Higher Bebington Golf Club, Merseyside. (1901 - 1930s)
Founded in 1901.
Result of a match against Bache (Chester) Golf Club played in September 1903.
Location of the golf course prior to WW1.
In 1913 the secretary was B A Russell, Millside, Higher Bebington. The professional was H Ward. 9-hole course with a membership of 130 gents and 50 ladies. Entry fees were £3/3/0 and subscriptions £2/12/6. Visitors' fees were gents 1/6 a day, ladies 1/-. There was no Sunday play. Stations at Rock Ferry and Bebington were both 1 ½ miles away.
Result of a ladies match played at Higher Bebington against Wirral A in March 1914.
Higher Bebington Ladies' Golf Club | Wirral A Ladies' Golf Club | ||
Miss Thompson (3&2) | 1 | Miss Gavin | 0 |
Mrs Glasgow (5&3) | 1 | Miss Jerome Smith | 0 |
Miss M Graves (5&4) | 1 | Mrs Nethuen | 0 |
Miss Hill | 0 | Mrs Stanley Smith (3&1) | 1 |
Miss Hodgson | 0 | Miss Methuen (6&4) | 1 |
Mrs Russell (5&4) | 1 | Miss Quincey | 0 |
Mrs Dalby | 0 | Miss Woodall (3&2) | 1 |
4 | 3 |
Result of the June 1914 monthly medal; C W Clare, 89-18-71; J L Ferguson, 86-14-72; D A Anderson, 88-16-72; James Wood, 95-23-72; B A Russell, 77-4-73; G M Cousins, 78-5-73; J M Waite, 84-10-74; J F Legget, 86-12-74; John Gray, 91-17-74; Charles Band, 81-5-76; James Stuart, 82-6-76; J J Best, 92-16-76; J R Campbell, 82-5-77; C H Shaw, 93-16-77; A Graham, 95-17-78; J L Heyworth, 97-18-79; S Gooch, 87-8-79; J C Douglas, 97-18-79.
The club captain in 1915 was J L Ferguson.
The course was taken over for the war effort at the time of WW1.
Extract from a report in the Chester Chronicle Saturday 3 March 1917; "Wirral War Agricultural Committee - The Position of Golf Links - At a meeting of the Wirral War Agricultural Sub-Committee on Monday, Mr Jos. Beecroft presiding, reports were received from members who had inspected golf links and other land in the district as to adaptability of the land for the purposes of food production. The report with reference to the Higher Bebington golf course that the ground might be considerably improved for grazing purposes, and should carry a much more numerous stock than at present. As regards ploughing the land up for corn, they were informed by a local farmer that he grew no more corn than he could help owing to the enormous damage which was done to the crops by sparrows."
In 1923 the secretary was W J Turkington, 38 Mersey Lane South, Rock Ferry. Telephone Rock Ferry 397.
The green-keeper was J Taylor. Visitors' fees were now gents 2/6 a day, ladies 1/6. Saturdays 5/-.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s the secretary was W J McCormack, "Tunstall" Thornton Road, Higher Bebington and the professional H Taylor. During this time club membership was about 175. The amateur course record holder was A Lee with a score of 67.
The Higher Bebington course was required for development in the mid 1930s and many of the members joined the new Brackenwood (Bebington) Municipal club at Bracken Lane. It was reported at the time that "the greens from the old Bebington course were relocated to Arrowe Park GC".
![Higher Bebington Golf Club. The golf course to be used for housing development in the 1930s. Higher Bebington Golf Club. The golf course to be used for housing development in the 1930s.](/images/club_graphics/england/thumbs/higherbebington_2.jpg)
Liverpool Echo Thursday 4 September 1930. With thanks to Reach PLC. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved.