GB&NI ‘shire’/county Clubs

[Thomas Dai]

There are a few old, long established Clubs in GB&NI that have ‘shire’ within their name - and I don’t mean the Seve course near London nor the newish county named one near Thame - Clubs such as ...

The Berkshire
The Monmouthshire
The Glamorganshire
The Worcestershire
Wigtownshire County
Northamptonshire County
and there are others where the letters making-up ‘shire’ are absent but they non the less represent a County like -
Northumberland
Royal County Down

I’m sure there are others ... suggestions welcome.

Was there a yee olde reasoning behind naming Clubs in such a way? First Club in the county maybe?

Atb

[James Reader]

Notts Golf Club is another one that immediately springs to the mind of a son of Mansfield.  Never to be confused with The Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club, which very definitely doesn’t falls into the “long established” category and has got a cheek with its naming.


I’m almost certain that Notts was the first club in Nottinghamshire but couldn’t say why it wasn’t called The Nottingham Golf Club. Perhaps the same reason why one of the oldest football clubs in the World is called Notts County.

[Tom_Doak]

Tons of these in Ireland


County Louth
County Sligo
Donegal GC


But all better known by their locale,
Baltray
Rosses Point
Murvagh

[Michael Graham]

The East Renfrewshire Golf Club

[Mark Pearce]

The Northumberland definitely wasn't the first club in the county, as it was formed by a breakaway from Newcastle United Golf Club.

[Richard Fisher]

The only two royal clubs to have disappeared in the UK were both ‘county’ golf clubs
The Royal Cornwall at Bodmin and the Royal Isle of Wight at St Helen’s, Bembridge


Also NLE is another once-celebrated nine-hole seaside ‘county’ course, the Merionethshire Golf Club at Fairborne, one of the founding members of the Welsh GU and once prominent enough to be cited in the chapter on Famous Courses in the Badminton Library volume on Golf.


Wasn’t Seaton Carew originally the Durham and Yorkshire GC?

[Niall C]

Dumfries and County GC - I can't recall if it's the senior club in Dumfries, I suspect it is.


Also Moray GC.


Niall

[James Boon]

Notts Golf Club is another one that immediately springs to the mind of a son of Mansfield.  Never to be confused with The Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club, which very definitely doesn’t falls into the “long established” category and has got a cheek with its naming.


I’m almost certain that Notts was the first club in Nottinghamshire but couldn’t say why it wasn’t called The Nottingham Golf Club. Perhaps the same reason why one of the oldest football clubs in the World is called Notts County.

Notts is the accepted shortened version of Nottinghamshire, again as James says, like Notts County Football Club, so the club is certainly a named county club. Also, as the club was founded in 1887, we are the oldest golf club in the county.

The original site for the course was within the city of Nottingham and the clubs name was originally Nottingham Golf Club. However despite any fans of Nottingham Forest getting upset at their football clubs name being shortened to Notts Forest (no doubt due to the local rivalry with Notts County), there are still many people locally who shorten the city name to Notts as well and it was first seen for the club being shortened to Notts as early as 1893. Around the same time there is also occasional mention in club records including a medal played for, that says Nottinghamshire GC, so the shortening to Notts is long standing.

Now having said all that, as some of you may recall form a recent post of mine, while the club is still technically Notts Golf Club, we have decided to very much concentrate our identity around the course name of Hollinwell going forwards!
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68410.0.html

Cheers,

James

[Duncan Cheslett]

Notts Golf Club is another one that immediately springs to the mind of a son of Mansfield.  Never to be confused with The Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club, which very definitely doesn’t falls into the “long established” category and has got a cheek with its naming.


I’m almost certain that Notts was the first club in Nottinghamshire but couldn’t say why it wasn’t called The Nottingham Golf Club. Perhaps the same reason why one of the oldest football clubs in the World is called Notts County.

Notts is the accepted shortened version of Nottinghamshire, again as James says, like Notts County Football Club, so the club is certainly a named county club. Also, as the club was founded in 1887, we are the oldest golf club in the county.

The original site for the course was within the city of Nottingham and the clubs name was originally Nottingham Golf Club. However despite any fans of Nottingham Forest getting upset at their football clubs name being shortened to Notts Forest (no doubt due to the local rivalry with Notts County), there are still many people locally who shorten the city name to Notts as well and it was first seen for the club being shortened to Notts as early as 1893. Around the same time there is also occasional mention in club records including a medal played for, that says Nottinghamshire GC, so the shortening to Notts is long standing.

Now having said all that, as some of you may recall form a recent post of mine, while the club is still technically Notts Golf Club, we have decided to very much concentrate our identity around the course name of Hollinwell going forwards!
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68410.0.html

Cheers,

James

It’s a bit cheeky then, that a club calling itself “The Nottinghamshire” has sprung up!


https://www.thenottinghamshire.com/

[James Boon]

Yes, its easier to not discuss that Cotgrave GC decided to rebrand as the Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club. Its not the only reason for us moving more towards Hollinwell, but it was a factor, as despite The fact that no golfer would ever confuse the two courses, some people are still easily confused...   


