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Silloth on Solway
Golf Club
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Golf at Silloth
1890 - 2000 |
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Club History
Golf at
Silloth
1890 - 2000
An excellent
history of the club from 1890 to 2000 written by John Pearson
and Peter Cusack is available from the
Secretary,
now only £10 plus post and packing. |
The Golf House,
Silloth on Solway, circa 1905 |
| The
North British Railway Company founded Silloth on Solway Golf
Club in 1892 as a natural extension to its development of the
town as a port, holiday resort and terminus for both commercial
and passenger traffic.
The Company hired prominent Scottish professionals of the time, such
as Willie Fernie and Willie Park, for their expert advice in
establishing the course, and for publicising it through exhibition
matches. The course itself was originally laid out by Davy Grant,
and over the next thirty years, was visited by ten Open Champions
including Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid. |
|
Charlotte Cecilia
Pitcairn Leitch |
Silloth soon produced its own great names, the first being the
Leitch sisters, daughters of the town doctor. Three of them were
awarded international caps, two won national championships, and
one, Cecilia became simply the best lady golfer in the world.
She dominated the game around the time of the First World War,
transformed the way ladies played, and in the process, won a
record four British, five French, two English and one Canadian
championship.
In an era when ladies swung prettily, Cecil (as she was
popularly known) hit hard, long and straight, with a distinctive
swing that was moulded by the need to reach the narrow Silloth
fairways and "handkerchief-sized" greens. Since then, the
club has produced a stream of County champions that continues to
the present day.
The Leitch
connection was an important factor in bringing the Ladies
British Strokeplay Championship to Silloth in 1972, followed by
the Ladies British Amateur (Matchplay) Championship in 1976 and
regular national women's events thereafter including English
Ladies Championships in 2000 and 2007. |
|
Silloth has always had Parliamentary connections, the most
recent being with the late Viscount Whitelaw, a fine golfer in
his youth, Captain of the R & A in 1970 and much loved President
of the Club until his death in 1999.
More recently,
the testing linksland course is being used for R&A Regional
Qualifying for the Open Championship.
A selection of old postcards can be
viewed here. |
The Late Viscount Willie
Whitelaw |
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