A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



founded in 1 869. The course, indeed, is not in 

 Lancashire, but at Hoylake, on the Cheshire side 

 of Meriey estuary ; and typographical exigencies 

 forbid us to give a detailed description of this 

 very fine i8-hole course.* We must content 

 ourselves with quoting the dictum of a fine judge ' 

 of golf, that as far as his experience goes Hoy- 

 lake is the best test of golf in England. The 

 amateur record for the links is 71, held by 

 Mr. J. Graham, jun., and Harry Vardon has come 

 within one stroke of this score. The Liver- 

 pool club was the first in England after the 

 North Devon to recognize the importance of 

 playing on seaside links. It owns another title 

 to fame in having been mainly instrumental in 

 instituting the Amateur Championship, and, as 

 is fitting, the course at Hoylake is one of the 

 number of selected courses on which in due 

 rotation the championship is decided. The Open 

 Championship in 1897 and 1902 was played on 

 the Royal Liverpool links, and in the former 

 year the title of champion was won from the 

 flower of professional golfers by Mr. H. H. 

 Hilton, a member of the club. 



The West Lancashire Golf Club, founded in 

 1873 ^y ^"^^ R- Finley Miln, Mr. Alex. Stod- 

 dart, and others, has its excellent 1 8-hole course 

 among the undulating sand-dunes at Blundell- 

 sands, 8 miles from Liverpool. The course has 

 been rearranged several times under the super- 

 vision of Mr. H. H. Hilton and Alec Herd. 

 The spacious club-house, built in 1893, and the 

 accessibility of the links from Liverpool combine 

 to render this club one of the most convenient 

 and popular in the county. The record of the 

 course is held by T. Ball, the club professional, 

 who has been round in 71. Another seaside 

 course close at hand is that of the West Lanca- 

 shire Ladies' Golf Club, instituted in 1891, 

 whose sporting links are on the coast half-way 

 between Liverpool and Southport. 



The Barrow-in-Furness Club, which was 

 founded in 1874, has an excellent 1 8-hole course 

 on the seaward side of the Isle of Walney. 



Formby Golf Club is ten years younger. It 

 was instituted in December, 1884, by Mr. J. S. 

 Beauford and others, and has a large membership 

 of 600, with a ladies' club attached to it. The 

 1 8-hole course ° is on the sandhills at Freshfield, 

 to the west of the town. The holes vary in 

 length from 140 to 472 yards, and the par 

 score of 75 has been beaten in 71 strokes by 

 W. McEwan, the club professional. 



The finest seaside course in Lancashire is, 

 without doubt, that of the Lytham and St. 

 Anne's Club, at St. Annes-on-the-Sea, on the 



' The curious in these matters may find a special 

 article on the links of Hoylake in vol. x of Tie Golfing 

 Annual. 



' Mr. J. L. Lowe. 



' There is a detailed description of the links in vol. 

 li of The Golfing Annual. 



north bank of the estuary of the Ribble, some three 

 miles west of Lytham, and five south of Black- 

 pool. This famous club, founded in 1886, has 

 a grand course of 18 holes, whose putting greens 

 are perhaps the most remarkable of its many 

 excellences. It has been called an easy course, 

 but accuracy is imperative not less at the flat 

 holes than amid the lofty sandhills. The record 

 of the links, both amateur and professional, is 69, 

 held respectively by Mr. H. B. McCarthy, of 

 Ilkley,' and Harry Vardon. 



Birkdale has a very sporting course of 18 

 holes, laid out in 1889, on the south coast be- 

 tween Formby Point and Southport. David 

 McEwan, the club professional, holds the record 

 of 68 strokes for these links. Mr. F. W. H. 

 Campbell is the only amateur who has come 

 within eight strokes of this great score. 



Rossall School has a 9-hole course on the 

 school property 3 miles from Fleetwood, which 

 was laid out in 1 890. It is somewhat flat, with 

 ditches and ponds as hazards, but the greens are 

 good, and the turf is of the right golfing quality. 



Of the two courses at Blackpool, the elder is 

 that of the Blackpool Golf Club, founded in 1894 

 by Mr. A. H. Doleman and others at Squire's 

 Gate, South Shore. The new 1 8-hole course, 

 opened in 1905 when the fine club-house was 

 built, is on pasture land with true seaside turf on 

 a sandy subsoil, 3 miles south of the town, where 

 there is also a full course for ladies. The men's 

 links are about 3^ miles round, with two short 

 holes of 180 yards each, and a long hole of 460 

 yards. Bogey is a somewhat liberal 78, a score 

 which Mr. E. E. G. Terry has beaten with 71. 

 The club offers for competition two gold medals, 

 the Ridley and the Club, and three challenge 

 cups. 



Among the sand dunes at Ansdell, between 

 Lytham and St. Annes, is the sporting 1 8-hole 

 course of the Fairhaven Golf Club, instituted in 

 1895. The club is in a flourishing condition in 

 spite of the close proximity of the powerful 

 and attractive Lytham and St. Annes, and the 

 5,000 yards course, with its large and keen put- 

 ting greens, its natural bunkers, and fine turf, 

 compares not unfavourably with many better 

 known links. Bogey is 74, and the green records 

 are — professional 70 by Daniel Poole, and ama- 

 teur 74 by Mr. A. L. Poole. The principal 

 prizes are the Brooks Prize, the Riley Cup, the 

 Newbigging Prize, and the Captain's Prize. 



The St. Annes Old Links Golf Club, founded 

 by Mr. J. W. Mackland and Mr. H, Foster in 

 the summer of 1901, has a course near at hand, 

 situated on the most bracing part of the Lanca- 

 shire coast. The course, over which the Lytham 

 and St. Annes Club used to play, is 3^ miles 

 round, with one terrific long hole of 520 yards, 

 and is laid out on light sandy soil among sand- 

 hills and over pasture land. The par score is an 



' Twice winner of the Yorkshire Championship. 



496 



