Club profile: Woodsome Hall Golf Club

Seamus Rotherick
By Seamus Rotherick June 4, 2022 11:51

Woodsome Hall Golf Club in Yorkshire is 100 years old this year, and its centenary celebrations have involved appreciating its past while also looking towards its future.

Over 200 members have marked the start of centenary celebrations at Woodsome Hall Golf Club at an event that included raising a centenary flag, burying a time capsule and unveiling a centenary stone.

An award-winning brass band entertained the guests, while over 60 golfers played in a special ‘hickory golf’ competition.

Newly compiled archives with over 300 items from the past were on show and a 104 page ‘100 years of memories’ book was produced for the very special occasion.

Woodsome’s history started in late 1921 when a small group met at The George Hotel in Huddersfield to discuss the possibility of developing a golf course at the 16th century Hall, which is now the clubhouse.

The man responsible for the meeting was Major Alfred Ernest Yates Trestrail. A lawyer and sportsman, he moved to the Huddersfield to work and thought that the Woodsome estate would be a great place to build a golf course.

His idea was approved and a committee was formed.

The first committee meeting appointed a golf professional, William Button of Redcar, on a salary of £3.10 a week with accommodation in the hall along with free fuel and light. Life membership of the club was fixed at 50 guineas for gentlemen and 30 guineas for ladies.

William the 6th Earl of Dartmouth agreed to lease the house, out-buildings and 134 acres of land to the club for £467 a year. He also accepted the position of honorary president of the club.

Things moved quickly, with as many as 30 men working on the development of the course. Thirteen holes came into play in Easter 1922 and in May 1923 the full 18 holes were opened up for play. On June 23, 1923, the formal opening was performed, with Woodsome Hall professional Button playing Arthur Day, the professional at Ganton.

Woodsome Hall and grounds were eventually bought from the Earl of Dartmouth by the club in June 1939 for £10,000.

Woodsome has welcomed many famous golfers, including Bobby Locke, American Ryder Cup captain Walter Hagen, British Ryder Cup captain Dai Rees, Peter Alliss, Ian Woosnam and many more.

Club captain Mark Fielding is looking forward to a busy centenary year: “We have a number of special events planned throughout the year and we have a great story to tell, not just about the past 100 years of golf, but also about our fantastic clubhouse that has seen many more centuries of history. We are very proud of our past and in great shape for the future.”

The club now provides two large practice areas for the 700 members and a dormy house has eight twin, en-suite bedrooms for guests staying for either a social function or a golf break.

The forward-looking club runs its own biomass boiler and has also installed a borehole which provides irrigation for the course.

The 16th century grade 1 listed clubhouse hosts hundreds of social functions throughout each year and the first wedding ceremony was held at the club in October last year, offering couples a fantastic venue where they can hold their special day.

 

Seamus Rotherick
By Seamus Rotherick June 4, 2022 11:51
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1 Comment

  1. Gavin June 10, 18:32

    Hi, nice to see these pics…I provided the 55 sets of hickory clubs. Video on my YouTube channel of some of the fun.

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