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Helensburgh
Golf Club was founded in August 1893 and the original 9 hole
layout was in use by October of the same year. One can only
wonder about the quality of the greens at that time. The layout
was approved by Old Tom Morris for a fee of £1 plus expenses
for the day. By 1905, the course had been extended to 18 holes,
largely due to the guidance of the club professional, Tom Turnbull,
who served the club for 50 years. |
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From the
beginning, Helensburgh has been a family club, with a predominantly
town membership and the members are drawn from all walks of
life. The original Tin hut clubhouse(above), which cost about
£350 and had been relocated at least once, was sold to the Vale
of Leven Golf Club for £35 in 1910.
The present clubhouse was opened in October
1909, by the Duke of Argyll. Major alterations took place in
1965, 1973 and 1997. A recent proposal to build a new clubhouse
was shelved but new proposals are brewing . The founding committee
included Andrew Bonar Law, who became Prime Minister in 1922
and a local dignitary, Alexander Breingan, who was the first
captain. The Breingan Medal, presented in 1894, is the club's
oldest trophy. |
Andrew Bonnar-Law
Founding member & future
Prime Minister |
James Braid, who`s influence
can still be seen today.
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The 1920s were
a memorable decade, with the visit to the course of James Braid,
who devised many changes some of which are still in place today.
The Club Championship was inaugurated and the officers of HMS
Hood presented a fine trophy. Purchase
of the course and additional ground took place in 1978. The
extra ground remains unused, except for essential maintenance
but hopes remain of another nine holes one day.
The length of the course is 6104 yards,
with a par of 69 and the Standard Scratch Score is 70. The course
record of 62 was set by club Junior member Simon Barras (age 16), on 3rd July 2005, beating the previous 64 of member Alan Scott, 20 years earlier in June 1985 |
The Helensburgh Boys' Open
Tournament, inaugurated in 1975 (not 1976 as stated in our centenary
book), quickly became an important part of the Scottish Junior
scene.
Many Scottish professionals under the
age of 40 have played in this tournament. Certain players must
be singled out, having brought the name of Helensburgh to the
fore. J Morton Dykes was a Walker Cup player, Scottish Amateur
Champion and Internationalist, a career interrupted by World
War Two. |
"Morty" Dykes
Scottish Amateur Champion
1951 |
Colin Dalgleish
Scottish Amateur Champion
1981 |
Colin Dalgleish has matched
these achievements and more, with individual successes in
India (Amateur), Australia (Lake McQuarrie International Open),
Belgium (Youths) and the USA (East Aurora Junior Masters and
Northern Intercollegiate). He has also represented Scotland
and Great Britain & Ireland in Europe, won the Prince of Wales
Trophy and the Tenant Cup twice.
From 1992 to 1995, Colin
was Captain of the Scottish International Team and is to Captain the Walker Cup team in 2007/8
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| Members are proud of the achievements
of Gary Orr, who turned pro in 1988, as an assistant at Burhill
in Surrey. He obtained his European Tour card in 1992, after failing
in 1990 and 1991. Rookie of the Year in 1993, Gary struggled to
fulfil that rich early promise until 1998 and 1999, when his name
featured strongly on several leader boards. In 1998 Gary qualified
for the Scottish Dunhill Cup Team and tied 2nd in the Volvo PGA
at Wentworth behind Colin Montgomery. 1999 proved to be a very
consistent season and he again qualified for the Dunhill Cup Team.
He was just beaten into 2nd place in the Dutch Open by Lee Westwood
who shot 63 in the last round. After an excellent start to 2000,
tying 2nd in South Africa and 8th in Australia, he has just won
his first event, the Portuguese Open, with an eagle at the 72nd
hole. |
Gary Orr
with the Sunderland of Scotland Masters trophy |
| To keep up-to-date with Gary`s career on
the European Tour visit the tours web site. www.europeantour.com
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