Doornsche Golf Club. (1894 – 1928)

When the Doornsche Golf Club was founded in 1894 it was one of the oldest golf clubs in the Netherlands. Before the clubs foundation golf was already played in Nieuw Sterkenburg during a short period of time the first golf course of nine-holes was on the site of Huize Bornia.

The first chairman was Frans Labouchere (1854-1938), Alderman of Doorn. He was succeeded after a few years by his brother-in-law Hendrik Daniël Wynand Hooft, and then married to Henriette Labouchere, who was the first club champion in 1894. In the board of the club, there were also Louis van Loon and Charles de Pesters (1875-1945), son of Labouchere, in 1899. Van Loon followed Hooft in 1908.

Competition results from November 1894.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Competition results from November 1894.

"Golf" Friday 16 November 1894. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

On 14 November 1896 the club won the Challenge Cup, which was donated and won when it was played out first by the Hague Golf Club on 10 October 1895. On 18 November 1897, the Doornsche won the Cup again. Then the club was allowed to keep the cup and a new trophy was made available by the H.G.C. The cup is no longer played for.

Jos van Dijk (1898-1965) first was a caddy at the club and became one of the first club professionals.

Below are entries from the Nisbet’s Golf Yearbook.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Nisbet entry from 1905.

Nisbet entry from 1905.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Nisbet entry from 1910.

Nisbet entry from 1910.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Nisbet entry from 1914.

Nisbet entry from 1914.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Gentleman putting on the second green.

Gentleman putting on the second green.

 

Above image courtesy - “1912: Puttende heer op green 2 van de Doornsche,” NGA Early Golf, accessed November 4, 2017, http://www.nga-earlygolf.nl/golfarchief/items/show/5127.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Ladies in action at Doornsche.

Ladies in action at Doornsche.

 

Image courtesy - “1912: Dame in actie op de Doornsche,” NGA Early Golf, accessed November 4, 2017, http://www.nga-earlygolf.nl/golfarchief/items/show/5121.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Spectators on the course.

Spectators at Doornsche.

 

Image courtesy - “1912: Toeschouwers op de Doornsche,” NGA Early Golf, accessed November 4, 2017, http://www.nga-earlygolf.nl/golfarchief/items/show/5130.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Gentleman on the first tee.

Gentleman on the first tee.

 

Image courtesy - “1912: Speler op de Doornsche,” NGA Early Golf, accessed November 4, 2017, http://www.nga-earlygolf.nl/golfarchief/items/show/5128.

 

Doornsche Golf Club. Lady teeing of at Doornsche.

Lady on the tee at Doornsche.

 

Image courtesy - “1912: Dames tee op de Doornsche,” NGA Early Golf, accessed November 4, 2017, http://www.nga-earlygolf.nl/golfarchief/items/show/5123.

In 1928 the club moved to its current site at Bosch enDuin (Zeist) and was renamed Utrechtsche Golf Club De Pan. The golf course at the new site was designed by famous golf architect H.S. Colt. 

In 1994 the club centenary was celebrated with a tournament in which the participants were dressed as in 1894. The competition took place at Heidestein, the nature reserve where the Doornsche golf course was once based. There were four holes reinstated, each with a fairway of heather, this is still the case at the existing private Ullerberg golf course.

Christoph Meister, October 2017.

The Google Map below shows the location of the former golf course – you can see the lake which was also part of the course.