Lakeside Golf Club, Rugeley Power Station Course. (1961

| Hits: 3801

Lakeside Golf Club, Rugeley Power Station Course. (1961 – 2017)

The 18-hole parkland course was situated within the confines of the Rugeley Power Station in Staffordshire and was originally known as Rugeley Power Station Golf Club. The Lakeside name was adopted in 1976.

The golf course quickly followed the opening of the power station in 1961. A sports and social club was formed for employees, which included a new Golf Society. It started life as a six-hole pitch and putt course but the addition of new holes brought it up to a nine-hole layout which was officially recognised by the Staffordshire Union of Golf Clubs. In 1988 the club was offered further land and it was hoped to extended the course to 18-holes, this came into being in 1991.

The power station closed in June 2016 and the golf course closed a year later. It’s proposed to use the site for housing/leisure development.

Prize presentation - Rugeley Power Station's Golf Section becomes Lakeside Golf Club in 1976.

Rugeley Times Saturday 20 March 1976. Image © Reach plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Invitation Day in August 1983.

Rugeley Times Thursday 1 September 1983. Image © Reach plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

First entry for the club from the Golfer’s Handbook 1988; Membership 150; secretary, T A Yates; 9-holes, 4,768 yards, SSS 63.

Golfer’s Handbook 1991; Membership 300; secretary, E G Jones; amateur course record – D Glenn, 63; The course was to be extended to 18-holes measuring 5,534 yards with a SSS of 67.

The competition for the junior section for the Allan Gray trophy was played in September 1996. The winner was L Jordan, 60 net; runner-up, C Kelly, 64 net.

The Lakeside club joined the Staffs and District Golf League in 1996. The team was captained in 1997 by Phil Graffy, the rest of the squad were; Phil Graffy and Steve Luker, Phil Cary and Grant Cowie, Steve Yates and Darren Yates, Neil Jones and Kris Bache, Paul Andrews and John Greensmith, Dave Peers and John Granger, Jamie Edwards and Steve Bofffin.

Officers in 2010; President, John Graves; vice-president, Peter Knight; captain, Alan Malpass; vice-captain, Alan Kingston; past captain, Steve Yates; secretary, Terry Yates; treasurer, Phil Bushnell; seniors captain, George Diederich; seniors vice-captain, Mick Edwards; seniors secretary; Brian Woolley.

The professional was Phil Cary.

Below is the golf club badge. The triangle is taken from the emblem of the Power Station Sports & Social Club, of which the golf club was a section. The letters RPSC stand for Rugeley Power Station Club. In the days of the CEGB, the club was part of the Midlands Electricity Sports & Social Club which was an affiliation of all electricity industry sports & social clubs in the West Midlands. When the MESC was disbanded on privatisation the Rugeley club modified the emblem for its own use.