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Pitlochry Golf Club, Recreation Ground Course, Perthshire. (1895 - 1909)

The club was founded in 1895. 

Mr R W Irvine, secretary of the club, wrote the following in May 1895. “Pitlochry has made a name as a place where the weary will find recreation and rest. One consummation which tends in the direction of that dream is the formation of a golf course and club. That golf course has been formed, with infinitely great possibilities of improvement, into a first-rate twelve-hole course at least, with sporting hazards equal to the ambitions of the most daring golfer” 

Result of the July 1897 monthly medal given by the captain, Hugh Mitchell; W Scott Pennell, 97-14-83; A Murray, 81+3-84; Captain Richardson, 89+1-90. 

Below is the result of a ladies' competition played in August 1897.

Perthshire Advertiser Wednesday 1 September 1897. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Following are the monthly medal winners for 1898; January - A Murray; February - P Meldrum, 107-12-95; March and April - William Robertson, Dysart Cottage, 100-5-95 and 97-3-94; May - R Menzies, 105-10-95, second place, Captain Richardson, 98 scratch, third, James S McGlashan, 98+1-99; June and July - James S McGlashan; August - Alex Murray; September - P Murray; October - John Murray.   

Result of a match played at Blair Atholl in September 1898.

The following is from Golf in Perth and Perthshire by Peter Baxter, published in 1899. “The greens are very good and well kept. Hazards consist of a wood, some trees, bunkers, the river and a steep bank. There is a very good clubhouse containing entrance hall, ladies’ room, gent’s room, secretary’s room, kitchen and greenkeeper’s room, with ample accommodation for keeping clubs. Clubhouse is a five minute walk from the Highland Railway station. Club officials are; captain, Hugh Mitchell; vice-captain, D M Stuart; secretary, W Scott Pennell, solicitor, Pitlochry; green-keeper, William Robertson, Dysart.”

The 9-hole course was laid out on the banks of the River Tummel. The clubhouse building was situated on the recreation ground, with the holes meandering through Faskally Woods. 

The course was described as follows in 1902 “The club is fortunate in possessing an ideal 9 hole course, which is surrounded by pretty woods and heather clad heights. It has already been recognised by visitors as one of the chief attractions at this favourite mountain health resort”  

Result of the monthly medal played in April 1900; J S McGlashan, 80+1-81; A Murray, 81+5-86.

New Gold Medal for Pitlochry Ladies’ presented in 1902.

Above is a sketch of the “Coronation Medal” for annual competition for the ladies’ of the Pitlochry club. The 18 carat gold medal was designed by Captain Richardson-Webster, an enthusiastic member of the club

Result of the monthly medal played on Saturday 21 February 1903; P Murray, 89 scratch; W A Briggs, 88+3-91.

The following article and the image below are from the Dundee Evening Post Tuesday 28 July 1903; “The golf course is on a beautifully situated piece of pasture ground on the estate of Faskally, leased to the club by Mr Buttar at a nominal rent. Within the same enclosure are the football, cricket, and tennis pitches, the latter a fine, large court, serving the double purpose of tennis and home hole for the golfers. The southern fringe of the golf course is the River Tummel, and if the Pitlochry golfing visitor goes home with a pronounced tendency to slice, the explanation is his anxiety to avoid offering too heavy a gutta or rubber to that brawling but, at times, seductive stream!

Some Alterations – Up to last week the first hole was played from the west side of the clubhouse nearly straight south, but a crossing of the line of play has now been averted by playing the first tee shot from near the gate down to a new green – necessarily soft and lumpy, with a heavy penalty for pulled or too strong tee shots. A par 3 is hardly to be expected yet awhile, but the alteration is commendable. The second hole has a fence and the remains of a hedge to be negotiated for a good tee and approach shot respectively, and the hole is good value for a 4. The third hole cannot be beaten by any in Scotland for its demands upon the player for absolutely first-class golf. It lies along a low level terrace, occasionally invaded by the river when in flood, and is probably 40 yards in width, with no allowance for another inch of deviation.  A pulled ball goes into the Tummel, a sliced one into trees which screen off the course from the lower level. The turf is splendid, the lies excellent, and the bold player will get a par 4 and perhaps a 3 on the fine green he has to pitch his approach upon.  A narrow cutting through the trees has to be negotiated for a return to the pasture land, and a 4 is readily got on the fourth. The fifth hole is featureless, except that pulling the ball will get a punishment under the out-of-bounds rule. The sixth hole is played along the centre of the course and it presents no difficulties, a 4 being its actual worth. The seventh hole is a good one, having the hedge and fence already mentioned within its limits, and two bunkers additional. The green is on the cricket pitch in front of the clubhouse. It is a good hole at 4. The eighth hole has only the fence for a hazard, and a 4 is its value. The lie for the ninth tee shot is heavy, is and a fine iron pitch over the fence to the tennis court is required to obtain a par4. The whole round is somewhat tame, with one or two reservations, and during the latter end of the year, when the grass is short, no hole need be counted for a higher figure than 4.

A Close Contest – Quite an interesting battle for the green record has been proceeding with during the past month or two. Mr W Robertson, of the Atholl Hydropathic, had a 70 last month. This was promptly lowered by Mr Alex Murray to 69, and the same gentleman a few days ago returned a splendid 67, made up of 33 and 34, one and five threes being recorded. Mr Murray is placed seven strokes behind scratch, strong rivals in club competitions being Captain Richardson (plus 1) and Mr Murray’s two brothers, who are scratch players. As already indicated, the round is somewhat tame, and if more extensive grounds cannot be had the officials should obtain permission to open a series of hazards in the vicinity of the putting greens.”  

