A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



In I 893 three more golf courses were opened — 

 one on hilly moorland near Accrington ; another 

 on meadowland at Flixton, each of 9 holes ; the 

 third being the 18 holes of the Anson Golf Club 

 at Rusholme by Manchester. Mr. A. M. Crook 

 was the leading spirit in the foundation of the 

 last-named club. Its course, though on pasture 

 over a clay subsoil where summer play is natu- 

 rally to be preferred, is an interesting one, with 

 hazards of brooks and made bunkers, and the 

 par score is 78. F. G. Renouf, the club pro- 

 fessional, has been round in 70 ; Mr. F. Morris's 

 record is 74 strokes. The many prizes of this 

 club include the President's, the Captain's, and 

 the Victoria Cups. 



The next year, 1894, saw 9-hole courses laid 

 out at Burnley, at Fellgate in very stony country 

 for the Grange over Sands Golf Club, and at the 

 foot of the slope leading up to Longridge Fell 

 for Stonyhurst College. Within the same season 

 i8-hole courses were instituted for the North 

 Manchester Club at Crumpsall, and at Worsley. 

 The Worsley Club has its course on some- 

 what heavy ground, which, however, is well 

 drained, in Broad Oak Park near Manchester. 

 Lowe was the designer of this, as of so many 

 other courses in the county. The total length 

 of it is some 5,500 yards, and the chief hazards 

 are of a watery nature — ponds and a stream 

 which has to be crossed at four of the 18 holes. 

 There is a very fine club house. Bogey's score 

 of 78 has been lowered by Mr. W. Nelson in 

 76, and by W. J. Leaver in an excellent round 

 of 68. 



During the next two years golf clubs were 

 opened in quick succession at Ulverston, Preston, 

 Horwich, Great Harwood, Failsworth, and Traf- 

 ford. 



The 9-hole links of the Ulverston Golf Club 

 are on pasture land a mile and a half from the 

 town, whence glorious views of hill and lake are 

 obtained. The principal obstacles are stone 

 walls. The Swan Cup and the Kennedy Coro- 

 nation Cup are the most valuable of the club 

 prizes. 



The Preston Club, under the captaincy of 

 Dr. J. E. Garner, absorbed the existing Fulwood 

 Golf Club in November 1895, and has its 18- 

 hole course at Fulwood Hall near Preston. The 

 links are on pasture land with clay subsoil, and 

 the hazards, consisting of a brook, hedges, and 

 ditches, are all natural. The par score is 75, and 

 the amateur and professional records are each 72. 

 The club is rich in prizes, of which the Galloway 

 Bowl, the Hermon Cup, the Hcaley Cup, and 

 the Galloway Cup are the most important. 



At Horwich, five miles from Bolton, is a 

 9-hole course, laid out by Lowe on hilly pasture 

 with a clay subsoil. 



In January 1896, Dr. Chearnley Smith and 

 others founded the Great Harwood Club with 

 moorland at Bellmount. The 



a course on 



hazards are all natural, and comprise hedges and 

 ditches, stone walls, and a quarry. Mr. B. 

 Stahlknecht holds the record of 36 for the 

 9 holes. 



The Failsworth Golf Club, in whose founda- 

 tion in June of the same year the late Dr. Beattie 

 was chiefly instrumental, has an i8-hole course 

 laid out by Mr. Merry on hilly pasture about a 

 mile from Manchester. Though the subsoil is 

 clay, the configuration of the ground allows of 

 play all the year round. The Mellor Cup is 

 the chief prize of the club, and the record of 7 5 

 strokes for the green is held by Mr. J. W. 

 Crossley. 



Manchester added yet another to its many 

 golf clubs in the same year, when the 9-hole 

 course of the TrafFord Club was opened on land 

 adjoining the county cricket ground on the 

 Warwick Road. 



The Blackburn Club instituted its links with 

 the unusual number of 13 holes on Revidge in 

 1897, in which year the pretty little course of 

 the West Derby Golf Club was made in Deys- 

 brook Park, hard by Croxteth and Knowsley. 



The Chorley, Dalton in Furness, and Wigan 

 Clubs have each a 9-hole course opened in 1898. 

 The last-named, founded by Dr. Brady, Mr. A. P, 

 White, and a few others, has its links on the Arley 

 Hall estate at Red Rock, and the club is fortunate 

 in having the old moated Arley Hall as its house. 

 Among its prizes for competition are the Powell 

 Cup, the Medical Cup, and the Woodcock Cup. 



In the New Park at Lathom are the links of 

 the Ormskirk Club, founded at the instance of 

 Mr. R. C. Ivy in 1899. The subsoil is sand, 

 and the turf and conditions of play approximate 

 closely to those of seaside golf, so that this club 

 possesses, in the opinion of good judges, one of 

 the best of inland courses. Mr. H. H. Hilton 

 was the architect of this fine i8-hole course, 

 which has a length of close on 6,000 yards ; 

 and his round of 72 is the best amateur return. 

 The club possesses four challenge cups and a 

 scratch prize with gold medal. 



The Woolton Golf Club was founded in 

 November 1900, and has its links between 

 Hunt's Cross and Speke. The green is on the 

 short side at present, but is in process of being 

 extended. 



At Moss Hall, a mile and a half from Bolton, 

 is the 9-hole course of the Farnworth and Dis- 

 trict Club, instituted in 1901 ; and at Kibble 

 Bank, Brierfield, is the home of the Nelson Golf 

 Club. This club was founded in 1903, and its 

 course of 9 holes, 2,210 yards in length, has Lowe 

 as its sponsor. Play is good throughout the 

 year on its dry old pasture which has a stone 

 subsoil. The Davies Cup is the most import- 

 ant prize of this club. 



Chorlton cum Hardy also instituted a golf 

 club in 1903, with links on good pasture land 

 with sandy subsoil on the banks of the Mersey, 

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