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Wembley Park Golf Club, Greater London. (1912 - 1922)
The club was founded in 1912.
From The Referee Sunday 14 July 1912. Image © News International. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
In 1914 the secretary was R A McCulloch and the professional Alec Thomson (1912 to 1914) and C A Double (1914 to 1922). An 18-hole course in Wembley Park. Undulating with many natural hazards and numerous bunkers and hummocks that made it an interesting and sporting course. There was a membership of 250. Entry fee for gents was £5/5/0 and ladies £3/3/0. Subs for gents were £5/5/0 and ladies £3/3/0. Visitors’ fees on introduction were 1/6 a day, weekend and Bank Holidays 3/6. Ladies were required to be accompanied by gents on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday play was allowed without caddies. The stations at Wembley Park Metropolitan Line was 3 minutes, Wembley Hill 10 minutes and Wembley London & North Western Railway 15 minutes.
On Saturday 16 May 1914 Harry Vardon of South Herts, the Open Champion, and George Duncan, Hanger Hill, French Champion, competed in a match to mark the opening of the extended course at Wembley Park. In the morning a stroke competition was played, when Duncan was seen at his best, and defeated Vardon by four strokes with a round of 73, this score establishing the course record. In the afternoon there was a match play competition which Vardon won 3&2.
The following articles and pictures are attributed to the magazine “Golfing” in October 1914. Thanks go to them for a really interesting and rare insight into the former Wembley Park Golf Club and Course.
The history of Wembley Park.
The above article continues:-
As is natural in a park course those most picturesque hazards, the trees, are very much in evidence, but they are kept to their proper place as side hazards only and are nowhere permitted to encroach on the fairway. Many of the foreign trees bought in to enhance the beauties of the pleasure grounds, still add variety to the scenery – the bamboo plantation at the seventh in particular being quite a novel feature of the course. The chief hazards, however, are sand-bunkers, which are placed with great judgment. Moreover there is no lack of depth in the sand.
Before we pass on to any discussion of the individual holes, let us have a look at that hackneyed and highly instructive bit of statistics, the table of lengths. Here it is:-
Hole one – Westward Ho! – 401 yards – bogey 5; Hole two – Well – 139 yards – bogey 3; Hole three – Fairview – 452 yards – bogey 5; Hole four – Garden – 300 yards –bogey 4; Hole five – Brent – 138 yards – bogey 3; Hole six – Hole Across – 462 yards – bogey 5; Hole seven – Lakeside – 210 yards – bogey 4; Hole eight – Fountain – 506 yards – bogey 6; Hole nine – Wood – 173 yards – bogey 3; Out - 2,812 yards; bogey 39.
Hole ten – Wembley Hill – 353 yards – bogey 4; Hole eleven – Old Manor – 309 yards – bogey 4; Hole twelve – Dogleg – 460 yards – bogey 5; Hole thirteen – Rink – 516 yards – bogey 5; Hole fourteen – Gate – 159 yards – bogey 3; Hole fifteen – Poplars – 233 yards – bogey 4; Hole sixteen – Tower – 454 yards – bogey 4; Hole seventeen – Shrubheries – 363 yards – bogey 4; Hole eighteen – Chestnuts – 196 yards – bogey 3; Home – 3,042 yards; bogey 37.
Total length - 5,854 yards; bogey 76.
Above course information and hole descriptions.
Pictures of the former Wembley Park golf course.
Thanks to Golf Heritage @LdnGolfHistory for supplying the following images of both clubhouses and the course. The first clubhouse was destroyed by fire.
The Wembley Park clubhouse and course, now under the National Stadium.
The picture below shows Wembley Park and Watkin's Tower. The tower was demolished in 1907, about five years before the course was laid out.
Wembley Park showing Watkin's Wembley Tower.
Wembley Park Golf Club eventually made way for the iconic twin-towers of the original Wembley Stadium (now also gone). The fairways from the golf course were lifted and used for the football pitch.
Wembley Park Golf Club closed in May 1922.
From - Motor Owner Wednesday 1 November 1922.
The members from Wembley Park eventually moved to a new home, Hartsbourne Manor Golf Club, in 1928 (see separate entry on this website for Hartsbourne Manor).
The RAF took over Hartsbourne Manor in 1940 to house officers stationed at nearby Bentley Priory.
After the war the club was purchased by Mr C J Stillitz and the club was re-named Hartsbourne Country Club, which is still going strong.
Wembley Park Golf Club closed in May 1922. The course now lies under the new Wembley Stadium