  1907  J Shaw 1908  S Russell  1909  S Russell  1910  F Pritchard  1911  W L Shaw  1912  W H Roby  1913  W H Roby  1914  W Kerfoot  1915  W Kerfoot  1916  W Kerfoot  1917  W Kerfoot  1918 W Kerfoot 1919  W Kerfoot  1920  N Harrison  1921  C Sever  1922  H S Hayco  1923  A J Brown  1924  N Silcock  1925  D Bates  1926  J F Ward  1927  R J Knapman  1928  J Hammill  1929  W F Dixon-Nuttall  1930  L Hammill  1931  T Glynne-Evans  1932  E R Pierce  1933  J Halligan  1934  W Ellis  1935  J Bruce  1936  J St. Clair  1937  J Bruce  1938  R E Broughton  1939  T E Balshaw 1940  W E Smith  1941  G Pinnington  1942  G Pinnington   1943  P Bates  1944  P C Lockyer  1945  R N Knowles  1946  R N Knowles  1947  E G Paterson  1948  R N Knowles  1949  D E Griffiths  1950  J H Young  1951  A S Thornton  1952  W Coombes  1953  J R Henley  1954  D Smith  1955  H C Adams   1956  B Joseph  1957  F A Edmondson 1958  C J Mitchell 1959  S C Parkinson  1960  J E Holdsworth  1961  S J Faulkner  1962  W G Jones  1963  S J Faulkner  1964  D Hindle

1965 R Williams  1966  F A Edmondson  1967  R P Harling  1968  T P Barton  1969  G R Leece  1970  J Fiddles  1971  E Dickin  1972  J D Maher  1973  W S Paton  1974  G A Wright  1975  J H Hoolihan  1976  C W Ward  1977  W J Connell  1978  F Lea  1979  R D Jones  1980  J Nicholson  1981  T G Pearson  1982  A Winrow  1983  F E G Pates  1984  R K Prowse  1985  E Pinnington  1986  K J Wilcock  1987  H C Lonsdale  1988  A Roskell  1989  K H Campbell  1990  I G Bruce  1991  K Whittamore  1992  J K Hulme  1993  J P Stevens  1994  W E Wilson  1995  B A Cadwallader  1996  F Rodgers  1997  W R Ireland  1998  G R Barr  1999  P H Blacoe  2000  W E Giles  2001  C Rhodes  2002  A P McCarthy  2003  G M Booth  2004  W J Lewis  2005  A Davies  2006  W J Connell  2007  N V Gleave  2008  P Aspinall  2009  M B A Jolley  2010  R Clamp  2011  A Gorman  2012  L J Gornall  2013  T Chapman  2014 C Town  2015 A S Elliott  2016 R A Davies  2017  R J Cronley  2018 D J Fletcher  2019 J N Unsworth

Back to top of page

Leasowe Golf Club started in 1891 and has steadfastly remained “men only” throughout its existence. It was formed as a 9 hole course situated adjacent to Leasowe Lighthouse and moved along the coast to the present site in 1894. The original course was taken over by Moreton Ladies Golf Club but their tenure there lasted only 10 years until the outbreak of the first World War when it was requisitioned for agricultural purposes and never rebuilt.

The legendary John Ball Jnr. was instrumental in the formation of the club and served as Captain for the first four years of its existence. He was 29 when the club was formed having in the previous year won the British Amateur Championship at his home club, Royal Liverpool, and the Open Championship at Prestwick. This feat has never been repeated and in total he won the Amateur Championship eight times. In between playing competitive golf and internationals all over the country he still found time to play in Leasowe competitions off a handicap of +10 and to serve in the Boer War with the Denbighshire Yeomanry.

A room at the Lighthouse served as the changing room until the move in 1894 when an approach to the adjacent Leasowe Castle was rejected. An issue of 4% debentures to the members raised the £455 required to build a clubhouse situated on the present site. The new course of 9 holes was laid out by the Royal Liverpool professional, Jack Morris, and John Ball Jnr. The Leasowe Committee resolved that all members should be asked to wear red coats with slate grey collars when playing on the links - now only worn formally by Captains and Past Captains.

Another innovation from 1894 was the arrangement with the Wirral Railway Company for the opening of a new station at Leasowe together with the provision of pony and trap transport to the course. By 1904 the course had been extended to 18 holes, some of which would have been seaward of the present course. Erosion of the sand dunes plus a period of controlled sand removal has changed the contours over the years but the sea defences have now been secured with the construction of a coastal walk and seaside park.

As most of the original golf clubhouses were constructed of timber perhaps it is not surprising how many of them were destroyed by fire. Leasowe’s loss occurred on 18 August 1963 when only the steward’s house remained after the clubhouse and all it’s records and trophies were burnt. Fortunately, the club had just increased its insurance cover and was able to rebuild the clubhouse and supply the members with brand new golf clubs.

