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Bad Eilsen, RAF Golf Club. (1946 - 1955)

In 1945 one of the first British officers to arrive in Bad Eilsen was Walley Marks, he had been a golf professional in Germany teaching the game at Golf Club Bergisch-Land near Wuppertal from 1933 to 1939. Marks put forward plans for a 9-hole golf course near the Spa facilities in order to set up an adequate golfing facility for the men employed at the RAF Bad Eilsen headquarters. The air marshal fully agreed with this idea. 

An area of land of around 100 acres on the western slope of the Bückeberg with views of the Weser Mountains was found. In spring of 1946 the 9-hole course was ready for play.

 

Bad Eilsen, RAF Golf Club. Earlier course scorecard.

 

Bad Eilsen, RAF Golf Club. Earlier course scorecard.

Earlier scorecard for the RAF course.

 

Walley Marks also made plans for a large clubhouse, but one of the barracks buildings, typical of the time, was utilised as the clubhouse instead. The clubhouse had changing rooms for men and women as well as a vestibule, bar, kitchen and other service rooms.

 

The Bad Eilsen RAF Golf Club clubhouse.

The RAF clubhouse at Bad Eilsen.

 

In January 1946 Walley Marks left Bad Eilsen to become golf professional in Stockholm, Sweden. The English golf professional, First Lieutenant Dan Lloyd, took over from Marks. Dan Lloyd had previously been golf professional in Reinbek near Hamburg from 1931 to 1933 and therefore knew German golfing circles well. 

The use of the RAF golf course was strictly limited to members of the occupying forces. Germans were not allowed to play even though the course was, apparently, not much used during the week. When the RAF course at Bad Eilsen closed in 1955 the greens were transported to the then newly constructed RAF Brüggen Golf Course near Mönchengladbach.

 

Bad Eilsen - RAF Golf Club Scorecard.

Later scorecard for the RAF club.

 

Bad Eilsen RAF Golf Club Local Rules.

Local Rules.