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Macclesfield Golf Club, Upton Hall Farm Course. (1889 -1901)

Founded in 1889.

The first nine-hole course was hastily laid out on Upton Hall Farm. It stayed here until 1901 when it moved to its present location at The Hollins.

The inaugural meeting was held at the Bull’s Head in October 1889 and within a few weeks play was taking place on the Upton Hall Farm course. George Lowe, professional and club maker from St Annes-on-Sea, was invited to play the course in November 1889 and he concluded that “the course was satisfactorily laid out” he recommended that alterations were needed to two holes.

Below is the result of a match played at Disley Golf Club in October 1890.

Disley Golf Club   Macclesfield Golf Club  
W Bell 3 Dr Duffus 0
Dr. Hodgkinson 0 G Greenwell 1
D Tonge 0 A Gray 3
R Hutton 8 F Tylecote 0
Rev. J Bourne 2 Rev. R Cobbold 0
A Hutton 3 F Edmonson 0
G Hutton 0 W Burgess 0
  16   4

Result of  a match against Disley Golf Club played in April 1891.

 

Macclesfield Golf Club, Upton Hall Farm Course. Result of a match against Disley played in April 1891.

"Golf" Friday 1 May 1891. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

The 1891/92 Golfing Annual describes the course as follows;-

 “There is pretty game of golf to be had at Macclesfield as anywhere else in the country. At an altitude of some 500 feet above sea level, where the grass is short, and the ground undulating, there is a lovely charm of going round the nine-hole course, which, except for the absence of sand, nature seems to have marked out as a golfers’ playground.

The first hole was a dogleg right with a brook and grassy hollow at driving distance. The drive had to clear rough grass and if left too short the line to the green was obscured by a small copse.

At the second hole there was rough ground and a cinder path in front of the tee, and the drive, if hit too long would give a second shot over some iron railings. Hitting the landing area with the drive allowed an iron shot to the green without any additional difficulty.

The third hole was 300 yards long and again a well directed drive was required as there were trees, not actually on the course, but to both left and right sides of the hole.

The tee for the fourth hole was on low ground with a small ditch in front of the boundary of the course to the left. There was a small pond directly in front of the green. Players had a choice to make, playing over the pond or avoiding it, presumably by playing to the right side of the hole. The hole was made more difficult by a green that sloped from front to back, away from the player.

The green of the 365 yard fifth hole was not visible from the tee as it was set on a higher level with a ridge running obliquely across the player’s line of view. To carry this ridge and reach the green a wood was considered necessary for the second shot, however an iron was advised to avoid the chance of the ball rolling down into the hedge beyond the green which was out of bounds.

The sixth hole was considered the best hole on the course and was usually played as a bogey 5. In front of the tee was a wide, deep and uncut grassy hollow, but this would be comfortably carried with a steady drive. A wood was needed for the second shot and the third had either to be played over or between two big trees which guarded the green. The green itself was in a hollow and from this was given the name of “the saucer.”

The only par three hole on the course was the seventh measuring 165 yards. There were no obstacles in the way for a straight drive but the ball had little run and the hole was nearly all carry.

The eighth hole was the longest on the course, over 400 yards. A drive of 170 yards was needed to carry a wide marshy depression and give a chance of a second shot, which had to be high enough to carry the orchard. A writer of the time described it as follows “through the orchard we are not yet out of the wood, for a hard gravel track has to be crossed over and then, as the ground slopes quickly away, a very careful approach is necessary lest the ball rush violently down a steep place into the ravine.” Even with the well kept but sloping green “only the best players could hope to hole out in less than seven or eight shots.

The ravine is again the feature on the ninth hole. There was a thick wood on the left and the ravine on the right so, once more, a straight drive was required to have a chance of getting par.

In no instance is there any crossing. All the greens, were not visible from the tee, are marked by tall flags. The greens themselves are in first class condition with fine firm turf, well cut and rolled, and the teeing grounds, often less thought of on our inland courses, are equally laid out and preserved.” 

No original plans of the course survive but the club have superimposed the probable layout on the maps below. These are based on the information from the Golfing Annual 1891/92.

I would like to thank Ron Blench and Bill Milligan for their help in compiling the maps and information on the Macclesfield Golf Club course at Upton Hall Farm.

 

Macclesfield Golf Club (Upton Course). Course layout 1889-1901.

 

Macclesfield Golf Club (Upton Course). Course layout.

Above images courtesy of the Macclesfield Golf Club from their recently published history “A View over 125 years.”

 

Result of a match against Holmes Chapel Golf Club played on 26 December 1893.

Macclesfield Golf Club, Upton Hall Farm Course. Result of a match against Holmes Chapel in December 1893.

"Golf" Friday 5 January 1894. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

Below is the result of a match played at Macclesfield  against Holmes Chapel on Saturday 31 March 1894. 

Macclesfield Golf Club   Holmes Chapel Golf Club  
G C Cromwell 10 W Rowland 0
A Sheldon 0 T P Williamson jun 3
F Tylecote 5 F Lawrence 0
M H Hall 7 H Rowland 0
A G Gray 9 R A Tatton 0
A Ramm 4 T Latham 0
J M Leake 11 H Latham 0
F Edmonson 14 G B Barker 0
  60   3

The foursomes final for Mr Hall’s prize took place on Wednesday 3 April 1895. Mr M H Hall and Captain Haines defeated Mr A G Gray and Mr F Tylecote on the final hole.

Result of the monthly competition played on Saturday 1 August 1896; M M Hall, 92-8-84; J W Burgen, 95-9-86; E Budden, 104-16-88; A G Gray, 101-10-91; Rev J H Wilcockson, 106-14-92; Rev D Wilmot, 116-24-92. 

Below is the result of the Xmas Bank Holiday competition played in 1896. 

Tom Hall 98 24 74 W Mair 118 24 94
Rev D Wilmot 113 24 89 J W Burgess 104 9 95
M H Hall 99 9 90 A G Gray 108 12 96
W H L Cameron 115 24 91 F Tylecote 111 14 97
J C Waterhouse 115 24 91 J G Barclay 121 24 97
E Wright 116 24 92 S Adshead 124 24 100
Dr Sheldon 98 5 93 W E Birchenough 136 36 100
W F Taylor 113 20 93        

Winner of the April 1897 medal; H D Backhouse, 109-24-85.

Result of the March 1900 monthly handicap competition; J W Burgess, 94-14-80; G C Greenwell, 89-5-84; A Nicholson, 93-8-85; C H Haigh, 105-15-90; E A Plant, 114-23-91; W Mair, 115-23-92; A Coventry, 113-20-93; E Budden, 114-2-94; W Carswell, 105-10-95; Rev D Wilmot, 122-25-97.

 

Macclesfield Golf Club (Upton Course). Golf course location.

Location of the course at Upton Hall Farm.

Grid reference SJ89970,75040, co-ordinates 389970,375040.

 

The sixth green on the former Upton course can just be made out on the larger Google Map below. It’s directly above the red marker, to the right of the pylon, and south of the shadow of the pylon.