By 1984 a land switch had been completed which left the club as owners of all its land and with no further responsibility for the sea defences. Two years later the members approved plans for an extension of the clubhouse which was completed and occupied in 1986. Landscaping with soil from Everton’s old football pitch has helped to enhance the course appearance.

Leasowe was a founder member of the Society and has produced four Captains - G Dudley West (1955/56), Bill Gillmore (1968/69), Ron Ceha (1984/85) and latterly David Laidlaw (2010/11). Ian Fraser (Captain 1975), who died in the Society's Centenary year, was awarded the Victoria Cross in World War II for sinking a Japanese Cruiser from a midget submarine.

CAPTAINS OF LEASOWE GOLF CLUB

1891  J Ball Jnr.  1892  J Ball Jnr.  1893  J Ball Jnr.  1894  J Ball Jnr.  1895  R Johnston  1896  J E Burton  1897  R W Lee  1898  D Walker  1899  J A Gray  1900  C H Burton  1901  R Dunlop  1902  C H Smith  1903  H Rider  1904  H Hartley  1905  A Burrell  1906  G Doleman  1907  J P Carr  1908  J Ball  1909  J S Kellett Smith  1910  W A Short  1911  J Williamson  1912  E Henshaw  1913  W F Skipworth  1914  J Marwood  1915  J Marwood  1916 J Marwood  1917  J Marwood  1918  J H Rogers  1919  J Byrne  1920  C D McGinness  1921  J E W Cook  1922  A H Holford  1923  J H Summerfield  1924  J P Carr  1925  G D West  1926  M H D'Arcy  1927  M F Drinkwater  1928  T H Jones  1929  J A Carlile  1930  P S Booth  1931 M H D'Arcy  1932  J N Mainwaring  1933  E Harvey  1934  G D West  1935  L Mickle  1936  B Dean  1937  A B Wallis  1938  E Harvey  1939  J A Dickinson  1940  J A Dickinson  1941  D A Gordon  1942  D A Gordon  1943  D A Gordon  1944  D A Gordon  1945  D A Gordon  1946  T W Lowe  1947  L W S Grinling 1948  R Dean  1949  J R Griffin  1950  F I Stanley  1951 W N Gilmore 1952 L G McConomy 1953 H S Worthington 1954 W T Harrison 1955 J W Mackintosh

1956  A R C Walker  1957  A W P Healey  1958  G N Booth  1959  J W Mackintosh  1960  R E Brew  1961  J H Crutchley  1962  F T H Stone  1963  A G Fulton  1964  A G Fulton  1965  R N Mainwaring  1966  S T P Bakewell  1967  W J Wells  1968  J F Jackson  1969  W F Jordan  1970  J W R Gartrell  1971  S J Craddock  1972  R H Ceha  1973  W Marshall  1974  W P Clayton  1975  I E Fraser  1976  F Griffiths  1977  A E Bladon  1978  J H Elsby  1979  C E Charnley  1980  H J Surridge  1981  H K Williams  1982  T G Powell  1983  D Chaddock  1984  H Jamieson  1985  L A Leach  1986  R B Howard  1987  L A Montgomery  1988  D E Laidlaw  1989  T Page  1990  C E Dyer  1991  G Wilkinson  1992  K Trice  1993  W E Baldwin  1994  J Bickerstaff  1995  L Bentley-Edge  1996  G L Goodwin  1997  E A Owen  1998  T M Hendry  1999  J G Roberts  2000  P G Scott  2001  C Jones  2002  P G Johnston  2003  B Phelan  2004  S Smale  2005  J W Hayden  2006  J Ward  2007  S Lanceley  2008  J N Marsden  2009  J G Howard  2010  W Menagh  2011  D A Wakefield  2012  C D Crail  2013 J Mallion  2014 B Edge  2015 J G Vaughan  2016 J Dunne  2017 K R Campbell  2018 M Jess  2019  I R McGinn

Back to top of page

In the mid 1940s the Merseyside Jewish Golfing Society decided to establish its own course in the Liverpool area along the lines of similar clubs in Leeds, Manchester and London. The first opportunity came in 1945 when the Executors of the Atherton Estate, owners of the course at Hurst Park, Huyton, intimated their wish to sell. Sol Bennett, a member of Hurst Park at that time, summoned a meeting of Jewish golfers who agreed to offer £29,000 against the asking price of £30,000. Indecision by the Athertons caused the situation to drag on until late in 1948 by which time the Hurst Park members had managed to organise the finance and match the offer under the name of Huyton & Prescot Golf Club. Not wishing to get involved in a damaging auction, Sol and his friends withdrew their offer.

