| Formally
established in 1914 Green Haworth Golf Club owes
its origins to the Rileys, a local influential
business family with an estate of land and property.
Looking for social sporting recreation the Riley
family began playing golf on the grazing moorland
of Green Haworth. As the Green Haworth Golf Club was
then formed, a mere thirty individuals made up this
exclusive membership. The early course
comprised of a simple six holes with the members
changing rooms located in a cottage on Schoolhouse Lane,
some 400 yards from the first tee.
Over the following forty years
the course grew to nine holes, however three of
these were later reclaimed by a local farmer from
whom the club leased the land. The first, eighth and
ninth holes were guarded by cattle-wire whilst they
were in use, and it was these that were returned to
active farmland. The club was registered as a
limited company in March 1948.
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Day Trip - 1953
(click for a
larger picture) |
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In 1957 the Greens Committee under
the direction of chairman Mr A. Skelton, acquired fourteen
acres of neighbouring land to create 1000 yards of new
greens to replace these holes. During that winter the
members worked on extending the remaining course. Led by
grounds men Joe Morris and Alan Stuttard, volunteers from the
club moved hundreds of tons of stone and soil from the site.
According to local newspaper reports from the following
year, many square yards of turf were transplanted to create
the greens and tees, incorporating features of the existing
moorland namely the deep quarries and wild shrubs and
heather. During the reconstruction Accrington Golf Club
extended the use of their course to Green Haworth members,
providing the use of their course if a member required a
'home' fixture for the local Observer Shield matches.
Once completed the new nine hole course had longer holes
than the previous incarnations and held a standard scratch
score of 67. |
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Member
Bert Moorhouse in the semi-
final
of the Observer Cup - 1953
(click for a
larger picture) |
In 1958 Green Haworth Golf Club
was officially re-opened on the first Sunday
afternoon of the new season, by the captain of the
time Mr R. H. (Bob) Whittaker, pictured opposite,
watched by fellow club members.
The first competition played on
the new course was a four-ball, or 'better-ball'
event. The winners were J. Dearden, and E. M.
Whittaker. The joint runners-up being T. Wallwork,
R. Webster and J. Twissell senior.
Photographs from over the
years can soon
be found in our
Public Gallery (watch this space). |
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|
Captain Bob Whittaker drives from the first tee of
the new course
(click on the photograph for a
larger picture) |
More History will
follow shortly, taking you through the ages and stages of
the club to the present day.
"All of the
information in this section is researched, supplied and
maintained
by our club member Les Moss - with our thanks to his
kind efforts." |
