| The
intimate history of Romiley Golf Club began in 1897 and commenced
life as the Woodley and Romiley Golf Club. It had demanded the
same experiences common to most of the clubs near large towns
and much tact and determination were needed in order that the
game could be played in anything like reasonable conditions.
The
district was little more than a group of hamlets - Greavefold,
Barlowfold, Goosehouse Green, Lane Ends, Butterhouse Green, Hatherlow,
Harrytown, Crossmoor (centre of Romiley) with a total population
of 6,000. Goosehouse Green was at one time an “Extra Parochial
Place”, an island in the middle of the parish, without the
right to attend the Parish Church and more importantly not under
any obligation to pay rates.
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The
Club though heavily in debt, owing to the money wasted upon
Salters Lane Course decided to build a pavilion. A circular
letter dated 8th December 1898 asked members for special
subscriptions, which subscription included the right of
a member to make his wife a subscriber. £214 was subscribed,
and in April 1899, the Pavilion was opened.
< Clubhouse 1899 |
The
Club was instituted at a meeting held on the 29th July 1897, when
Mr. J E Lees, of Birch Vale House was appointed Captain, Mr. C
E Redfern, Treasurer and Mr. L Conrad Hartley, Secretary. The
members numbered 70 gentlemen and 30 ladies. Scarcely any of the
ladies played and comparatively few gentlemen and an entry of
12 for a medal competition was remarkable.
The
first ground, rented from several tenant farmers, was an area
of 31.5 acres, lying to the north of Salters Lane, (now Werneth
Road) to Mock Beggars Farm (now Hillside) and the footpath leading
to Werneth Low. Players had a severe climb up the side of Werneth
Low.
It
wasn't too long before they had disagreements with the animals
roaming around which led to weekly rows with the farmers, and
of course the members found the steep slope of the course unsuitable
for golf.
In
less than a year the Club moved to a new piece of relatively flat
ground behind Goosehouse Green, off Barlow Fold Road, Romiley.
Mr. J E Lees, a Solicitor, had played golf before moving to Romiley
in 1882. He had joined the original club and became the first
Captain of the club.John E Lees, whilst Captain of the Club, visited
“The Open Championship” at Prestwick in 1898, Harry
Vardon won his first of three Open Championships. John Lees had
the opportunity to ask Harry Vardon to recommend a young professional
to join Woodley and Romiley Golf Club as professional and he recommended
a young Jersey "up and coming" golfer Thomas Helier
Beck, in 1900. (just 17 years old.)
Tom
Beck stayed at the club for only two years when he went to join
his brother Fred as his assistant at Filey Golf Club. Following
which in 1921 he left England to make his name in the USA, and
then lost all his money in America in the Wall Street Crash. He
came back to England penniless.
Walter Hambleton followed Tom Beck as professional and remained
until 1908.
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1920,
the Clubhouse was extended to provide a room large enough
to hold whist drives, smoking concerts and to accommodate
a billiard table.
< Clubhouse 1920 |
In
1908 Woodley and Romiley Golf Club changed its name to Romiley
Golf Club.
Again
the club looked to Harry Vardon to recommend a new professional
and again he chose a Channel Islander, Charles Le Chevalier, who
designed and constructed a 9 hole course at Goosehouse Green.
Romiley.
When
Charles came to Romiley he brought his family, his wife, his 6
year old son Charles jnr. baby Albert and shortly afterwards Adelina,
their daughter, was born. Both boys became professionals, Charles
jnr. holds the record for the number of "holes in one"
by a British professional, a total of 31. Brother Albert, became
professional of Romiley Golf Club from 1963 to 1977.
On
the 28th November 1899, it was decided that the ladies should
form their own Committee to arrange competitions for the Lady
Subscribers.
In
1905 Ladies became members of the club, the original “Subscribers”
being wives of members. The Ladies section now had the right to
admit any lady for membership, as very few wives had joined.
The original course had been rather crude in its construction,
having only tees and greens, some of which were only mown areas,
the fairways cropped by the sheep where ever they chose to graze.
The vogue for greater playing length, coupled with the marked
improvement in the design and manufacture of the golf ball, made
it necessary to lengthen the course from time to time. It became
imperative that further land should be obtained to construct a
well planned course, correctly laid out.
More
land was leased and the new course was designed and constructed.
Charles Le Chevalier, as Professional and Greenkeeper, was responsible
for approving the final layout and construction of the 1909 course.
The new course was an immense improvement and it was felt by all
that Romiley was at last a course of which to be proud.
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1950,
extension to Clubhouse to provide a new kitchen, improve
the bar facilities and space for both a ladies lounge and
locker room.
< Clubhouse 1950 |
A
great deal of money was spent upon the drainage of the course,
the making of bunkers, the cultivation and trimming of the natural
hazards, and the up-rooting of hedges that almost invariably proved
to be in the wrong place. These days it is not possible to fully
appreciate the work and effort required to construct a course
without modern machinery to assist.
The new 9 hole course was opened by the Captain Elect, Dr Blades,
in July 1909. In 1914 a 21 year lease was agreed on field 124
as was the lease for two further Hudson fields, (an area covered
by the present 3rd and 8th fairways.)