Their time had not been wasted because there was now a committed band of enthusiasts ready to respond to the next attempt, also organised by Sol Bennett. The 1954 - 2004 history of Lee Park Golf Club, compiled by Geoffrey Swift, quotes verbatim from Sol’s memoirs in which he tells of the trials and tribulations he and his friends endured before the club came into existence in 1954. Space here does not permit a full account of their efforts but it started in the Spring of 1950 when Sol spotted Lee Hall, a tumble-down mansion at Netherley and knocked on the door of the nearby farmhouse. To his delight he discovered that the farm, comprising 225 acres, was for sale and his offer to buy 75 acres was subsequently accepted with the remaining land to be sold at auction. By March 1953 the planning consents and funding were in place and Lee Park Golf Club held its first Directors Meeting. Jack Tarsh served as Captain for the first two years and Sol Bennett for the third. The first 12 holes were opened in 1954 and the remaining 6 in 1956.

Whilst Lee Hall, in its day, would have been a splendid clubhouse its condition was so poor that it was demolished and all that remains is the coach house by the 10th tee. The old farmhouse served as the first clubhouse until replaced by a new purpose built one which has been extended and refurbished over the years. After the initial euphoria, problems that had not been envisaged started to manifest themselves. The construction of four large tenement blocks were not only a blight on the landscape but also brought the unwelcome attention of children and youths bent on destruction. Despite the strenuous efforts of the greenkeeper, Terry Holmes assisted by his alsation dogs, trespass and vandalism was a constant problem which affected both the course and the clubhouse. Fish were removed from the ponds in the hope of deterring the children who gathered there and eventually the ponds were filled in. It was a great relief when the flats were demolished in 1992 thus restoring the rural landscape and the present day peaceful enjoyment of the members.

The original membership was almost entirely Jewish with a few Jewish friends. However, by the late 1970s it was obvious to the Council that falling membership was taking the club on a downward spiral and the decision was taken to actively recruit members from all faiths. It has always been a club policy to accept members from any persuasion. The success of this campaign has restored the financial stability of the club and approximately 80% of the present members are not Jewish. Lee Park is a Jewish club and observes the Jewish holy days and dietary rules. It joined the Society in 1956 and has provided two Captains, Dr Harold Cantor (1969/70) and Geoffrey Swift (1995/96).

CAPTAINS OF LEE PARK GOLF CLUB

1954 J Tarsh 1955  J Tarsh  1956  S Bennett  1957  H Cantor  1958  B Lewis  1959  F Compton 1960  H L Silverston 1961  J Sytner 1962  I Leveson 1963  S I Canter 1964  S E Goldsmith  1965  Sir H Livermore 1966  I Samuels 1967  R Bennett  1968  L C Wolfman  1969  K J Stern 1970  K Shiffman  1971  J J Rivlin 1972  A K Harris  1973  M Sorsky  1974  M Boher  1975  W Ison  1976  S Linton  1977  D Solomon  1978  L S Bennett  1979  H L Goffman  1980  S Linton  1981  B Young  1982  S Brayd 1983  M Beacon  1984  G C Swift 1985  M Richard  1986  C W Cohen 1987  D Ludzker 1988  M Mendick 1989  D English  1990  D L Harris 1991  C Bredski 1992  S W Chinn  1993  I Bennett

1994 D E Webster 1995  E K Deacon  1996  A Hurst  1997  P M Carney  1998  M Pevy  1999  M B Bennett  2000  S G Settle  2001  C T Robinson  2002  N R Navaneetharajah  2003  J Lander  2004  E M Mott-Cowan  2005  J Gilvary  2006  R E Townsend  2007  I Glassman  2008  A T Ashton  2009  D P Towell  2010  P Rastall  2011  R H Stone  2012  T W Trafford  2013  D Mollard  2014  Dr N Krasner  2015  D W Ford  2016  A Pennington  2017  P Graff  2018  J Beck  2019  M D Worsfold

 

Back to top of page

Situated in Lathom Park, a former seat of the Derby family, Ormskirk Golf Club came into being on 14 April 1899 when six local gentlemen promoted a meeting at the Ormskirk Workingmen’s Institute. They were all members of Southport (later changed to Hesketh) Golf Club which at that time had moved inland to Moss Lane and it is possible that the unsettled state of this club had influenced their decision to form Ormskirk. The outcome was that the founder members who attended the meeting quickly got down to business and declared the club duly constituted and proceeded to elect a Council, Trustees, Secretary, Treasurer and to name Mr H Brighouse as Captain. As he served for only part of the year he enjoyed a second term in 1900. The final decision taken at the inaugural meeting was the act of faith by 17 founder members in guaranteeing a total of £150 towards the erection of a clubhouse which was built later that year at a cost, including the furnishings, of £700.

