Golf in Cumberland and Westmorland

Golf in Cumberland and Westmorland – its origins and history.

The period between 1890 and the beginning of WW1 represented the boom years of golf in the British Isles, with around 1400 new clubs formed. Of the 36 golf clubs covered in this publication, 30 of them were opened during this period in the twin counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. Bearing little resemblance to the present game, golf in those far off days was primitive, both in the equipment used and the courses on which they were played. Clubs were hand-made, with many original models still being used to this day by enthusiasts of hickory golf. The solid gutta-percha (gutty) golf ball lacked resilience, was difficult to control and flew only short distances. The drive of the average amateur would cover a distance of between 100 and 150 yards, with the top professionals averaging in the region of 180 to 200 yards. The courses were ‘rough and ready’, and the turf was kept trim with scythes and sheep. Golfers often had to contend with hedges, walls and open ditches, and in those days, before the introduction of mowers, good lies were at a premium.

Over a period of many years the author has compiled a substantial archive of Cumberland and Westmorland golf club centenary histories, postcards and photographs and, for future generations, it made sense to pull all the information together into one publication.