CONTINUING in its series looking at the history of West Devon sporting clubs Times Sport turns the spotlight on Okehampton Golf Club.

OKEHAMPTON Golf Club 'teed off' in 1913 when a nine hole golf course was laid out off Tors Road, Okehampton by John Henry Taylor, the celebrated golf professional and that year's winner of the Open Championship. The course was opened in July of the same year.

There were 62 founder members of whom eleven were women.

It was estimated that an average day's cost for golf in the days before the First World War (1914-1918) — taking into account clubs, balls, fees, clothing and travel costs — was £1. To put this into prospective at that time an unskilled labourer earned about £95 per year. One man only was employed on the course during the war.

In 1921 it was decided to extend the course to 18 holes. This work was supervised by Mr E P Burd, the then honourable secretary, whose long experience was extremely fortunate for the club.

The full course was formally opened by five times Open champion J H Taylor and fellow Open winner Alex (Sandy) Herd on May 9, 1923. They were delighted with the course, saying the site was one of the most beautiful they had ever seen. The extra holes impelled the club into the purchase of a horse and mower. Up until then grass control on the fairways was a matter for the sheep alone!

In those days the catering arrangements were simple. On Wednesday afternoons the shops in the town were closed and it was the day to play golf. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, in the way the world was then, the ladies provided tea. Whether the 'golfing gods' were with you or against you out on the fairways, players could certainly look forward to a plate of cold silverside and pickles at the nineteenth hole and a choice of traditional puddings.

Times continued to change and the practical work of maintaining and improving the course continued. Machinery was modernised and hands were replaced by engines. Golfers were now motoring to the club and repairing the potholes in the road was said to be like 'painting the Forth Bridge'.

By 1970 the club car park had been gravelled at a cost of £13. Harold Greenwood took up his appointment as the first 'retained' secretary and by the end of that year the club was on the mains electricity supply!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 was the club's 'Centenary Day' and the club held a week long of centenary celebrations.

Exactly 100 years to the day the club held an invitational shotgun competition in the morning, followed by a re-enactment of the Edwardian afternoon tea for participants, members and guests. Blessed with beautiful weather for the entire week celebrations there was something for everyone to enjoy on and off the course.

With the exception of a period during the Second World War (1939-1945), when part of the course was used for food production, the layout of the course has remained essentially unaltered.

The course has been extensively improved and extended since this time and is kept in pristine condition with exemplary greens.

n With thanks to Okehampton Golf Club secretary Beverley Lawson.