Birkenshaw and District Golf Club, West Yorkshire. (1893 - 1900)

The club was founded in 1893. The first course was at Blue Hills which was played on for about two years. It moved to land on the Hunsworth Road in 1895 where a nine-hole course was laid out.

The professional from 1894 to 1896 was R Holt. The club disappeared in the 1900s. 

Result of the 1894 August Handicap; W Hemingway, 117-33-84; Rev F Hemingway, 114-27-87; H C Croft, 117-25-92; J P Humble, 130-29-101; F Swallow, 137-35-102; T P Oddy, 148-36-112. 

The annual meeting was held in the National Schools, Birkenshaw, on Friday 9 November 1894, the president, William Ackroyd, presided. Mr H C Croft presented the report showing the present membership to be 61, as against 72 in 1893. The record score was held by Alfred Ackroyd, the captain, with a score of 44 for nine holes and 102 for the “double round”. T P Oddy presented the financial statement. A balance in hand of £17/13s/1d was held as against £12/17s the previous year. It was agreed that the club should go ahead with the proposed new course on the terms agreed. The following officers were elected; President, William Ackroyd; captain, Alfred Ackroyd; treasurer, T P Oddy; secretary, H C Croft; committee – T H Ackroyd, F B Ellison, Rev F B Foster, J P Humble, G E H Maggs, G E Oddy, F Swallow, C P Anderton (Cleckheaton), W M Crowther and W Hemingway (Gomersal), R Cooke (Liversedge).

Below is the result of a match played at Birkenshaw against Fulneck Golf Club on Saturday 10 November 1894.  

Birkenshaw Golf Club		Fulneck Golf Club
A Ackroyd	9	Rev Titterington	0
H C Croft	13	C Salter	0
W Hemingway	0	Mr Wilson	2
L W Taylor	0	Mr Salisbury	6
J P Humble	15	J Salter	0
G E Oddy	0	Mr Smith	1
	37		9

 The following report is from the Leeds Mercury Tuesday 9 April 1895. “The new golf links acquired by the Birkenshaw Golf Club were formally opened on Saturday. The President of the club, William Ackroyd, had undertaken to perform the ceremony of the “first drive” but he was unable to attend. His place was taken by Alfred Ackroyd, Captain of the club. Amongst those present were the Rev F B Foster, Vicar of Birkenshaw; Mr H C Croft, hon. secretary. The links are very pleasantly situated on pasture land just outside the village of Birkenshaw, going in the direction of the neighbouring village of Hunsworth. Practically the whole of the course can be seen from the vicinity of the temporary wooden clubhouse which has been erected near to the first teeing ground. A ten minutes’ walk from Birkenshaw station brings one on to the links, and the extensive view obtained at once attracts the attention of the visitor. A brook skirts the course all the way on the left hand, and as the ground naturally slopes towards the stream, which runs through a deep gulley, the golfer needs to exercise much care in judging his strokes to prevent the ball rolling down the rather steep slopes into the water. Three other tributary streams run at right angles to the main stream, thus introducing further obstacles into the path of the golfer, and these, added to a considerable quantity of rather long grass, are calculated to make the course difficult to play over. The difficulty will be considerably removed as time goes on, and the improvements contemplated are carried into effect. The course is a nine-hole one, and is about 2,620 yards round. The length of the old course at “Blue Hills” was 2,045 yards.”  

Result of a match played at Shipley in September 1897.

Shipley Golf Club		Birkenshaw Golf Club
John E Parker (halved)	0	A Ackroyd (halved)	0
Ellis Denby (captain) (halved)	0	H Steward (halved)	0
John Parker	3	H C Croft	0
G Walker	0	F Swallow	3
G Holmes	4	J J Oddy	0
C H Smith	0	T P Oddy	1
R H Clark	3	W Hemingway (captain)	0
T H Wheelwright	2	A E Oddy	0
	12		4

Below is the result of a match played at the Eccleshill course of the Ravenscliffe Golf Club (also now defunct) on Saturday 5 March 1898.

Ravenscliffe Golf Club		Birkenshaw Golf Club
Dr Honeyburne	11	H C Croft	0
Dr Wawn	7	J B Hyland	0
H H Spencer	6	J P Humble	0
A Firth	3	F Swallow	0
E Ellis	0	T P Oddy	8
J H Bakes	3	W Hemingway	0
J Richardson	7	E C Trench	0
J Milner	3	J Beresford	0
	40		8

Result of a match against Halifax Golf Club played in August 1898.

 

 

p>At the annual meeting of the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs in March 1900 it reported that the Birkenshaw club had become deceased.

The Google Map below shows the area around Blue Hills, location of the first golf course.