Wolsingham Golf Club, Durham. (1920 - WW2)

The club first appeared in the early 1920s and continued until the time of WW2.

The treasurer during the 1930s was John George Westgarth, Mill-isles, Wolsingham.

I have been informed that the golf course was about half way between Wolsingham and Frosterley on the right near West Newlands farm.

Thanks to Susan Elliott who provided the following additional information. "From locals, it seems that the course may have been an 18-hole course. It's felt that this picture (below) is a field on the right hand side of Leazes Lane(in the centre of Wolsingham) behind the community pool and school.  Along with Dad, a couple of others have confirmed that there were definitely holes on the right hand side of the main A689 road between Wolsingham and Frosterley. There's a sizeable farm on the left hand side which is about opposite. That's as much as we know."

 

Wolsingham Golf Club, Durham. The ninth green.

The ninth green at Wolsingham. Authors Collection.

 

The following important information was sent to me by Susan Elliott (June 2017.)

I would also like to thank Anita Atkinson and The Wearside Gazette for allowing me to share their findings.

 “Meriel Steel from Wolsingham called to say she had always been led to believe that Leazes Farm was a golf club at one time. She said that when ploughing the fields around 30 years ago, they would often find old golf balls. Indeed Leazes Farm, is situated on the right-hand side between Wolsingham and Frosterley. Former Parish Councillor, Ronnie Tanner, told us that he could remember a wooden shed, which he thought could have been the golf pavilion, opposite 
Halfway House - the starting point for the golf course - and that he believed it went over to Ladley  Wood  near  Tunstall.  This  was  the  mid  1940s  but  he  wasn’t  able  to  recall  who the members were although he thought they were ‘well-to-do’ people. 
Barbara Thompson from Wolsingham then contacted the Gazette and we popped to see her. Barbara owns an old booklet entitled, ‘Weardale Guide’, which includes information about all the villages in the Dale. In the section for Wolsingham, there is a paragraph about the golf club:

‘Wolsingham Golf Club was founded in 1921 and possesses an excellent 9-hole course situated on the Leazes and Lawn Fields Farm, near ladley Woods, and about a mile from the railway station in a westerly direction. ‘The length of the course is 2,550 yards and the annual subscription is £1 5s (a guinea) with visitors admitted to the course for 1s (5p) a day. Part of Leases (sic) farm house 
is used as club house. The Secretary is Mr J baker of Cherry Tree House, Wolsingham.’

So, now we know exactly where and what the golf club was but no nearer to discovering who the members were – unless any of our readers can enlighten us. We believe that Mr Baker was Johnny Baker, the legendary Chemistry master at Wolsingham Grammar School, who always wore a kind of golf tweed under his master’s cape. But we may be wrong!”  

If anyone has any further information on the Wolsingham Golf Club please get in touch via the "Contact Us" facility on the website Home Page.

The Google Map below pinpoints the location of the course.