The war had commenced and the proposed extension to the 9 hole
course to embrace field 124 had to be postponed. Field 124 and
the Hudson fields were let for grazing. Irving’s sheep continued
to eat the grass away on the course whilst Farmer Swindles grazed
cattle on the present 3rd fairway and Farmer Constable ploughed
the present 8th for growing oats.
The office of President of the Club was first held in 1916 by
Harry Entwisle and he remained President until 1927. He had also
been Chairman of Directors from 1918 until 1924, and was also
Honorary Secretary of the Club from 1906 until 1908.
It was in 1924 that Harry Entwisle presented the Club with “The
Bogey Challenge Cup”, (the year his wife became Lady Captain).
Played for each year, it is now known as the “Entwisle Cup”
the prizes are paid in part from a trust fund set up by the executors
of Mrs Thomas Carter Beeley ( Miss Hilda Entwisle, Harry’s
daughter).
Following the departure of Charles Le Chevalier in 1921 the Club
engaged Gordon Good, a Scottish international, who remained with
the Club for 38 years. Gordon was a good Club Professional as
well as a professional golfer. Such was the quality of Gordon’s
golf, whilst at Romiley, he was selected and played for Scotland
against England in 1934, 35 and 1936, winning on each occasion.
He won many competitions and finished 19th in the 1936 Open, staged
at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), won by Alf Padgham of Sundridge
Park. In
July 1931 Gordon Good shot 67 against a bogey for the course of
74, to hold the course record for a Professional at Romiley.
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The
clubhouse extension in 1950, providing the Ladies’
section with their lounge and locker room, had been built
in brick as opposed to the remainder of the clubhouse being
of wooden construction.The new scheme in 1963 was to develop
the clubhouse in stages, the first was the middle section,
with a large lounge and the ground floor as a dining area.
< Clubhouse 1950 |
In
1923 Romiley was to take its most monumental step to secure its
future as a golf club in its permanent home. The lease on the
land on which the Clubhouse was situated was expiring, coupled
with the offer from Capt. Hudson for the purchase of a cottage
and garden.
The
cottage was where Charles Le Chevalier lived and his garden covered
the area now occupied by the rear car park, the entrance to the
Clubhouse being an 18 foot strip of land which is now the exit
from the Club.
On
the 3rd July 1923 the agreement for the purchase of the area,
including the Cottage, was completed at a cost of £300,
to be followed by the purchase of field 124 from Mr John Stafford
Hepworth, a manufacturing horticultural chemist from Loughborough,
at a cost of £1,040.
In
1924 Captain Hudson made an offer to the Club for the lease of
sufficient land to enable the present 9 holes to be extended to
18. The Club then embarked on a detailed study of eight 18 hole
courses in the Manchester District and the relative expenditure
and cost of upkeep.
Tom
Renouf, English International and Golf Course Architect, was engaged
to survey the proposed new land. He considered that the land was
very suitable and that an additional nine holes could be constructed
at a possible cost of £1,200.
The
report of Tom Renouf as to the suitability of the land and his
estimated cost was discussed and the council agreed that the scheme
be adopted. Conways Ltd. Golf Course Constructors, were given
the task of constructing the additional holes and altering some
of the then present holes, according to Tom Renouf’s design,
at a cost of £1,630.
The Course was completed and opened Saturday 2nd October 1926
by the Captain, P H Lang and President of the Club, Harry Entwisle.Contained
in the 21 year lease for the course from the Hudson Estate, dated
24th March 1926, a clause gave the Club the right to purchase
the 97 acre 2 rood 12 perches or thereabouts at a fixed price
of £60 per acre if taken up within the first 3 years, or
if within the first 5 years - £62.10.0d per acre, or if
within the first 10 years - £65 per acre. If however the
period exceeded 10 years the Hudson Estate would appoint a Surveyor
to value the land. Six months notice had to be given of intention
to purchase.
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The
extension completed in 1970 enlarged the men’s locker
room, the billiard table now on the first floor, a new card
room and facilities for the Secretary’s office and
Professional’s shop.
< Clubhouse 1970 |
It
was therefore in the Club’s interest to exercise the right
to purchase within the 10 year period.
On 24th June 1933, the land was purchased.
During
the 1939-1945 war the course was reduced to 15 holes, the present
3rd,4th and 8th being closed to alow cows to graze. The full course
was opened in 1949.
The
Golden Jubilee in July 1947 was celebrated by a special Sunday
Mixed Competition. The entry fees from the competition raised
the sum of £60 towards “a lasting feature”,
so that present and future members would be reminded of the club’s
achievement.
The
Captain, Harry Hindley, had in mind a Jubilee Spinney of fifty
peach and almond trees, behind the 14th green, in full view of
the clubhouse. The council did not support this scheme and the
money was never spent.
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In
1995 a complete refurbishment of the clubhouse was completed
in good time for the Centenary Year Celebrations in 1997.
< Clubhouse 1995 |
With
regard to the Diamond Jubilee , how better to celebrate a golf
club milestone than by playing the game for which it was founded
60 years previously. Accordingly competitions were started on
the Friday evening and continued on Saturday and Sunday, the prizes
being presented at the close of each session by the Captain, Mr
P A Davenport.
The
weather was somewhat mixed but members’ enthusiasm was unrestrained.
Professional entertainment and a dance in the clubhouse were pleasant
variations on the theme on Saturday Evening.
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