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Bournemouth Golf Club, Balmerlawn Course. (1890 - 1900s)
The Bournemouth club was instituted in 1890 (source - Nisbet's 1905 Golf Yearbook).
Two spellings used for the course; Balmerlawn and Balmer Lawn.
The professionals in the early years were; Arthur Gilliver 1890 - 1892; J C Pearson 1892 - 1894; H L Curtis 1902 - 1917.
The Balmer Lawn Golf Course was laid out on land behind the Balmer Lawn Hotel. It consisted of 15-holes in the summer, in the winter it was played as a nine-hole course. The 90 members paid an entrance fee of 21 shillings and an annual subscription of 42 shillings.
The following is from the Hampshire Advertiser Wednesday 18 February 1891. "Bournemouth Golf Club - The first medal day of this new club took place on Saturday the 6th, when eleven pairs competed, Lieut. Goldfinch R.N., winning with a score of 96. The course on Balmer Lawn, adjoining the pretty village of Brockenhurst and embosomed in the New Forest, is extremely beautiful and picturesque, and from the golf point of view is even now a very agreeable and interesting course, with grand natural hazards, and it has great capabilities of future extension and improvement. Notwithstanding the long frost, and the heavy rains which have followed, the course and the greens are in very good condition."
Report on the Bournemouth club and course from May 1891.
Bournemouth Guardian Saturday 30 May 1891. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Postcard from the 1900s showing the Rose and Crown Hotel - headquarters of the early Bournemouth Golf Club.
Result of the April 1892 monthly medal.
Field Saturday 7 May 1892. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Leading scores from the the Spring Challenge Cup played in May 1893; H Wilkinson, 89-16-73; Rev. G S Rogers, 109-30-79; General Truell, 106-25-81; Dr. H S Hibberd, 92-8-84; H Sladen, 101-16-85; Dr. D H W Robson-Burrows, 95-10-85; A Pontifex, 100-12-88; A H Cooper, 109-20-89; Rev. O K Prescot, 119-28-91; Major Lang, 124-30-94; C F Dickinson, 117-23-94; L Scarth, 122-28-94; P F Walker, 113-18-95.
Result of the February 1894 monthly medal; Rev. G S Rogers, 104-20-84; H S Acklom, 91-4-87; F H Haviland, 97-7-90; A Pontifex, 101-10-91; H Sladen, 110-14-96; J Ballantine, 117-22-95.
The following letter from the Hon. Secretary of Bournemouth Golf Club, D H W Robson-Burrows, appeared in the Pall Mall Gazette on Thursday 16 January 1896. "Golf at Bournemouth - Dear Sir, Under your "Sporting Notes and News" on 14 January, you speak of the Bournemouth Corporation Club and the Brockenhurst Club. I wish to point out that there are no such clubs. The Bournemouth Golf Club play on the Corporation links at Bournemouth, and also have their own links at Brockenhurst. I should be very much obliged if you will correct this in your next remarks upon golf, as it causes much confusion to visitors if they think there are two clubs."
Advert for H L Curtis the Bournemouth professional 1902 -1917.
Thanks to Dixon Pickup who provided the image below and the following information. The reverse of this button is recessed and marked 'Extra Rich Quality' plus 'S & W' (untraced) over 'Sterling Silver'. (25mm). The obverse features the Arms of Bournemouth granted in 1891.
Bournemouth Golf Club Button. Image courtesy of Dixon Pickup.
The Balmer Lawn Course is marked in the centre of the above map. Reproduced from the {1897} Ordnance Survey map.
The Bournemouth Golf Club was listed in the 1905 Nisbet's Golf Yearbook. The Hon, secretary was still D H W Robson-Burrows, the captain was F Belben and the professional, L Curtis. It also stated that "The course is situated at Meyrick Park. It is the property of the County Borough."
It seems that the Balmer Lawn course at Brockenhurst had been abandoned by the Bournemouth Golf Club by this time.
The Balmer Lawn Hotel was offering an adjoining golf course as an attraction in an advert in 1905.
Both municipal courses at Meyrick Park (founded 1894) and Queen's Park (1906) can still be played and enjoyed today.
The Google Map below pinpoints the location of the former Balmer Lawn course.