The chosen site for the first 9 holes was New Park which at one time had been part of Lord Derby’s deer park. The course was leased from the Stanley Estates and was constructed under the direction of the former Open Champion, Harold Hilton, who played in the exhibition match when the course was opened on 2 December 1899. Hilton also supervised the construction of the second 9 holes in the adjacent Top Park which enabled the 18 hole course to be formally opened on 30 May 1903. Nine years later in 1912 the members grasped the opportunity to buy the freehold of the entire 125 acres for £5,700. The foresight of such members has to be applauded because whilst the deal appears to be incredibly cheap by today’s standards the £7,655 they had to borrow must have caused some sleepless nights.

The original clubhouse served the members until 1914 when a more substantial structure was built on the present site at a cost of £2,827. Electricity was installed in 1934, followed shortly afterwards by the addition of living accommodation for the Steward and there have been various other extensions over the years. In 1991 a new professional’s shop was built and if the cost of £75,000 seems expensive it is only a reflection on the impact of inflation. Parking problems were resolved in 1998 when the club spent £180,000 to buy and landscape an extra piece of land on which to lay a new car park on the opposite side of Cranes Lane, helpfully subsidised by a substantial refund of VAT.

Two major reconstructions have taken place since the course became 18 holes although the basic layout has not fundamentally changed. The parkland setting is now a stern but fair test of golf which has been used as a regional qualifying course for the Open Championship and to host County matches for the men and the ladies. The original 23 Lady Subscribers have now increased signi ficantly and the ladies section is well known for its support of County golf and the Liverpool Society of Lady Golf Captains.

Ormskirk was a founder member of the Society and Danny Garforth was elected as Society Captain in 1983/84, and also served as President of the Lancashire Union of Golf Clubs in 2004. Ian Gregson was the Captain of the Society for 2012, thus being the second from the club to hold this office.

CAPTAINS OF ORMSKIRK GOLF CLUB

1899 H Brighouse  1900  H Brighouse  1901  P R Glover  1902  P M Hunter  1903  J Morrison  1904  J E Porter  1905  J E Porter  1906  C Stewart  1907  J Ainsgough  1908  E A Jones  1909  E E Linaker  1910  F Porter  1911  J T Whittle  1912  R E Hattersley  1913  R E Hattersley  1914  C W H Clark  1915  T Coulton  1916  T Coulton  1917  T Coulton  1918  T Coulton  1919  T Coulton  1920  F Potter  1921  T G Alexander  1922  T G Alexander  1923  C L Worsley  1924  W M Lowe  1925  H J Walker  1926  H J Cooke  1927  H J Cooke  1928  G Hewlett  1929  G Hewlett  1930  S H Sagar  1931  C I Worsley  1932  H P Lumby  1933  C W W Thorpe  1934  R E Hattersley  1935  J T Whittle  1936  J T Whittle  1937  J E Glover  1938  B R Rice-Jones  1939  P W Makinson  1940  C L Worsley  1941  C L Worsley  1942  C L Worsley  1943  C L Worsley  1944  C L Worsley  1945  C L Worsley  1946  H A Fair  1947  W Brown  1948  J R Holmes  1949  J T Whittle  1950  R H K Fair  1951  C G R Hill  1952  C F H Sergeant  1953  P D Kennedy  1954  J A Blackwood  1955  J B Ellis  1956  R H Gray  1957  R S Heaton  1958  A H M Stewart  1959 T W Winterson  1960 O W Ainscough 1961 M L Forster  1962 R F Hockin 1963 R H K Fair

1964  E H Ryde-Weller  1965  C Riding   1966   G H Riding  1967  J A Bishop   1968  L C Riding  1969  N W Daish  1970  D E Finch  1971  L C Bullard  1972  R R D Heaton  1973  A Kirkham  1974  H F Sharman  1975  P Finch  1976  S S Lawson  1977  C M R Hill  1978  D Garforth  1979  R F Nanson  1980  J A Bush  1981  N Pendleton  1982  D Edge  1983  A J Cunnington  1984  R J Berry  1985  E S Morton  1986  R L Pendleton  1987  J M Hemson  1988  E I Linton  1989  T Sayer  1990  R Guy  1991  W Caunce  1992  J K Nuttall  1993  H Winstanley  1994  I M Beaton  1995  D Howarth  1996  A J Price  1997  E T Hey  1998  B A Jackson  1999  C D Mawdsley  2000  J G Foster  2001  I Gregson  2002  M Halliwell  2003  J V Williams  2004  J J K Price  2005  R G Malley  2006  P M Cowan  2007  D B Brookfield  2008  A Cooper  2009  J G S Woods 2010  B W O'Brien  2011  G E Jackson  2012  A J Ball  2013 W J Pendleton  2014 K Draper  2015 D A James  2016 D J Eccleston  2017  S Broster 2018 C R Read  2019 S Glover

