Golf club Royal Antwerp Golf Club, Kapellen-Belgium, Antwerp, Belgium

Description

"ROYAL ANTWERP GOLF CLUB - A 100 YEARS GOLFING HISTORY

On the 16th March 1888 a certain W.J.R.Watson invited home a group of English friends who were in the habit of practising golf on sandy Wilrijk Heath. His purpose in calling the meeting was to establish a foundation for the organisation and development of their favourite pastime - or, as the records of the meeting put it, ?... to place the Antwerp Golf Club in a new and more extended position?.

The friends - S.H. Woodhall, J.Proctor, W.P. Wild, L. Evan Thomas and L. Potter were all enthusiastic. They appointed themselves Committee Members, with Watson as president while Potter was to assist him as Secretary and Treasurer. Annual subscriptions were to be Bf 30 per year, entrance fees Bf 10 and the maximum fee for a caddy would be Bf 0.50 for 18 holes.

The Rules were to be those of the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club (St. Andrews rules were only

adopted in 1894) A couple of rooms in the ?Dikke Mee? , a well-known tavern close to Wilrijk Heath, long since gone, were adopted as the Club House. By the end of 1888 the Club had already signed up more than twenty members.

The Mists of History.

Unfortunately very few records have survived from this early period and the sparse information available has been garnered from the terse minutes of Committee Meetings. Interesting though, they tell us nothing about the men who founded the Club, their ages, occupations and characters.

No serious problems seem to have been encountered during the first twelve years. The records show that both the course and its ?bogey? were constantly being modified. We learn that the Club awarded ?Monthly Medals? and that occasionally a prize was offered by a member such as that put up by A.W. Malcolm which was played until 1914. The Trophy for this competition, a splendid silver shield, was miraculously discovered in the Club House only a few years ago and now occupies pride of place above the bar. The Minutes also record the fixing of Handicaps and acceptances of new members.

Up to the year 1900 little untoward happened to disrupt the tranquil flow of club live.

Equality of the Sexes.

Around the turn of the century we begin to note an increase in activities. Contacts were sought

with other clubs. More meetings were held. A.G.M?s were followed by dinners organised with the greatest care by a specially appointed three-man committee.

At the A.G.M. of 31st December 1901 we note the adoption of a significant and somewhat surprising resolution for that period - the Club would open its doors to the Ladies and, furthermore, the Ladies would be ?entitled to all the privileges of an ordinary member?.

Two candidates were immediately accepted, shortly to be followed by many others. The year in which the gates to this male preserve were breached by the other half of the human race showed a budget of Bf 1729.79 and the year closed with a balance of Bf 543.61

Sheep mowers.

At that time the course measured some 4669 yards with a ?bogey? of 82. There were six bogey 5?s and two bogey 6?s but no bogey 3?s at all. The course was maintained (?) by a single man. However he was able to count on the help given by an efficient and ecologically-minded shepherd, one Mr. Bogaerts, who had permission to graze his sheep on the course until the thorny question of buying a mower and a mule to pull it, was tackled.

It appears that the Club?s fifty or so members usually played in the Spring and Autumn because the height of the grass, in the places where there was any, made golfing almost impossible in the Summer.

Trench Warfare.

In the early years the Club?s administration shared out the various responsibilities between a Green Committee. In 1902 however, they found it necessary to create a third Committee which rejoiced in the title of ?The Committee for Military Contact?.

Those who know the area will recall that"

Facilities

Mobile phone allowedHire a cartRestaurant
Dogs allowedHire a clubDriving range
Indoor golfPutting greenShower
Hire an e-trolleyPitching greenPro shop
Hire a trolleyPractice bunkerDressing rooms

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