Kilspindie's Little Clubs

[Mike Hendren]

My history of Kilspindie Golf Club includes a chapter titled "The Little Clubs."  Apparently these are regular groups who play together and hold inter-club matches.  The three in existence as of the book's 1992 publishing are Glenspindie, whose records date back to 1964, Hornes Heroes, fka Dawn Patrol, who apparently have a history of bringing in outside ringers for inter-club matches, and Kilsatam, formed in 1980 with a named derived from Kilspindie-Saturday-A.M.  

I'm fascinated by these clubs-within-a-club and the opportunity for more intimate fellowship and competition they provide.  Is this typical in the U.K. and are there other examples?  

I remain absolutely in love with Scotland.

Mike

And I, miss you so badly, girl I love you madly
I think I've been had though for stayin' so long, long, long
And I'm, just watchin' the Gong Show, waitin' for Zoro
Losin' the long days since I been home.

I got a head full of feelin' higher
And an ear full of Patsy Cline
There is just no one who can touch her
Hell, I'll hang on every line
Oh, crazy how things happen, it's incredible but true
The longer I'm gone the closer I feel to you.
-Jimmy Buffett

[James Edwards]

Mike,

Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on the tilte of your thread although I enjoyed the lyrics, but i just wanted to say what an enjoyable course Kilspindie is and the word 'sporting' springs to mind when I think of its routing and its challenge.  Short but highly imaginative, especially on the few holes which hug the sea.

Cheers

[ForkaB]

Mike

There are "artisan" clubs associated with some golf courses, in England as well as Scotland.  These were set up allow the local riff-raff to play the courses without sullying the membership of the proper "Club."  Kilspindie has one, Aberlady Golf Club, which is restricted to 30 residents of the local village, Aberlady.  Even Swinley Forest has one, I was surprised to learn this past summer.

Burntisland has two clubs playing over the same Dodhead course--Burntisland Golf House Club and Burntisland Golf Club.  The former was created when they built their "new" course in 1898.  The latter was the pre-existing club (formed in the 18th century, and the 9th oldest in the world) which was given full playing privileges at the new course.  Today, both clubs are active, and all members of BGC are also members at BGHC, but not vice versa (I think).  Elie has a similar situation, I think.

Cheers

Rich

[Jonathan Cummings]

I played Kilspindie one morning a number of years ago and sporting is a perfect description.  That afternoon I went over and played a similar Lothian club called Longniddry.  Excellent warm-up for the more named courses that followed.

JC  

[James Edwards]

Rich,

Id be interested to know more about Swinley also, considering im just down the road and didn't know about that.

Apologies to Mike about this tiny hijacking of his thread...

Jonathan,

Yes, Longniddry was a bigger, bolder test of golf and as you said made a perfect afternoon course after Kilspindie's sporting warm up! All the same, they receive a lot of bad press, but I personally find them excellent fun and well worth the visit.  Also, you will not be out there for 5 hours, maybe half that..

[ForkaB]

James

This summer, I was in the clubhouse at SF enjoying a late afternoon libation following my round, when I noticed 20-30 people moving slowly down the first fairway near the 1st green.  I asked the gaffer about it, and he said it was the artisan club, picking up and replacing the divots from the day.  In return for these periodic acts of courtesy, they get playing privileges at certain specified times during the week. I think they have a clubhouse of their own down the road from the pro shop.

My guess is that this club would be as hard to get into as Swinley itself.......

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I was so taken with the club within the club that I tried to get some interest in it at home. No luck lol

[David_Tepper]

Travel & Leisure Golf mag ran a lengthy article on Artisan Golf Clubs in the UK (focusing mostly on Walton Heath) in their Nov/Dec 2003 issue.  You can find it at:

www.tlgolf.com

Do a search for 'artisan'

[James Edwards]

Rich,

Yes, I have had a small experience of SF when we turned up in a minibus on our way from SF down to San Diego for last years GCSAA Conference and parked outside the pro shop.  (Our team were on a mini tour of the West Coast before the show and our first stop was SF).  We had a lady in our party and our principle walked into the pro shop with her and asked whether we could have walk around which was met with a polite "im sorry sir, but no...."  He then went and spoke to the secretary and they said that the committee have to agree parties of more than 4 for viewings around the course and the next meeting was the following month so we spent some time buying hats and mementos from the pro shop and then we were on our way to near by Olympic and Harding Park.  I did manage to sneak around the front and get some pictures of 10 and on the way out I took some pictures through the fence which maybe you guys who have played can tell me which ones they are?

[ForkaB]

James

We were talking Swinley Forest (SF), no?

Vis a vis San Francisco GC (SFGC), it's been so long since I played there, no can help!