Back to top of page

The 2005 Centenary book for Prenton Golf Club lists 50 other clubs in the British Isles that share their year of celebration which testi fies to the pace of interest in the game in 1905. Like many other clubs it was an informal meeting that started the ball rolling and in Prenton’s case it was a gathering on 18 February 1905 when 7 men formed themselves into a Committee and elected a President, Secretary and Treasurer. Their resolution “ that a small golfing club be formed” may in hindsight appear somewhat lacking in ambition but this perception was quickly changed when keen local interest caused the initial limit of 40 men and 20 ladies to be increased. Somewhat surprisingly, the first Captain appointed in the following year was not one of the original 7 founders, the honour going to P Harvey Dodd.

The first course of 9 holes, ranging from 130 to 280 yards, was set out in two fields that now form Waterpark Road and Elm Road. For the months of May to August the golfers had exclusive use of the land but for the rest of the year they had to give preference to other users. The rudimentary nature of the course can be gauged from the reward of one shilling given to a junior member for his suggestion that the water-filled jam jars that were sunk into the ground to mark the holes should be replaced by tin cans with holes punched in the base.

By 1908 the club had moved to a larger site nearer to Landican and had also built a substantial clubhouse. Further reconstruction of the course was interrupted by the Great War of 1914/18 when much of the course was given over to sheep and cattle grazing. On 4 May 1923 the course was formally opened with 18 holes, celebrated by an exhibition match between A G Havers and Abe Mitchell. A 40 year lease gave the club security of tenure and this was later consolidated when the club was able to purchase the freehold of the land.

German bombing raids during World War II caused damage to the clubhouse and the course. In the 1941 blitz the close proximity to the river Mersey exposed the club to attacks from land mines and incendiary bombs intended for the docks and shipyards at Birkenhead. The damage to the clubhouse was not repaired until after the war and the large cavity to the right of the present 8th green is a reminder of the damage a land mine can do, even with a controlled explosion. The making of Golf Links Road in the late 1950s left the main entrance to the clubhouse facing the wrong way and necessitating a reorganisation of the building layout. The new clubhouse was opened in 1966 and there were further alterations in the year 2000.

The Lees family played significant roles both for Prenton Golf Club and also for the Society. Father and son, G F Lees and Fred J Lees, both Captained Prenton and the latter served as Hon. Secretary and Treasurer of the Society for a period of 9 years until he was appointed its second Captain in 1948/49. Peter Dutton was Captain of the Society in 1972/73 and has played an active part in the affairs of the Cheshire and the English Golf Unions. He served as President of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs in 1971 and was President of the English Golf Union in 1989. Arthur Thelwell was President of the Cheshire Union in 1991 and Graham Hurton became the third Prenton member to Captain the Society in 2002/03.

CAPTAINS OF PRENTON GOLF CLUB

1906 P Harvey Dodd  1907  G S Oldham  1908  T B Johnston  1909  R T Jones  1910  E Hibbert  1911  F Powell  1912  C Brownridge  1913  A B Tabb  1914  G F Lees  1915  E H Holford  1916  E H Holford  1917  F Owens  1918  F Owens  1919  C Craig  1920  R J Robinson  1921  J C Finlay  1922  R R Hughes  1923  W Myers  1924  A Robinson  1925  J M Wallace  1926  F W Dingwall  1927  T Robinson  1928  E G Narrermore  1929  W Stinton  1930  W R Reardon  1931  E C Clarke  1932  A S McIvor  1933  J F J Wood  1934  A H Neale  1935  E W Tame  1936  D C Kinghorn  1937  F J Lees  1938  R J Griffith  1939  E Nevylle Evans  1940  E Nevylle Evans  1941  J A Thomas  1942  J A Thomas  1943  J A Thomas  1944  J E Allan  1945  J E Allan  1946  E le V Wood  1947  E le V Wood  1948  R O Lloyd  1949  L B Bethel  1950  C D Neill  1951  R M Dutton 1952  C C Wheeler  1953  A N Rostance  1954  J J Nester  1955  T A Hurton  1956  A E Wood  1957  H Lightfoot  1958  E W Parry  1959  L E G Medcalf  1960  J A Ellis  1961  F C Speechly  1962  P R Dutton  1963  F V W Crook  1964  P L Heppard  1965  H W Chapman