Cheers,


James

[Duncan Cheslett]

Could you not have taken legal action to protect your rights to the name?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Hard to believe that Royal North Devon hasn't been mentioned.

[Duncan Cheslett]

Hard to believe that Royal North Devon hasn't been mentioned.

Or Royal West Norfolk!

[Duncan Cheslett]

I once got into a very confused conversation around county names of golf clubs after a MacKenzie vs Colt match at Camberley Heath. My playing partner for the Mac lads was Lee Patterson.


I asked one of our opponents where he played. “Northants” he replied.


“Oh, do you know Lorne Smith?” I asked. Lorne is a member at Northamptonshire County. I knew it to be a Colt course so it made perfect sense.

I got a very blank look.

It turned out the guy played at North Hants, in Hampshire.


We don’t make things easy for ourselves in England! 🤣

[James Reader]

Hard to believe that Royal North Devon hasn't been mentioned.

Or Royal West Norfolk!

If we’re including compass points, then West Cornwall, West Lancashire, East Sussex, West Kent.  If we’re not, then The Leicestershire may be another one that meets the ‘first in the county’ criteria.

[James Reader]

And of course West Sussex, which meets the ‘name of a county’ criteria but isn’t the oldest in West Sussex by any means.

[Niall C]

Hard to believe that Royal North Devon hasn't been mentioned.

Why would it, it's only the north of Devon, not the whole of it.


Niall

[Thomas Dai]

When pondering the courses I mentioned in the OP I did consider mentioning some of the East, West, North, South Clubs but they of course aren’t the full County, only a section and thus n/a.
Atb

[Sean_A]

Notts Golf Club is another one that immediately springs to the mind of a son of Mansfield.  Never to be confused with The Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club, which very definitely doesn’t falls into the “long established” category and has got a cheek with its naming.


I’m almost certain that Notts was the first club in Nottinghamshire but couldn’t say why it wasn’t called The Nottingham Golf Club. Perhaps the same reason why one of the oldest football clubs in the World is called Notts County.

Notts is the accepted shortened version of Nottinghamshire, again as James says, like Notts County Football Club, so the club is certainly a named county club. Also, as the club was founded in 1887, we are the oldest golf club in the county.

The original site for the course was within the city of Nottingham and the clubs name was originally Nottingham Golf Club. However despite any fans of Nottingham Forest getting upset at their football clubs name being shortened to Notts Forest (no doubt due to the local rivalry with Notts County), there are still many people locally who shorten the city name to Notts as well and it was first seen for the club being shortened to Notts as early as 1893. Around the same time there is also occasional mention in club records including a medal played for, that says Nottinghamshire GC, so the shortening to Notts is long standing.

Now having said all that, as some of you may recall form a recent post of mine, while the club is still technically Notts Golf Club, we have decided to very much concentrate our identity around the course name of Hollinwell going forwards!
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68410.0.html

Cheers,

James

OK, but I am gonna stick with Notts because it sounds better. 😎

Herefordshire GC
Warwickshire G&CC

Ciao

[Jonathan Cummings]

A spin-off.  Have there been clubs that once had a "royal" title only for it to be taken away.  If so why?

[Sean_A]

A spin-off.  Have there been clubs that once had a "royal" title only for it to be taken away.  If so why?

I think The Berkshire was stripped of its royal prefix, but I am not sure.

Ciao

[Michael Felton]

Royal Mid Surrey springs to mind. And I played a course near Sheffield called the Hallamshire I think.

[Sam Andrews]

A spin-off.  Have there been clubs that once had a "royal" title only for it to be taken away.  If so why?

I think The Berkshire was stripped of its royal prefix, but I am not sure.

Ciao

Lorne Smith retells the story that the then Prince of Wales stripped the club of its Royal title after his playing partner -- one James Braid -- was refused entry to the clubhouse for lunch because he was a professional. Nowadays they would probably allow the pro in and refuse the golfing prince!

[James Boon]

Royal Mid Surrey springs to mind. And I played a course near Sheffield called the Hallamshire I think.

Yes, but Hallamshire isnt a county even though the name suggests it is. Hallam or Hallamshire is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire that now forms part of Sheffield. But as Sean would say, Hallamshire does sound good doesnt it whether its a county or not! 


Cheers,


James

[Sean_A]

Royal Mid Surrey springs to mind. And I played a course near Sheffield called the Hallamshire I think.

Yes, but Hallamshire isnt a county even though the name suggests it is. Hallam or Hallamshire is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire that now forms part of Sheffield. But as Sean would say, Hallamshire does sound good doesnt it whether its a county or not! 


Cheers,


James

You really prefer Holinwell to Notts?

Ciao