Dundee Evening Post Tuesday 28 July 1903. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

At a meeting presided over by Mr Hugh Mitchell, solicitor, held in the Institute in October 1903, proposals were put forward to extend and improve the course on the Recreation Ground. In his statement Mr Mitchell referred to the various occasions on which the present course had been enlarged, and to the increasing popularity of the game, the result being that the subscriptions for golf now formed more than half of their regular income, it was imperative to make the golf course as presentable as possible. While excellent from a scenic point of view, it was too narrow for play, and the more successful the club was the more congested the course became. Captain Richardson initiated a movement for extending the course, and, after the ground had been reported on by a St Andrews expert, it was decided that the most feasible proposal was to take in the wooded ground to the east by way of the Lady’s Dell which would enable three new holes to be formed, this would give more room for the other six in the space occupied by the nine at present. Terms for conditions and a lease on the additional land was put forward by Mr Butters, the landowner. Mr Mitchell roughly estimated that it would cost about £65 to lay out the new holes and this would mean an increase in subscriptions to help with costs. Mr A M Meldrum, secretary of the golf club, submitted a sketch of the proposed extended corse. It was thereafter unanimously agreed to accept Mr Butter’s handsome offer.

At a meeting in December 1903 Mr Mitchell reported that the lowest offer for the work on the improvements was one of £118/6s/8d, this was far in excess of the £70 sanctioned for the extension of the course. Fresh offers had been invited, the “mattocking” of the ground being disposed of, and that of Mr Barlas of £87/10s was the lowest. The meeting authorised the acceptance of Mr Barlas’s offer, it was stated that the work would be finished by April 1^st the following year.

The following is taken from Golfing 1904 “The other forenoon James Mackie of St Andrews, who was sent by Tom Morris, went over the Pitlochry course with a view to its extension and improvement. He was accompanied by Mr Hugh Mitchell, captain of the club; Mr A M Meldrum, solicitor; and other members interested. It is understood that as the result of the inspection the idea of utilising the extra ground to the north of the existing course has been departed from, and that any extension will be to the south-east by the way of Lady’s Dell. Mackie, however, will place the details before his superior, when a report on the matter will be prepared. In the afternoon Mr A Murray, the record holder of the local club, went round the course with Mackie. Murray played a very good game, while Mackie appeared to be somewhat hampered by the strangeness of the ground. The result was a win for Murray by 77 strokes to 81”

It's interesting to note that the following entry in the 1905 Nisbet's Golf Yearbook gives a foundation date of 1890; Pitlochry Golf Club; Instituted 1890; Membership of 40; Nine-holes; Hon. secretary - A M Meldrum, Solicitor, Pitlochry; Captain, H Mitchell, J.P; Green-keeper, W Robertson; Entrance fee nil and subs 7s/6d; Terms for visitors, 1s a day, 3s/6d a week, 7s/6d a month; Station at Pitlochry 5 minutes. The course lies on beautifully undulating ground on the north bank of the River Tummell, and is very well cut with a motor mower. The greens are like seaside turf.

In December 1905 a meeting was held at the Institute to consider further improvements to the course, Captain Archibald E Butter C.M.G., presided. It was explained that the course at present was so rough in parts that it was barely playable, but that the ground, owing to natural advantages, had in it the makings of an interesting course. The Rev D M Donald thought that an expenditure of £100, mostly on surface improvements, would transform the course. Mr Donald also referred to a proposal to secure an 18-hole course on land at Moulinearn, as the present course, whatever work was done, could not be extended. He had gone over the ground, and found it would make a fair 18-hole course and a very good 14-hole one. He thought that the existing course be improved in the first place. Mr H Mitchell and Mr B W Liddell strongly supported the proposed new course as being necessary in the interests of Pitlochry.

Both schemes were finally approved, committees being appointed as follows – Improvement; Rev D M Donald, Mr D Stewart Ferguson of Dunfallandy, Mr Hugh Mitchell, Mr D M Stuart and Mr A Murray. To enquire about procuring a new eighteen-hole course – Captain Butter, Mr H Mitchell, Mr J Davidson, Mr D Grant and Mr B W Liddell.

From the Dundee Courier Friday 13 August 1909; "PITLOCHRY GOLF TOURNAMENT - The concluding stages of the mixed foursomes tournament at Pitlochry were played on the Recreation Ground Course. In the semi-final P Horne and Miss Hislop (2) , after a tie, carried their match with J S Smith and Mrs Paterson (1) to the second eighth green before acknowledging defeat by 2 up and 1 to play. N Macnaughton and Miss C Reid (1) also beat C Lawton and Miss P Hislop (2) 2 up. Owing to the rain in the evening, only three holes of the final were played."

A postcard showing the entrance to the earlier course dated 1907.

Images courtesy of Frank Accleton.

The current Pitlochry club was founded in 1908. It was reported in March 1908 that the Pilochry Club were to lease the farm at Drumclorny, Pitlochry, and open a golf course.

Above is the location of the earlier Pitlochry course. © Crown Copyright {1900}.

Interesting that the earlier course still appears on the O.S. map Surveyed in 1938 and Published in 1948.

© Crown Copyright {1948}

The Google Map below pinpoints the location of the former course.