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Downley Golf Club, Bucks. (1920/30s)
It seems that a few keen golfers could have played in a casual manner at Downley in the early twentieth century. The golf course on the common appeared between the two wars.
The following recollection of golf in Downley was from Doreen Biggin in 2004.
“The original course was on common land in Downley, but was privately owned by Sir Edward Dashwood of West Wycombe whose father, Sir Francis Dashwood, was premier Baronet of England. In 1904, the members transferred to the newly opened Flackwell Heath Golf Club, the other side of High Wycombe. In the 1920s there used to be a pub in the village called the Golf Links and there are still a row of cottages and a pair of semi-detached houses across the common called Golf Links Cottages and Golf Links Villas. The old course at Downley was maintained by locals. The green-keeper was affectionately known as “Mowey.” I remember accompanying my father before WW2 on his Sunday morning round. At the commencement of WW2 the common was taken over by the MOD for Churchill tanks to be tested. These were made in High Wycombe and used to plough their way across the common day in day out through the war. As you can imagine it did not do the common much good and the golf course was destroyed.”
Downley Common in is marked in the centre of the 1920s map. Reproduced from the {1925} Ordnance Survey Map.
The Google Map below shows Downley Common.