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Wilhelmshaven Golf Club (later course), Golfplatz. (1979 - 1999)

Following the closure of the first course at Wilhelmshaven in the mid 1930s golf was held in abeyance.

After WW2 the former golf course was used as a cricket pitch by the British Army.

Golf was revived in Wilhelmshaven in June 1979, mainly due to the emerging industrial activity in the area. At the end of the 1970s two large industrial plants emerged in Wilhelmshaven, on the shores of the Jade; the Mobil Oil refinery and the ICI chemical plant. Many skilled British workers were employed in the construction and operation of the plants. The managers soon discovered that they needed an adequate sport environment to keep their employees happy. With this in mind the companies joined forces and decided to construct a golf course on the northern edge of the town, just behind the old Voslapper sea dyke. At its premises the Mobil Oil Company provided a 35 acre site, ICI took control of the earthworks and general construction. The site management was in the hands of the municipal building department.

Unusually for a project of this type and size there were no written contracts or loans for the implementation. All work was carried out based on oral commitments in kind, and donations. During the construction of the course many sand and gravel trucks and excavators were used, not on the intended housing sites, but on the golf course. In this unorthodox way a formerly swampy marsh meadow gradually became a nine-hole golf course. The work was carried out between 1980 and 1983 in accordance with plans drawn up by the Scottish landscape architect, Ernest Ferguson. The course measured 6,058m and had a par of 72 for the men and 5,370 for the ladies. It was a very demanding and tight course, the fairways being very close together, it also contained many water hazards. A particular feature was the small greens, resembling inverted soup plates at the end of each fairway, these proved to be exasperating for both locals and visitors. A disused construction shed served as a clubhouse.

During the early to mid 1990s plans to enlarge the Jade harbour endangered the existence of the golf course and therefore the club officials started to look for an alternative site.

 

Wilhelmsaven Golf Club, Golfplatz. Later course layout.

The above image shows the nine-hole layout.

 

Wilhelmsaven Golf Club, Golfplatz. Hole measurements.

Hole measurements.

 

Christoph Meister recently (2016) met the professional of the former Wilhelmshaven club. Below are two scorecards/planners he provided of the now defunct 9-hole course that closed in 1999. One plan shows the course with two holes numbers 8 and 9 unused, unfortunately the professional doesn't remember why these holes were closed. The other card/plan  shows the complete 9-hole course.

 

Wilhelmshaven Golf Club. Nine-hole course plan.

The full nine-hole course.

 

Wilhelmshaven Golf Club. Nine-hole scorecard.

Scorecard.

 

Wilhelmshaven Golf Club. Amended "nine-hole" course.

The amended course - holes eight and nine not in use.

 

In 1999 Golf Club Wilhelmshaven moved to its current site at Mennhausen west of Wilhelmshaven with an 18-hole golf course designed by German golf architect Christoph Städler. Funnily enough the extension of the harbour never materialised and therefore the traces of Wilhelm haven’s 9-hole golf course can still be seen and are only covered by nature.