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HISTORY

The early years The early years were spent on land at Belmount on the west side of the town where thirteen holes were constructed.

The Club remained at Belmount until 1927 when the Club was notified that the lease of the land would not be renewed.  A general meeting was held to wind up the Club but this was postponed and it was then confirmed that land had become available at Harwood Bar. (the Golf Club’s present location). As the purchase of the land and the subsequent construction of a nine hole course presented a formidable financial problem, a Limited Company was formed with the issue of 100 shares at £5 each and £2,000 worth of debenture shares.  The Golf Club then moved to this site in October the same year.

By July 1928 the Course, designed and laid out by Mr F. Palmer of Entwistle (Captain of Darwen G.C) was ready for play and on the 21^st of that month the Great Harwood Golf Course was officially opened by Mrs Noble wife of the local cotton manufacturer, Thomas Noble JP.  The first ball was driven by F.H. Williamson of Rossendale, the President of the East Lancashire Golf Association (of which Great Harwood GC was a founder member in 1907). 

The original Clubhouse was a wooden structure with a veranda running the full length of the frontage.  It was attractively “modernised” but had inadequate locker room and toilet facilities.

The Club prospered even allowing for the First World War and in 1933, a local man who had been professional at Peel GC Isle of Man.  This was the first of three engagements at the Club for Maurice Ormerod.  Since then there have been five other professionals, Harry Watson Stephen Berry, Wayne Lennon, Alan Rodwell, and Kerry Caven.

Alf Padgham who recorded a score of 64 during an exhibition match the day after he won the Open Championship at Hoylake set the Professional Course Record in 1936.  He even brought with him the famous claret jug and his photograph together with this trophy occupies a prominent position in the Clubhouse.

The Golf Club suffered a serious interruption to its golfing activities in 1954 when the Ullswater/Manchester water pipeline - a five-foot diameter water-carrying pipe came across the course.  The excavations were horrendous and three fairways were affected.  This was the first of three such excavations.  Two additional pipelines were laid in 1956 and a further on in 1971.  The water pipes running under the course carry 20% of the total water consumed in the North West - enough water in one day to provide a cup of tea for every member of the human race!

The Clubhouse was to undergo a major expansion in 1954 and a further expansion was carried out in 1968 with the addition of a prefabricated first floor building, which housed spacious locker rooms and toilets together with a snooker room. Another single storey extension was built in 1987.  Today’s Clubhouse now bears no resemblance to the ones listed above.  In 2003 a major building programme took place and today the Golf Club boasts one of the finest Clubhouses in the area.

The Golf Course measures 6404 yards - the longest of the 23 clubs in the East Lancashire Golf Association.  The par is 73 and the S.S.S. 71

The Golf Club is situated on the east of the town of Great Harwood on the main Accrington - Whalley Road.  It offers spectacular views of Pendle Hill and is extremely close to the beautiful Ribble Valley.  First class motorway links make the Lake District and the Fylde Coast easily accessible, as are the large cities of Manchester and Liverpool.

Great Harwood Golf Club welcomes visitors and is a first class venue for Golf Societies etc with excellent catering and bar facilities.