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North Manchester Golf Club, Crumpsall. (1895 - 1925)

The Crumpsall course was to be open for play on Saturday 24th February 1894.

Colonel W W Clapham, the president of the club, was to officiate at the opening ceremony. Edward Holt was the first captain of the club. The 18-hole course, nine holes of which were available all year round, the other nine were playable from the 1st August to the 1st May, was on land rented from the Earl of Wilton. The St Anne’s professional, George Lowe laid out the course and said that  it was one of the best inland courses he had ever marked out, and said that the links would be "first class".

North Manchester Golf Club button. 

At the AGM in March 1894 the membership was given as 91 gentlemen and 14 ladies. With the anticipated increase in membership it was decided to enlarge the pavilion and build a workshop for the professional, who at the time was G Strath. The following officers and committee were elected at the meeting; President, Col W W Clapham; Vice presidents; Dr Braddon, Mr W Craven and Mr Henry Kershaw; Captain, Mr Edward Holt; Treasurer, Mr T Horsfield; Secretary, Mr J H Boardman; J E Beaumont, J V Braddon, W H S Craven, J A Elliott, J H Fulton, J B King and Hartley Lees.

Below, result of a club match played at Timperley against North Manchester on Saturday 15 September 1894.

Report on the first annual dinner in February 1895.

"Golf" Friday 22 February 1895. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

There was a good attendance at the AGM held in April 1895. The Captain, Edward Holt, was in the chair. Membership was strong and the club was financially satisfactory. Mr Holt was re-elected Captain, Mr Thomas Horsfield Treasurer, and Mr J H Boardman, Secretary. H B Wood and Fred Hilton were elected on to the committee in place of Hartley Lees and J B King who had resigned.

The first ladies' competition played in April 1895.

"Golf" Friday 24 May 1895. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Below is the result of the third qualifying round for the prize given by Mr Edmonson (a silver cigar box), played on Saturday 26 December 1896. 

Below is the result of a qualifying competition for the Captain’s Cup played on Saturday 9 October 1897. A press report stated that “The low scoring is a proof, if one were needed, of the excellent order the course is now in. During the past month or two considerable mowing and rolling had been done, and, now that the club has got complete control of the land, no expense will be spared to make it one of the best links in the district.”

Nineteen cards were taken out for the prize given by Mr A W Edmonson, played on Wednesday 12 July 1899, result below. 

In 1900 the secretary was E W Ogden, 1 St Mary's Road, Higher Crumpsall. Course records; amateur, A W Craven 75, professional G Strath 77. Harry Wood was captain in the early 1900s.

Below are the leading scores in a qualifying round for the captain’s cup played on Saturday 3 November 1900. 

On Thursday 1 October 1903 a match was played to celebrate the opening of the extended course. Alex Herd, James Braid, J H Taylor and Percy Hills, the local professional, played in a match with prizes to the value of £30. In the medal play round in the morning Taylor finished on 69, Braid 72, Herd 74, and Hills 78. In the afternoon Braid and Herd took on Taylor and Hills, the match finished all square.

Below, result of a ladies’ match played against Manchester golf Club on Thursday 5 April 1906 on the North Manchester course. 

The following day the fifth qualifying round for the prize presented by Miss Plant took place, leading scores; Miss Jackson, 99-18-81; Mrs Macbain, 100-13-87; Miss B Dyson, 116-29-87; Miss Standring, 117-25-92; Miss May Ogden, 109-16-93; Miss Ogden, 126-32-94; Miss E O Colles, 114-19-95; Miss Bazley, 117-22-95.    

Result of the third qualifying round for the President’s Cup played on Saturday 25 July 1908; First Division -  E W Ogden (7) 4down; S Croggan (3) 5down; G T Jenkins (6) 5down; J Crombleholme (7) 5down; A P Bowes (2) 6down; J McKie (7) 6down; Second Division - J J Dixon (9) 1down; J E Ogden jnr (9) 2down; W E Walker (9) 3down; H Forshaw (9) 5down; A F Graham (11) 7down; C R Ogden (12) 7down; J E Ogden (14) 7down; W J Walsh (13) 7down; J Bannister (14) 12down.  

In 1909 the secretary was R C Philpott; George Ridgeway was the steward.

