Our History
With thanks to Malcolm Walker for providing this information
KENSINGTON PARK
1912 - 1923
Prior to the initial meeting to form a golf club, Mr. F H Sherrin who ran a butchers shop in the High Street and owned land at Kensington Park, was approached seeking use of some of his land for a golf course. Mr. Sherrin agreed and said he would allow the use of his land provided that a watering system was put in.
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Margaret Rollins recalled that her father, H P Onslow, joined the Club in 1913 and became a Life Member in 1933.
The course relocated to 'Valleyfield', a property owned by the Warner family and situated on the northern side of the railway line. This area is known today as Oakdale.
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The first Clubhouse was a hop pickers hut. In those days there were no buggies so bags were light, and only a small number of clubs were used. Because transport was scarce back then, a player's gear was usually stored in lockers at the Clubhouse.
There were no bunkers, and a dip in the fairway was called 'The Donga' ... the reason is unknown.
Ladies attire at the time was skirts and shirts.
Juniors were only allowed to play when no-one else was on the course. They were also not permitted to have score cards due to their cost. The mowing was done by calves, and a free drop was allowed from where they dropped!
​VALLEYFIELD 1923 - 1936
MILLBROOK RISE
1936 - 1950
On 30 June 1936, William Findlay and Cecil Rowe of New Norfolk entered into an agreement with Robert Nettlefold, Sir John Gellibrand, William Edward Lodewyk Hamilton Crowther, Geoffrey Arthur Crowther and Samuel Herbert Hancocks, for the use of land at Mill brook.
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Millbrook catered for war veterans suffering minor mental illness. The course was built from money donated to The Red Cross for soldier rehabilitation after the World War 1.
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The government had purchased the land now known as Gateway Estate which was maintained by Lachlan farmers.
The Clubhouse was owned by the Lee family. Any player who scored 80 or less (considered a good score) would write their name on the chimney.
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The condition of the course varied greatly between seasons. Due to the lack of water during the summer months (the residents complained if they saw green areas on the course when they were on water restrictions), play was restricted to between April and October. I n the summer months many golfers played tennis.
The holes varied in length, and ranged from flat to drives that disappeared into gullies, with balls on the fourth often taken by crows.
The sixth was to an elevated green, and the final hole, a 260 yard par 4 back to the Clubhouse with the River Derwent in the background.
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The June Tournament was a very popular event and so were the parties that were held at the end of the day.
With the course only playable for six months of the year, it was time to move on again.
John Jennings Cowburn and Joseph Dixon entered into an agreement with Andrew Vernon Downie and Archi bald Thomas Walter Downie to occupy the present course.
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The building of the Clubhouse had commenced by March 1950, with water first reaching the sixth green in October of the same year.