1966  T Boggie 1967  A S Lee 1968  J W Marquis  1969  D S Bruce  1970  D R H Whalley  1971  S Halliday  1972  G C Grimmant  1973  J B Cushing  1974  J Wooton  1975  G Wynne  1976  D MacLeod  1977  J Shackleton  1978  A G Hurton  1979  T F Deehan  1989  F N Cryer  1981  J Moorhouse  1982  J P Duke  1983  A Thelwell  1984  A B Disley  1985  J P Gaughan  1986  J Rostence  1987  J S T Robertson  1988  E T Hallman  1989  A Gilfoyle  1990  B J Ball  1991  J G Jones  1992  T Flynn  1993  D R Brockbank  1994  G Hughes  1995  I S Macdonald  1996  C H Farmer  1997  G Wyn Hughes  1998  G J Mathieson  1999  P B Bowes  2000  J Darbyshire  2001  J B Ainslie  2002  J M Cross  2003  R A Jackson  2004  P L Macready  2005  W F Cooper  2006  G T Roberts  2007  J I McCrindle  2008  S L Hogg  2009  M Yaxley  2010  D R Williams  2011  A J Shields  2012  J R Bridgwater  2013  M J Lincoln  2014  D F Gibson  2015  J P Burke 2016  S H Watson  2017  G Billington  2018  A J Rae 2019  G J Hartley

Back to top of page

Birkdale Golf Club was formed on 30 July 1889 when nine gentlemen met at the house of Mr J C Barrett and agreed to rent a piece of land at Shaw Hills, close to the junction of Liverpool Road and Bedford Road. An annual rent of £5 was accepted by the landlord, Mr Weld Blundell, who was invited to become the first President. With a budget of £5.50, which overran by 16s 3d (81p), for preparing the nine holes one can only speculate on the state of the course which opened on 5 October 1889 with Mr R G Hayward as the first Captain.

The rules of the West Lancashire Golf Club were adopted as a model for the constitution but the model omitted any provision for non-resident members. At a Special Meeting on 23 December 1889 it was discovered that there was no power to change the rules except at the Annual Meeting so those present simply dissolved the club and immediately formed another one using exactly the same name. Ladies were then permitted to use the links three days a week but not on Saturdays or Bank Holidays. A room in Mr Barrett’s house in Bedford Road was rented as a club room for the men until January 1890 when they took rooms at the adjacent Portland Hotel and the ladies were allocated the room in Mr Barrett’s house.

The landscape at Birkdale in that era was quite different from the present and all land to the West of the Southport to Liverpool railway was sandhills, apart from the Cheshire Lines railway. Waterloo Road was not connected to Liverpool Road, ending south of Grosvenor Road, and there was no station at Hillside. It was a bold decision by the members to build an 18 hole course on the present site in 1897 and agree a twenty-one year tenancy for 190 acres. A Limited Company was formed and a temporary clubhouse constructed adjacent to the present 4th green. It was subsequently discovered that the clubhouse was built on land outside the tenancy and it had to be demolished and replaced in 1904. This remained in service until 1935 when the present Art Deco style clubhouse was built.

Southport Corporation must take some credit for the club’s present standing in world golf. Having purchased the land from the Weld Blundell Estate the Corporation offered the club a 99 (now 999) years lease on condition that they remodel the course to championship standard and build a clubhouse worthy of the course. In 1931 the members approved the proposals and architects F G Hawtree and J H Taylor combined to reconstruct the course. Their plan was to lay out each hole in its own valley between the sandhills thus avoiding blind shots and they should be commended for producing one of the fairest of the Championship courses.

The club received its Royal patronage in 1951 and was awarded the Open Championship for the first time in 1954. It has hosted nine Opens including 2008, the Society's Centenary year. It has been the venue for an impressive list of major golfing events both professional and amateur, men and ladies, including a memorable Ryder Cup in 1969 when Nicklaus conceded a putt to Jacklin to halve the match on the final green. Royal Birkdale has never been afraid to move with the times and the result is a course renowned throughout the golfing world.

As a founder member, the club has produced two Society Captains, Norman Stewart (1956/57) and John Benstead (1986/87). Sadly, John died in his year of office but left a legacy in the salver that bears his name. Gordon Jeffrey has served as Captain of the R&A.