Result of a qualifying competition for the Captain’s (Mr L Sumner) Cup played on Saturday 12 February 1910, winners of the first and second division qualify; first division – Rev T Dillon, 79 scratch; Dr F Percival, 83-3-80; W Craven, 83-1-82; C R Ogden, 94-12-82; second division – F W Stratton, 93-17-76; A B Cole, 98-21-77; G F H Gibson, 100-21-79; W B Hudson, 101-19-82; J E Beaumont, 101-18-83; C P Titmas, 97-14-83; H Forshaw, 100-15-85; W E Walker, 102-16-86; C Birchenall, 109-21-88.

In 1911 the secretary was John M McKie; George Ridgeway, steward, White House, Middleton Road.

On Saturday 23 November 1912 the eighth qualifying round of the captain’s (Mr J H Blyton) cup competition was played; First Division – J Hall, 89-7-82; Dr F Percival, 87-4-83; J E Ogden jnr, 92-8-84; W E Almond, 88-2-86; Second Division – W E Walker, 99-18-81; G A Jelly, 101-20-81; F Jones, 97-15-82; L Lupton, 98-14-84; W R Sinclair, 98-13-85; J A Walkden, 100-14-86; C Birchenall, 102-14-88.  

Result of the tenth qualifying round for the captain’s (Mr J H Blyton) cup played in January 1913; first division - C M Leach, 89-12-77; Dr Macbain, 86-2-84; W E Almond, 87-2-85; E Simpson, 100-12-88; second division – L Lupton, 93-14-79; W E Walker, 96-14-82; G A Chambers, 99-13-86; H Forshaw, 110-17-93.  

Result of the first qualifying round for the president’s prize played in May 1913, bogey score 78; J E Ogden (9) 1down; J Holden (7) 2down; F R Jones (10) 2down; H Taylor (16) 2down; J E Ogden jnr (6) 3down; G T Jenkins (7) 3down; W R Sinclair (8) 3down; J Leach (15) 3down; R S Bower (16) 4down; H Kirby (16) 4down. 

Result of the ladies monthly medal played in February 1914; Miss M Watson, 106-28-78; Mrs Walker; 111-32-79; Miss C Walker, 110-26-84; Miss Gibbons, 100-13-87; Miss A Newell, 113-25-88; Mrs Schofield, 114-25-89; Mrs Hardman, 103-13-90; Miss Bazley, 118-27-91; Miss M Sutton, 118-27-91; Miss Simpson, 130-35-95.

Played in March 1914 was a gents qualifying round for the president’s prize. First division; W J S Bythell, (6) 4down; E Jackson, (8) 4dn; M Harrison, (9) 4dn; J Hall, (5) 5dn; Second division; G S Lancashire, (14) all square; W Parker, (11) 2dn; H Townley, (12) 5dn; W B Watson, (14) 6dn; T H Sinclair, (12) 6dn.

Archibald Edward Wones Compston, friend of the Prince of Wales (Edward V111) and member of the first Ryder cup team, was professional at North Manchester from 1920-25 and his last year at the club was a very eventful one. He is most famous for his defeat of Walter Hagen by 18 & 17 in 1928, in a £500 72-hole challenge match at Moor Park, but it was at Moor Park in 1925 that he had one of his biggest wins - the News of the World Matchplay tournament, beating the 1922 champion and 1924 runner up, George Gadd, 3 & 1 in the final.  His other notable wins were the Glasgow Herald tournament at Gleneagles, beating Abe Mitchell 1 up in the final, and the PGA's oldest trophy-the Leeds Cup, played that year at Keighley.

He had some good runs in the Open, but never bettered his 1925 finish, a joint second at Prestwick with Ted Ray on a total of 300, one shot behind winner Jim Barnes. He was also runner up in that year's French Open, losing a play-off to the four time champion Arnaud Massy at Chantilly - Massy is the only Frenchman to win the Open to date (1907 at Hoylake).  

As with most clubs following WW1 the club needed to regroup, which it did. But it was not long before news broke that the course at Crumpsall was to be sold and the land developed.

The club purchased land at Rhodes House in 1923, the club moved there in 1925.

Location of the course at Crumpsall.