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Stepps Golf Club, Lanarkshire. (1893 - WW2)
The first course was on land owned by Major Sprott at Garnkirk.
The club moved to a new course at Whitehill, Stepps, in 1900
In Volume 19 of the Golfing Annual Stepps Golf Club was stated to be Instituted in 1893.
The course was in fine condition on Saturday 19 October 1895 for the competitions for the scratch medal presented by Major Sprott and the handicap medal presented by the president, Mr Heggie. The former competition was won by W Fleming and the latter by G Walker.
The new club and course was formally opened at Whitehill in November 1900.
Kirkintilloch Herald Wednesday 21 November 1900. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Result of a match played at Kirkintilloch in September 1901.
Kirkintilloch Herald Wednesday 25 September 1901. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Below is the result of a one-sided match played in April 1902 at Stepps against Kirkintilloch Golf Club.
| Stepps Golf Club | Kirkintilloch Golf Club | ||
| J Hamilton | 0 | J Herd | 0 |
| W B Ross | 0 | T M Scott | 7 |
| R J Jackson | 0 | A M Mackie | 7 |
| W Thomson | 0 | A McKenzie | 1 |
| J C Thomson | 0 | F Rutherford | 0 |
| A B McDonald | 0 | G Little | 9 |
| W Barnett | 0 | A J Faulds | 3 |
| J Wilson | 2 | G Little | 0 |
| 2 | 27 |
From the 1905 Nisbet's Golf Yearbook; Instituted 1893; Membership of 70; Hon. secretary - J Fairweather, Merlewood, Stepps; Captain, A P Macdonald; Entrance fee, 10 shillings and subs 10 shillings; 9-holes; Amateur record - R J Jackson, 76 (18-holes); Terms for visitors - 1s a week, 1s/6d per fortnight, 2s/6d a month. The course is a short one (holes from 100 to 300 yards) by no means devoid of hazards. Extent of ground, about 25 acres.
Report on the club and course in May 1908.
Kirkintilloch Herald Wednesday 6 May 1908 .Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Result of a match against Mount Ellen Golf Club played in June 1908.
| Stepps Golf Club | Mount Ellen Golf Club | ||
| J Barnett | 1 | ? Hendry | 0 |
| J Wilson | 0 | ? Tennant | 1 |
| W Moodie | 0 | ? Young | 1 |
| F Bell (halved) | 0 | ? Henderson (halved) | 0 |
| F Wilson | 0 | A S Fleming | 1 |
| C Carswell | 0 | ? Rigg | 1 |
| ? Campbell | 1 | ? Allison | 0 |
| R Fullerton | 1 | ? Blincow | 0 |
| J Horn | 1 | ? Anderson | 0 |
| A MacDonald | 1 | ? Logan | 0 |
| H Swart | 0 | ? Gow | 1 |
| W Barnett | 1 | ? Flett | 0 |
| 5 | 5 |
Result of the Edgar Cup competition played in May 1910; James Wilson (6) and John Horn (4), tied on 77; Fred Wilson (5), 82; W H Moodie (6), 82.
Monthly medal result for February 1911; Class A – R J Jackson, 85-2-83; W Ritchie, 94-9-85; D F Forbes, 94-8-86; W Barnett, 93-6-87; J H McCubbus, 89-2-87; Class B – A R Allan, 89-10-79; R Gunn, 94-12-82; E C Hart, 97-14-83; R Watson, 102-18-84; W N Montgomerie, 106-18-88.
A 36-hole competition was played in August 1912. The winner was the Rev J M Kay (24) 160, runner-up A Robertson (plus2), also 160.
In 1914 the secretary was W Ritchie, Dungoyne, Whitehill Avenue, Stepps , Glasgow. An 18-hole, shortish course with holes from 100 yards to 365 yards, which had recently been re-designed. The clubhouse had been erected in 1908. Entry fees for gents were 10/- and ladies 5/-. Subs for gents were £1/5/0, Ladies and juniors 10/-. Visitors’ fees were 1/- a day, 2/6d a week and 5/- a month. There was no Sunday play. There was a station at Stepps Road.
Above is the clubhouse of the former 9-hole Stepps golf course which was located behind Whitehill Farm Road.
Thanks to “EDLC Libraries” http://www.edlc.co.uk/heritage/local_history.aspx for the above image.
Above, view of Stepps first golf course, taken from the position of the clubhouse. Picture taken by Campbell Provan in 2013.
Location of the Whitehill Farm Road course; grid reference, NS65700,69100, co-ordinates, 265700,669100.
Thanks To Campbell Provan for supplying and allowing us to use the above image of the former course. It’s Interesting to compare this early picture with the view below.
Above is a photograph taken on the old course by Campbell Provan in 2012, it’s looking south towards Stepps and Whitehill Farm Road. Thanks to Campbell Provan and Sheila Stuart for their help with the research and for allowing us to use the above image.
As can be seen from the course plans below there was a proposed new site for the 18-hole Stepps course near Cardowan House in 1914. It states on the plan that the secretary was to be John M Moodie, Rosebank, Stepps; the course was ten minutes from Stepps Road station; there was no entry fee and subs were £1/5s; any person wishing to play over the course could do so free of charge until the end of February 1914.
This was a short lived course and due to the outbreak of WW1 it's likely that organised golf was never actually played there. In the early 1920s a portion of the land for the proposed course was taken up for railway sidings to accommodate trucks for the recently opened Cardowan Colliery. The sidings would have taken the land occupied by the first, second, third, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth holes.
Above is the plan of the proposed new Stepps course near Cardowan House in 1914.
Plan rotated, the yardages and course layout can now be seen more clearly. Thanks to Sheila Stuart for the above images.
The Google Map below shows the location of the proposed Cardowan course.
Although nothing has been found immediately following WW1 the golf course at Whitehill continued to be shown on Ordnance Survey Maps until WW2.
O.S. Map © Crown Copyright {1923}
After a period of over 20 years without a mention the club suddenly re-appears. Below is a report on the golf course and a new golf pavilion in May 1938.
Kirkintilloch Herald Wednesday May 4 1938. Image © Johnston Press plc. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
Nothing further found.