CAPTAINS OF ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF CLUB

1890  R G Heyward 1891 W W P Shatwell  1892  W W P Shatwell  1893  W E Buckley  1894  F Sandbach-Baker  1895  W Bowker  1896  F W H Campbell  1897  F W H Campbell  1898  F W Price  1899  G H Hughes  1900  G M Sawyer  1901  G F Pearson  1902  G F Pearson  1903  R Jones  1904  A Yates Baxter  1905  T Aitken  1906  H Lycett  1907  H T Turpin  1908  J M Dewhurst  1909  F Gittins  1910  T O Clinning  1911  T O Clinning  1912  E C Cooper Brown  1913  T H Bedford  1914  T H Bedford  1915  T H Winder  1916  T H Winder  1917  D Goldsworth  1918  D Goldsworth  1919  C Southern  1920  C Southern  1921  R K Lee  1922  R K Lee  1923  J K Crook  1924  J K Crook  1925  C G Classford  1926  C G Classford  1927  T Charlton Jackson  1928  T Charlton Jackson  1929  N S Wood 1930  J A Scholefield  1931  A A Wilkinson  1932  A Eckersley-Hope  1933  E Redmayne-Jones  1934  S Eastwood  1935  A Marland  1936  T Lord   1937  S E Charlton  1938  J Whitehead  1939  R H Hardman  1940  R H Hardman  1941  F Hooton  1941  F Hooton  1943  F Hooton  1944  F Hooton  1945  F Hooton  1946  F D B Hill  1947  F D B Hill  1948  J S Smith  1949  J S Smith  1950 R S Kirkpatrick 1951 H F Simpson 1952 D N Stewart 1953 D N Stewart 1954 S T L Greer 1955 W G Clark 1956 B Monkhouse 1957 B H Park 1958 B H Park 1959 V Richards

1960  S R Pope 1961  G I Rushton  1962  G R Unsworth   1963  J G Eckersley Hope  1964  J G Eckersley Hope  1965  J S Wood  1966  T S Davies  1967  W H J Pickavance  1968  G B B Jeffrey  1969  R Hill  1970  K Duncan  1971  M S Cochrane  1972  J G Benstead  1973  I F D Hill  1974  J R Miller  1975  I A T Legge  1976  W I Campion  1977  D W H Coates  1978  R J D Livesey  1979  J G C Longhurst  1980  J N Perrins  1981  A Cross  1982  J H Rigg  1983  M R C Weeks  1984  J H Eaves  1985  T D Andrew  1986  A J D Johnson  1987  P M G Unsworth  1988  A W D Jack  1989  A N Stephenson  1990  P S Fish  1991  B M Eckersley-Hope  1992  D S Johnson  1993  Sir C Hewetson  1994  M W Halsall  1995  D A Price  1996  J B Jones  1997  R S Bradshaw  1998  P K M Rostron  1999  S D Lewis  2000  J P Simmonds  2001  F A Baker  2002  D M Dunn  2003  R M Cox  2004  W D Hawksworth  2005  J L Henthorn  2006  J N Rostron  2007  S A Wilkinson  2008  A D Watson  2009  J A Moralee  2010  R M Russell 2011  M G G Hadden  2012  S J Ludlow  2013  J D Seal  2014  R M Hunt  2015  P S Griffiths  2016  T J McGraw  2017  M Burns  2018  N P O'Donnell  2019  P S Busby

Back to top of page

In 1869 the hamlet of Hoylake was a summer resort for the local gentry whose activities centred around the Royal Hotel and the Warren on which the Liverpool Hunt Club raced its horses. Both of these establishments exerted influence in the formative years of one of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world. It started when Mr J Muir Dowie called a meeting at the Royal Hotel and a month later in June 1869 the Liverpool Golf Club had been formed and Mr Dowie elected as Captain. In the following year the name was changed to the West Lancashire and Cheshire Golf Club but at the first general meeting the new name was vetoed and the former one restored. Perhaps it was the hunting connection that encouraged the members to wear a red coat with a green collar and plain gilt buttons inscribed LGC. The club still retains the unique tradition whereby the retiring Captain passes to his successor the club’s wand of office. This carved ivory baton had been used to conduct the community singing which frequently followed club dinners. The second Captain was Col. E H Kennard and in 1871 he was instrumental in gaining the Royal prefix through the Duke of Connaught.

The Royal Hotel in Stanley Road was the first headquarters for the club and was the scene of many a convivial post-golf dinner. The Hotel was owned by the father of John Ball who went on to become part of a triumvirate with Harold Hilton and Jack Graham who dominated amateur golf in their era. The stables at the rear of the Hotel were offered to Jack Morris who was installed as the first professional and who stayed for over fifty years. His father George, brother of the legendary old Tom Morris, had come down from Scotland to help lay out the nine hole links. Fortunately for the golfers the racing had finished by the mid 1870s by which time the course had been extended to 18 named holes of which Course and Stand are reminders of the racing connotations.

The starting point was changed in 1895 when the present clubhouse was built. The Royal hole (the present 17th) was initially designated as the first followed by the present 18th as the second but this was not deemed to be a success so the present layout was adopted with the Course hole as the first. However, the original layout was temporarily restored for logistical reasons in 2006 when the Open Championship, won by Tiger Woods, returned to Hoylake. Following the Championship the members decided to return to the traditional layout.

