Slaithwaite - the golf club that disappeared

an exhibition match, organised with Alec ‘Sandy’ Herd and D Stoner Crowther.

Herd was the first professional at Huddersfield and was employed from 1892 to 1911, winning the Open Championship in 1902.

The course was only nine holes, which were laid out on 30 acres of land and measured 2,073 yards.

And while five greens had been newly laid, the others were naturally formed on the land being used.

The exhibition match brought a large crowd to the venue as Herd had been Open champion at Royal Liverpool just four years earlier. His opponent, D Stoner Crowther, was a well-known art collector from Buckstone Hall, Rawdon, who later played in the British Amateur Championships and was quite an accomplished golfer.

He received six shots from Herd, which proved spot on as the match finished all square.

The Slaithwaite club employed a professional called F Bennett, and visitors’ fees were two shillings a day (10p in today’s money), with two shillings and sixpence at weekends. Caddies were available for anyone playing. Sunday play was allowed without caddies.

The station at Slaithwaite was 1 mile away tramcars ran to within 5 minutes of the course.

One of the caddies used was Past Huddersfield Golf Club captain Stephen Hirst’s father, while his grandfather was a leading member there and lived in Slaithwaite.

A gentleman called J Taylor was the club president, while the secretary was J Quarmby from 1920 to the closure of the course. His phone number at the time was Huddersfield 534.

There was an interesting name in the visitors book, with Prime Minister Herbert Asquith playing the course – and he took his golf very seriously.

Another well-known member