Club History - The Club

The Club opened in 1923 for regular play. By 1924 Major Henry Keswick, the proprietor, had persuaded the very high profiled Sir Rowland Blades to become the first Captain, a position he held for three years.

By late 1928 the Club was a flourishing concern with some 400 Members and, with the Major in ill-health, it was offered for purchase to those Members.  Captain at the time was Mr. Ronald C.G. Dale, Secretary of the Bank of England, and he led a team of Directors which registered Tyrrells Wood Club Ltd. as a Company in January 1930.  Its purpose was to take over the freehold land and buildings and lease the property to an unincorporated Society called the Tyrrells Wood Golf Club.  The basis of the Company’s finances included a loan of £3000 from Lloyds Bank and the issue of shares, the sale of which was limited to members of the Golf Club but with restricted rights of re-sale controlled by the Directors.  Clearly, the primary motivation was to continue as a Golf Club, but certain provisions in the transfer of title threatened this objective and, following an initial 5 year lease, a new 99 year lease was entered into in 1938.

This lease sustained and protected the Golf Course until a new threat emerged in 1967 when an offer to shareholders was made by an outsider.  The offer was rejected but may have led to the ultimate acquisition of the freehold by the Golf Club.  Today the golf course and facilities are owned by the Club Members.  In March 1982 a new company was incorporated.  Limited by guarantee, it has no shareholders. The articles of association of this new company differ from those of the old company but the object remains the same – the retention of these grounds for golfers of the future.

Special Thanks must go to Ken Ruffell and his team for all their hard work in researching the history of the club for its 75th Anniversary.