OUR HISTORY - GUYRA GOLF CLUB

24th Aug 2021

The first report of a golf club at Guyra is reported the Australian Town and Country Journal 6th September 1911-: Country Golf – A golf club has just been formed at Guyra in the New England district. The links be of a very sporting nature, and are near big “Mother of Ducks” lagoon. In the summer months there is no place in the State surpass the Guyra district; in the matter of climate, and as the hotel accommodation is excellent, the links are likely to induce strangers to visit the locality in the holiday seasons. Guyra is on the main northern line and the links will be about the highest in Australia, being over 4000ft above sea-level.
The next report is from the Golf Notes and Gossip 7th February 1912. The newly-formed Guyra Golf Club played its first match against Armidale . There were nine players on each side, and took place at Guyra. An exciting match resulted in a win for Guyra by 4 ½ matches 20 holes to 4 ½ matches to 19 holes. C.L MacKenzie of Sydney, led off for Guyra against J.W. Vigars and MacKenzie although short of practice played consistently and with a stroke round low down in the seventies had a very easy win and scored maximum points. Vigars is new arrival in Armidale, and is likely to prove an acquisition to their golf team, as he has played a lot of golf in the Old Country chiefly at Westward Ho where his handicap was 5. Other winners for Guyra W.P Craik 6 up on T.L Docker, A.A MacKenzie 6 up on E. Furness and A.W Everett 2 up on R. Somerset.
The Sydney Morning Herald 13th February 1912 reports that: The Guyra Ladies Golfers played their first golf match on their own course last week. Their opponents were a team from Ollera station.
At a Guyra Shire Council Meeting held on 12th September 1912 received a letter from the Secretary of the Guyra Golf Club drawing attention to stone, the property of the Shire Council on the T.S.R with is on the links and interferes with play. The letter pointed out that the links were laid out on the site by the permission of the District Surveyor while claiming no legal right to be there. The club asked the Council to have the stone crushed and removed as soon as possible.
At a meeting held on 20th March 1913 it was moved by Dr, Harris , seconded by Mr. Craik that the old Guyra Golf Club be dissolved. Motion was carried.
Moved by Rev E.N McKie seconded by Mr. Stevenson that a new Golf Club be formed, to be called “The Guyra Golf”. Motion was carried.
The Golf Course being on traveling stock route it was not unusual to wait while a mob of sheep or cattle passed along the stock route. This also lead to the hazard of cow manure being on the course. A ruling formed 1931 states that ‘ a ball lodging in manure is a free penalty, and a ball falling into a post hole may be lifted and dropped without penalty’
Through the minutes and reports from 1925 onwards, there is re-iterated the inconvenience caused by the water from the lagoon encroaching on the course, flooding the fairways, and play having to be discontinued for many weeks during the wettest periods.
The Club house was built and officially opened on 20th June 1925.
The Annual report of 1936 states that ‘1936 has been a momentous year in the history of golf in Guyra , as on the 11th May of this year the Guyra Golf Club and Guyra Country Club (at “Urandangie” where the Gun Club is to-day) amalgamated under the name of “ Guyra Golf Club”
Guyra Historical Research Group.

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OUR HISTORY - GUYRA GOLF CLUB

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