Then and now – the Sussex golf club proud to reach its 125th anniversary

Golf action at Willingdon - this picture is believed to date from 1925 / 1926

The few gentlemen who got together to found the club in 1898, ironically many of them members of The Royal Eastbourne Golf Club, would be amazed to discover what their idea had developed into.

Willingdon Golf Club will forever be grateful for their energy, enthusiasm and passion to get a second golf club established in Eastbourne.

It is difficult for today’s members to envisage what it must have been like at the end of the 19th century to open a new golf course.

The beautiful Willingdon course is looking a picture as its 125th anniversary is marked

First, they managed to secure a large spread of land from the Ratton Estate, belonging to Mr Freeman-Thomas, later Lord Willingdon and first president of the club. Second, they had to lay out nine holes, with fairways, greens and bunkers all constructed by hand, with the first green being available in 1898.

Third they managed to recruit the first 50 members who paid the princely sum of one guinea (£1.05) per annum.

Imagine creating fairways and greens with no powered equipment!

During the creation of the golf course and for the first few years afterwards, the fairways were cut using horses pulling grass mowers – and today golfers moan if a ball lands in a divot.

Sheep were employed to keep the grass down. This method was so successful the club decided to purchase sheep and later sell them on in order to help keep the club solvent. So, thank you gentlemen for what you did.

Those 125 years has seen Willingdon Golf Club transformed from a tract of land with no trees, nestling into the start of the South Downs, into a beautiful parkland golf course with a reputation as one of the finest courses on the south coast.

During that time, successive voluntary club committees have established Willingdon as one of the friendliest clubs around, something they are very proud of.

One of the biggest decisions in the history of the club was to appoint Dr Alexander Mackenzie to redesign the course in 1925. Dr Mackenzie is renowned as one of the most influential golf architects in the world, having designed, among many others, the Augusta course in Atlanta, Georgia – the home of The Masters, plus Royal Melbourne in Australia and Cypress Point in California.

His design created the Willingdon seen today, incorporating his famous Mackenzie two-tier greens on eight of the holes. Other than the planting of many trees, the layout has changed little since then. Willingdon GC is proud to be listed as one of the exclusive Mackenzie courses around the world.

This year will be one of celebration for the club, culminating in a festival week at the end of June, when it will be hosting events for members as well as the following Open Events: June 28 – Willingdon Mixed Open; June 29 – Willingdon Seniors’ Open; June 30 – Willingdon Celebrity Pro Am.

Willingdon GC welcomes new members. Interested in joining, or getting involved in June’s events? Contact Jayne Wilding on 01323 410981 or [email protected]