The connection with the Open Championship started in 1897 and the club has hosted the event 11 times, including the Grand Slam by Bobby Jones in 1930. However, it is for amateur golf that Hoylake is most recognised having held the Amateur Championship 18 times including the first in 1885. It also held the first England v Scotland international, the first match between Great Britain and the USA, the first English Amateur Championship and the Walker and Curtis Cups. Its restoration to the rota for the Open Championship keeps the club in the top flight of golf clubs throughout the world.

The club was a founder member of the Society and W B Stoddart, Captain of Royal Liverpool in 1910, chaired the first recorded Society Committee Meeting on 2 July 1923. He also hosted the annual competition at Hoylake on 3 October 1923 but not as Captain as this office was not created until 1939. Roland Marshall (1949/50) and Alan Booth (1974/75) have been Captains of the Society and John Behrend served as Captain of the R&A.

CAPTAINS OF ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB

1869  J Muir Dowie  1870  J Muir Dowie  1871  E H Kennard  1872  E H Kennard  1873  J Dun  1874  J Dun  1875  W C A Milligan  1876  H H Grierson  1877  G R Wilson  1878  Lt. Col. Briggs  1879  C Crook  1880  A Brown  1881  F Muir  1882  J Mansfield  1883  C D Brown  1884  J Cullen  1885  B Hall Blyth  1886  J Graham  1887  A Sinclair  1888  A Stewart  1889  J B Fortune  1890  C Hutchins  1891  H W Hind  1892  S G Sinclair  1893  T L Ferguson  1894  H G Hutchinson  1895  H R Robertson  1896  G C H Dunlop  1897  T W Crowther  1898  F Dun  1899  W S Patterson  1900  G R Cox  1901  E Evans  1902  A G Rankine  1903  F Holdroyd  1904  G Pilkington  1905  H R C Sievwright  1906  P Brown  1907  A M Patterson  1908  G E Godwin  1909  A G Lyster  1910  W B Stoddart  1911  E R Moodie  1912  E A Beazley  1913  E V Crooks  1914  J H Clayton  1915  J H Clayton  1916  J H Clayton  1917  J H Clayton  1918  J H Clayton  1919  J H Clayton  1920  G H McDiarmid  1921  G Stewart  1922  E B Orme  1923  J P Brocklebank  1924  A J Graham  1925  W E Mounsey  1926  J Baxter  1927  A Kentish Barnes  1928  S Downs  1929 K Stoker  1930 J G B Beazley  1931 F Brocklehurst  1932 P W Leathart  1933 J Pegram  1934 R Marshall  1935 F D Sharples  1936 Sir P E Bates  1937 V D Heyne  1938 W B Charles  1939 E O Glover  1940 E O Glover  1941 E O Glover  1942 E O Glover  1943 E O Glover  1944 E O Glover  1945 E O Glover

1946  F L Orme  1947  R J Hodges  1948  D M Ritchie  1949  T W Harley  1950  D Toby  1951  A J Kennish Barnes  1952  E R Orme  1953  E R Orme  1954  N W Roberts  1955  J L Postlethwaite  1956  J A Graham  1957  G G Beazley  1958  G F Williamson  1959  J D W Renison  1960  J M Marshall  1961  E Birchall  1962  A N L Warnock  1963  R H Smith  1964  W T G Bates  1965  A G L Lowe  1966  W S Hulme  1967  M H Williams  1968  J C Lawrie  1969  Rt. Hon. Selwyn Lloyd  1970  D H L Shone  1971  A S Booth  1972  A H T Crosthwaite  1973  T Draper Williams  1974  J R Turner  1975  V E Sangster  1976  J E Behrend  1977  D Staveley Taylor  1978  T G Leighton  1979  L Briggs  1980  J A Brocklehurst  1981  A W Shone  1982  R T Robinson  1983  J Rees Roberts  1984  D H S Pain  1985  J H Spence  1986  K V Dodman  1987  J A Colvin  1988  N C Williams  1989  T J Marshall  1990  L M White  1991  F D M Lowry  1992  G A Maxwell  1993  D G Beazley  1994  J D W Maxwell  1995  N A Wainwright  1996  P L Canevali  1997  A W Renison  1998  J N Kennefick  1999  P J M Stern  2000  K J A O'Brien  2001  D P Norval  2002  J C B Pinnington  2003  S B Duncan  2004  G H Brown  2005  J G Turner  2006 A J Cross  2007 R Chadwick  2008 M G M Groves  2009 P H Cassidy  2010 A E R Noble  2011 N J Peel 2012 B T Bell  2013  R C C Taylor  2014  A J Beggs  2015  R McBurney  2016  D Smith  2017  Dr B W Taylor  2018  Sir I Gilmore  2019  T H S Williams

Back to top of page