Brief History of Withernsea Golf Club

Withernsea Golf Club was founded in 1909 and the game has been played on the same site since that time. The Club also had its own tennis courts. The club was practically dormant during the 1914-18 war as there were not enough members to stage competitions. At the outbreak of hostilities there were 45 gentlemen members but this had fallen to 12 in 1919. The members of the mess of the 3rd battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment were made playing members in 1917 and enjoyed the sporting facilities and those of the clubhouse.

Withernsea has a reputation in the area as a friendly club with a strong social section. The earliest records of the Golf Ball were in 1919 when the event was held in the Unity Hall. The venue changed to the Grand Pavilion, the Queens Hotel and the Northfield Club, laterly being held in The Clubhouse it has been an annual event in the town throughout this time.

In the early days the golf course was kept tidy by the professional using a horse drawn mower, and in fact it seems the health and welfare of the horse occupied the minds of the committee to a large degree. The horse hire was usually tied into a deal with the highest bidder for grazing rights. This income supplemented the membership subscriptions as did the growing of mushrooms on the course which was recorded in 1914. In 1919 the annual subscription was Two Guineas. The course was subject to a Ploughing Out Order made by the East Yorkshire War Agricultural Committee in November 1941. The committee made representations and the land was subsequently let for grazing for £2 per acre to Mrs Marshal of Halsham. In 1919 a new clubhouse was purchased in the shape of an army hut from the field in Hull Road for £75 to replace the cricket pavilion. The present clubhouse was erected in 1989.

The club now owns the land which hitherto had been rented and has recently purchased more land and extended and improved the course. With current membership of around 200 the club is thriving and looking forward to the Club’s Centenary Celebrations in 2009.