History of Golf in Wiltshire
The formal beginnings of golf in Wiltshire started in February 1880 when local gentlemen met at The Swan, Kingsdown to establish a golf club on land just up the road that would be known as Kingsdown Golf Club.
No doubt somewhere in the county a golf ball would have been hit before this time but this is the first time a club had been formed using a specific planned course laid out.
Kingsdown Golf club was the second club established in the West of England with only Royal North Devon, (Westward Ho), being older (Est. 1864). In fact Kingsdown was one of the first 12 golf clubs formed in England and is one of the few remaining that continues to play on it’s original piece of land.
In 1888 both Marlborough and Salisbury & South Wilts were established followed by North Wilts (1890) and West Wilts (1891). The final club to be founded before the turn of the century was Chippenham (1896).
Four more clubs were founded Ogbourne (1907), Tidworth (1908), Upavon (1912) and High Post (1922) before there was a lull of 50 years before the next club was formed in 1973!
In 1924 the Wiltshire County Golf Union (WCGU) was inaugurated with the constituting clubs: Chippenham, Kingsdown, Marlborough, Ogbourne (at that time known as North Wilts – Chiseldon), North Wilts (Devizes), South Wilts and West Wilts.
Apparently Wiltshire was accepted into the South West Counties Golf Association (SWCGA) which had been formed the year before. It would seem that Wiltshire were the last to join as Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucester and Dorset had already formed their Unions.
In 1924 the English Golf Union was founded. It is probably true to say that this was the start of organised competition locally, regionally and nationally, although Wiltshire was not accepted into the English Golf Union until 1930.
Where do the seniors fit in.
When the early Golf clubs were established it is true to say that the average age of a male member would have been quite high and therefore there was no need for a seniors section. There were trophy’s for men above a certain age to play for but it doesn’t seem that there were organised senior sections within clubs.
As golf became more popular in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and the average age began to fall clubs started to organise inter club matches with the seniors being at the forefront, probably due to their having the time midweek to play.
KIngsdown was one of the first local clubs to organise a seniors section in the early 1970’s and by 1981 the seniors captain had a seat on the Club Committee. I am assuming that this is a similar path to the other Wiltshire clubs who were formed prior to 1973. After this time senior sections would have been founded at the same time as the clubs were formed.
Senior Opens that are arranged by individual clubs appear to also be quite a recent introduction to club life.
Wiltshire Seniors County Championship
First held in 1987 the senior championship is played over 18 holes annually and shared among all the courses in the county.
Although the county champion is recognised as the player with the lowest gross score for the 18 holes there are several further categories where prizes can be won. Both handicap and age categories are recognised which makes the day open to all ages and handicaps, in fact the more the merrier.
Ramsbury Shield
The first mention of a team shield for seniors was in 1967 when there was a ‘Veterans Handicap Competition’.
In 1970 at a WCGU AGM there was an age change from 50 years to 55 years to qualify for the Ramsbury Trophy and this age limit is the only qualifier for this competition. How teams were selected was purely up to individual clubs.
Today the Ramsbury Trophy is played for by 4 man teams from all clubs in the county.
Channel League
Although there has been senior competition between the six counties of the South West since 1963 it wasn’t until 2008 that a formal league was set up. This league replicated the Channel League already in place for the full county teams and includes Gwent and Glamorgan. ‘Channel League’ refers to the Bristol Channel and not the English Channel as Dorset play in a different league.
In the Channel League matches are played home and away in alternate years and consist of games during the morning and afternoon. Until recently the morning matches were played in the foursome format over 9 holes with the afternoon matches play as singles. All matches are played scratch. From 2014 the morning matches will be played as four balls.
Although the Wiltshire first team have been very successful, the seniors team have been less so. The stronger teams of the seniors league being Gloucester, Glamorgan and Devon have dominated but we have the beginnings of a strong team and with the ‘junior’ seniors getting older we have high hopes for the future.
It can now be reported that for the first time in their history the Wiltshire Seniors team won the 2016 Channel league.
Wiltshire Seniors Scratch League
The Wiltshire Seniors scratch league was set up in 2007 and runs during winter of each year.
An idea brought to fruition by a few like minded seniors, Clive Waldron (High Post) being most prominent, with the initial intention of identifying prospective county players has grown to a point where there are 10 teams now competing.
Played as three four balls off scratch the winner is the team with the most points won. Each team plays the others once during winter and alternates home and away each year.
South West Counties Golf Association (SWCGA)
The South West Counties Golf Association was set up in 1923 and governs all the golf played between the six counties of the South West at all levels.
The Seniors of the region play in three competitions during the course of the year.
SWCGA Seniors Championships.
This is a two day 36 hole competition played in turn at courses throughout the South West. The winning team is based on the best scores from 5 cards of the 7 selected team members from each round. Winning teams represent the South West in the English Seniors County Championships.
South West Counties Seniors Golf Association.
This competition partially replicates the full County teams South West Week. All counties play each other (18 hole foursomes) over a three day period and also play an 18 hole strokeplay competition during that time. It is primarily for those players who have represented the Counties at first team level but due to lack of numbers representation at other levels of county golf have now been included.
