History of Chipping Sudbury Golf Club
Chipping Sudbury Golf Club is a lovely golfing resort and is located 12 miles North East of Bristol. This golf club boasts of unrivalled natural beauty and is a symbol of serene virgin natural scenery in the foothills of Cotswold Hills. It is adjacent to the town Chipping Sudbury which has picturesque 17th century gothic architecture and exquisite landscaping.
History of Chipping Sudbury Golf Club
The turn of twentieth century saw the establishment of this golf club in Chipping Sudbury, and a 9-hole course was designed by a Mr. Wardale. Mr. Wardale was a Rodway Hill professional and suggested that the 9-hole could be extended to an 18-hole golf course. He added that the golf course was unique and interesting such that all the natural obstacles that ought to provide the right challenges were also present in the golf course. However, this golf club has a chequred past where it has been twice reformed. The beginning of World War I saw the closing down of the golf club. It reopened after the hostilities of the first world war died down.
There was an effort of reformation by the members of the town of Chipping Sudbury. Several golfers got together to restore the golf club of its pristine beauty. With the agreement of the town trust, the Golf Club was opened. The major responsibility of the maintenance of the club and taking care of the members, arranging tournaments etc fell on the shoulders of Mr. A.J. Howell who was the honorary secretary of the golf club. Chipping Sudbury Golf Club saw a beautiful revival under his aegis.
But the club closed down as soon as the second world war started. During the second world war, the golf club was ploughed down and a potato field was established as it had been handed over to the Agriculture Department.
Post world war II saw a continued neglect of the golf club in Chipping Sudbury. It was almost after ten years of the world war II that people of the town attended a meeting in 1954 at Town Hall, Sudbury and demanded that the golf club be reformed. The Duke of Beaufort was made the patron of the golf club and he declared that it was wonderful feeling that the earlier 9-hole course would eventually become an 18-hole golf course. But getting the right amount of financial support or money in the form of membership soon became a challenge as people felt that the golf club required lots of finances to prevent stray cattle from invading or the lack of water etc. Membership sagged and the future of the club was a question. It was at the right moment that A Mr. Guy Greader was appointed as the Competitions secretary. He gave the much wanted fillip to all the club activities such that there were lots of new members by 1963. It has been mentioned that the membership rose to more than a 100 during that time.
After this there was nothing stopping the club from blooming right! Top architects “Hawtree & Taylor” were hired to design the entire new course of the golf club. They helped in adding an enormous clubhouse in 1976 which gave a wonderful look to the golf club. In 1994, lakes and picturesque landscaping was introduced in the golf club that simply takes the breath away. In 2005, new 6-hole par 3 Academy course was opened in Chipping Sudbury Golf Club. This course has been designed to encourage junior golfers and train them all the right tricks of golfing. This structured coaching course is aimed at encouraging children to participate in the right spirit of golfing along with their friends and family.
