Nottingham/Notts Golf Club, Bulwell Forest Course. (1877 -1901)

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Nottingham/Notts Golf Club, Bulwell Forest Course. (1877 -1901)

The first seven-hole course in 1887 was on Queens Walk Recreation Ground near Wilford Bridge. It moved to Bulwell Common in 1888 where a seven-hole course was laid out. Bulwell Forest had been turned into a public park in 1877. When the golf club gained permission to play it was on the condition that the golfers could only layout seven holes. However, the course was extended to 18-holes in 1894.

The club changed its name to Notts Golf Club in 1893. Hold habits die hard and it sometimes continued to be called Nottingham and sometimes Nottinghamshire.

The Notts Golf Club moved to a new course at Kirkby in Ashfield in 1901 and became known as Hollinwell Golf Club.

The current Bulwell Forest Golf came into being in 1902.

Ordnance Survey Map from the 1880s showing the Queens Walk Recreation Ground, location of the first course.

O.S. Map Revised 1880 to 1881; © Crown Copyright {year of publication 1885}.

Extract from a report from the Nottingham Evening Post Thursday 9 February 1888; “NOTTINGHAM GOLF CLUB – A meeting of this club was held last evening at Mr Richard Daft’s. This club, which is as yet in its infancy, has its ground on Bulwell Common, in close proximity to the Bulwell Forest Railway station. The secretary (Mr Harris) remarked that he considered as the club was so young it was in a very flourishing condition. They had enrolled 38 members, and nearly all of them were golfers. Most of the members had paid their subscriptions, and there was a balance in hand. Mr Richard Daft stated that that day he had seen Mr Percy Cooper of Bulwell Hall, who was a golfer, and a member of the club. He was anxious to get the team out more, and had offered a gold medal to be played for. Mr Cooper also suggested that it should be played for on two Thursdays each month. It was agreed that that the medal should be played for on the second Thursday in each month. Mr Daft’s offer of a second prize to be played for with the club medal was accepted.”

Report on the first spring meeting in May 1889.

Image from Donald Cameron’s book - Social Links (The Golf Boom in Victorian England).

From the 1890/91 Golfing Annual – The club is growing rapidly, having added forty to its membership in 1890. The committee hope to of the be able to engage the services of a professional, and have made arrangements to extend the course to nine-holes – there being only six at present, The ground is the property of the Corporation of Nottingham, and is for the public use, which is somewhat of a drawback.

Competition result for the autumn cup competition played in October 1891.