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Caterham and Kenley Golf Clubs, Surrey. (1889 - 1945)

It began as Caterham and Kenley Golf Club, then Kenley Golf Club and in later years Caterham Golf Club.

The club was founded in 1889/1891.

In the early years the professionals were; W White (1895/6), A King (1896 -1898) and Alfred Padgham (1904 - 1912). 

Report on the formation of the club in 1891.

"Golf" Friday 4 December 1891. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

There was a good attendance at the annual meeting was held at the Railway Hotel on Friday 14 December 1894. There is mention that the club links were situated on Kenley Common. The resolution passed at the annual meeting in 1893 to raise the subscription for gentlemen to two guineas was rescinded and would be, as before, one guinea for gentlemen and 10s/6d for ladies. The cash account for the previous year was satisfactory; £ 82/17s had been paid in subscriptions and entrance fees; amongst the outgoings were, £39/2/6 in wages, £6 rent, £17/9/7 for fodder etc., leaving a balance in hand of about £4/18s. The following officers were elected; President, Major-General Sibley J.P; vice-presidents – Mr H Horne, Mr W Garland Soper, J.P; Mr F A Waite, J.P; hon. treasurer, Ernest H Coles; hon. secretary, Mr W E Wallis; committee – Captain Gunton, E H Coles, Mr C H T Price, Mr Blanchard Wontner, and others.

The following report appeared in the Surrey Mirror on Friday 1 February 1895; “What’s the matter with the Kenley and Caterham Golf Club? The whisper has gone round the Corporation of London, as trustee for the public of Kenley Common, has stretched forth its municipal hand with the intention of putting down golf on the open space in question. What some people want to know is, “Who has been jogging the municipal elbow?” This report suggests that the club now had permission to play on the common. It seems that the club could have been playing in a haphazard way on the common prior to this date.  

The following is from the 1905 Nisbet’s Golf Yearbook; Caterham & Kenley Golf Club; nine-holes; membership of 60; hon. secretary – Miss B M Cooke, The Chestnuts, Caterham; entrance fee nil and subs £1/1s; professional A Padgham; course record – A Padgham, 38. The course is natural one with two spinneys. 

In 1909/10 the foundation date was given as 1893. The secretary was Miss B M Cook, The Chestnuts, Caterham. The professional was A Padgham. Amateur course record; R A Russell, 79. Bogey score was 78. There was no entry fee and subs were £1/1s. The course was on Kenley Common.

In 1914 the Caterham & Kenley Golf Club had now become Kenley Golf Club. The secretary was H M Buddery, 19 Lebanon Road, Croydon and the professional was J Tickner (1912 -1917). A 9-hole course with a membership of 120. Entry fees were £1/5/0 and Subs £1/5/0. Visitors’ fees were 1/- a day, Saturdays 2/- a day, 4/- a week and 8/- a month. Sunday play was not allowed. Railway stations at Kenley 1 ½ miles away and Upper Warlingham 1 ½ miles away.

The Caterham Golf Club had a busy day on Sunday 17 May 1931. A match was played at Caterham against the North Downs Golf Club. A team also travelled from Caterham to Woldingham to play another match against North Downs.

Below is the result of the match played at Caterham.

 Below is the result of the match played at Woldingham. 

In 1932/3 the secretary was T Jones-Parry (phone 222), the professional A Fuller and the greenkeeper H Burkin. Course records were; amateur, E S Butt 71; professional, C Beecham 71. The club had a membership of 173. Visitors’ fees were 2/- a round, 3/6 a day, at weekend 5/- a round and 7/6 a day.

From the Yorkshire Post and Intelligencer Monday 25 July 1932; "JAMES BRAID IN FORM - James Braid, the veteran professional, was in fine form during a foursome match played at Caterham on Saturday, when in partnership with A D Fuller, the local professional, he beat Sir Ernest Holden and H J Irens by two and one. The professionals were one down at the ninth, but gained a lead coming in, and with Braid playing some great shots to the green they eventually they won a close game on the seventeenth green. Braid had an individual score of 70, four better than the bogey of the course."

The Caterham course in the 1930s.

The annual dinner for the Caterham Golf Club was held at the Valley Hotel, Caterham, on the 7 September 1933.

The captain of the club in 1934/5 was Mr G B Muntz, manager of the Caterham-on-the-Hill branch of Lloyds Bank.

The annual supper and dance was held at the Soper Memorial Hall in January 1936.

From The Bystander 27 May 1936. Image © Illustrated London News Group. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

In the picture from top left – (1) F D Landeker and Major Irvine (foundation secretary); (2) G H Spencer (captain) and W E Boulter V.C; (3) P S Turner, E Briggs, R C Crowe, G W Bacon; (4) A Durrant (committee) and J R Cooper; (5) F B Brook (president) and Douglas Brook (professional); (6) A Finch and R Turner (committee members); (7) E W Snowden and J B Gardner; (8) A R Batch and R B Hobson. 

In August 1937 Douglas Brook, the Caterham home professional, set a new course record of 68.

In 1940 it was listed as Caterham Golf Club, Wavertree, Stanstead Road, Surrey, telephone 222. The secretary was H I Callon. The professional was R D Brook and the greenkeeper A E Philmore. The nine-hole course had a Standard Scratch Score of 72 and a Par of 68. Course records, amateur E S Butt 68 and professional R D Brook 68. Visitors’ fees were 2/- a round, 3/6 a day, Weekend 5/- a round, 7/6 a day. The railway station at Caterham was 1 mile away. Local hotel was the Railway.

The advert below appeared in the Surrey Mirror Friday 23rd  March 1945, obviously indicating that the club and course was now about to close.

It was reported in November 1946 that a limited number of bungalows were to be erected on the site of the Caterham Golf Course, the bungalows should be ready for occupancy by the end of 1946.

Two pieces of information describing both locations. Firstly the earlier course, information provided by John Hyde “ I have no exact dates but I believe that a club functioned in the early part of the twentieth century until Kenley became one of the early training airfields during WW1. Kenley aerodrome became one of the famous Battle of Britain  fighter airfields and was much extended taking over part of Kenley Common using the old golf course”

The original Kenley course on the Common. Grid reference TQ32785,58195, co-ordinates 532785,158195.

Then Mr P Beazley who remembers  the later course “When my family moved to Caterham-on-the-Hill in Surrey just after the war there was a small area of open land to the west of Queens Park which I understood to have been part of a small private course that closed when World War Two started. I believe that most, if not all, is now built over. ”

The later course at Caterham. Grid reference TQ32920,55030 co-ordinates 532920,155030.

There were no Caterham or Kenley Golf Clubs following WW2.