The formal beginnings of golf in Wiltshire started in February 1880 when local gentlemen met at The Swan, Kingsdown to establish a golf club on land just up the road that would be known as Kingsdown Golf Club.
No doubt somewhere in the county a golf ball would have been hit before this time but this is the first time a club had been formed using a specific planned course laid out.
Kingsdown Golf club was the second club established in the West of England with only Royal North Devon, (Westward Ho), being older (Est. 1864). In fact Kingsdown was one of the first 12 golf clubs formed in England and is one of the few remaining that continues to play on it’s original piece of land.
In 1888 both Marlborough and Salisbury & South Wilts were established followed by North Wilts (1890) and West Wilts (1891). The final club to be founded before the turn of the century was Chippenham (1896).
Four more clubs were founded Ogbourne (1907), Tidworth (1908), Upavon (1912) and High Post (1922) before there was a lull of 50 years before the next club was formed in 1973!
In 1924 the Wiltshire County Golf Union (WCGU) was inaugurated with the constituting clubs: Chippenham, Kingsdown, Marlborough, Ogbourne (at that time known as North Wilts – Chiseldon), North Wilts (Devizes), South Wilts and West Wilts.
Apparently Wiltshire was accepted into the South West Counties Golf Association (SWCGA) which had been formed the year before. It would seem that Wiltshire were the last to join as Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucester and Dorset had already formed their Unions.
In 1924 the English Golf Union was founded. It is probably true to say that this was the start of organised competition locally, regionally and nationally, although Wiltshire was not accepted into the English Golf Union until 1930.
Where do the seniors fit in.
When the early Golf clubs were established it is true to say that the average age of a male member would have been quite high and therefore there was no need for a seniors section. There were trophy’s for men above a certain age to play for but it doesn’t seem that there were organised senior sections within clubs.
As golf became more popular in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and the average age began to fall clubs started to organise inter club matches with the seniors being at the forefront, probably due to their having the time midweek to play.
KIngsdown was one of the first local clubs to organise a seniors section in the early 1970’s and by 1981 the seniors captain had a seat on the Club Committee. I am assuming that this is a similar path to the other Wiltshire clubs who were formed prior to 1973. After this time senior sections would have been founded at the same time as the clubs were formed.
Senior Opens that are arranged by individual clubs appear to also be quite a recent introduction to club life.
Wiltshire Seniors County Championship
First held in 1987 the senior championship is played over 18 holes annually and shared among all the courses in the county.
Although the county champion is recognised as the player with the lowest gross score for the 18 holes there are several further categories where prizes can be won. Both handicap and age categories are recognised which makes the day open to all ages and handicaps, in fact the more the merrier.
Ramsbury Shield
The first mention of a team shield for seniors was in 1967 when there was a ‘Veterans Handicap Competition’.
In 1970 at a WCGU AGM there was an age change from 50 years to 55 years to qualify for the Ramsbury Trophy and this age limit is the only qualifier for this competition. How teams were selected was purely up to individual clubs.
Today the Ramsbury Trophy is played for by 4 man teams from all clubs in the county.
Channel League
Although there has been senior competition between the six counties of the South West since 1963 it wasn’t until 2008 that a formal league was set up. This league replicated the Channel League already in place for the full county teams and includes Gwent and Glamorgan. ‘Channel League’ refers to the Bristol Channel and not the English Channel as Dorset play in a different league.
In the Channel League matches are played home and away in alternate years and consist of games during the morning and afternoon. Until recently the morning matches were played in the foursome format over 9 holes with the afternoon matches play as singles. All matches are played scratch. From 2014 the morning matches will be played as four balls.
Although the Wiltshire first team have been very successful, the seniors team have been less so. The stronger teams of the seniors league being Gloucester, Glamorgan and Devon have dominated but we have the beginnings of a strong team and with the ‘junior’ seniors getting older we have high hopes for the future.
It can now be reported that for the first time in their history the Wiltshire Seniors team won the 2016 Channel league.
Wiltshire Seniors Scratch League
The Wiltshire Seniors scratch league was set up in 2007 and runs during winter of each year.
An idea brought to fruition by a few like minded seniors, Clive Waldron (High Post) being most prominent, with the initial intention of identifying prospective county players has grown to a point where there are 10 teams now competing.
Played as three four balls off scratch the winner is the team with the most points won. Each team plays the others once during winter and alternates home and away each year.
South West Counties Golf Association (SWCGA)
The South West Counties Golf Association was set up in 1923 and governs all the golf played between the six counties of the South West at all levels.
The Seniors of the region play in three competitions during the course of the year.
SWCGA Seniors Championships.
This is a two day 36 hole competition played in turn at courses throughout the South West. The winning team is based on the best scores from 5 cards of the 7 selected team members from each round. Winning teams represent the South West in the English Seniors County Championships.
South West Counties Seniors Golf Association.
This competition partially replicates the full County teams South West Week. All counties play each other (18 hole foursomes) over a three day period and also play an 18 hole strokeplay competition during that time. It is primarily for those players who have represented the Counties at first team level but due to lack of numbers representation at other levels of county golf have now been included.