European and other NLEs

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Just to update you.

I promised to set up a list of NLE courses when we discussed the topic on here in the autumn. I have taken on board all the comments, corrections and additions you made regarding GB and added a little from my own researches. Unfortunately the document is now too large to post on GCA, so I have e-mailed it to Ran and I hope we can find a way of posting it so that you may be able to make your customary contributions. As yet it is only England, Scotland and Wales, but I hope we can gradually pull together a list to cover the whole of Europe....

Looking forward to hearing from you when there is something to which to contribute.

[Steve Okula]

What does NLE stand for?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Sorry, this shouldn't have been posted in this form. There is a huge catalogue of courses and a commentary but the document was too big to post. I've e-mailed it to Ran and I hope that his wizardry can solve the problem.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Mark,

Gibson's "Early Irish Golf" has a lot of good info on many NLE courses. I'll try to go through them and produce a list. Unfortunately, he only covered up to 1922-23, so there are many courses that were started in the late 1920s and 30s that vanished in the 50s and 60s, that would require some research.

I've been looking into the courses of Donegal, so I can give a list of NLE courses in this county.

Ardara (Sandhills, connected to Nesbitt Arms Hotel)
Ballyshannon
Carrick
Carrigart
Castlegoland (connected to Portnoo Hotel)
Falcarragh (Ballyness)
Ramelton Road (Letterkenny)
Crievesmith/Oldtown (Letterkenny)
Milford
Ramelton
Rosbeg-Loughside (connected to Dowros Bay Hotel)
Rossnowlagh
Rosses (Arland, Burtonport)
St. Columb’s (Churchill)
St. Patrick’s (Magheramagorgan, Carrigart)
Tantallon (Mountcharles, Donegal Town)

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Donal,

That's amazing - so many golf courses in a county with so few inhabitants and, presumably, a good deal of poverty in those days. It's hardly surprising so many have failed, but I'm surprised so many were started.

Thank you,

Mark.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Mark,

Yes, it's been a total surprise to me to find out that golf has been played at 33 (compared to 18 today) different sites in Donegal. Most of those in the west - the poorest part - of the county did not survive. I suspect that all these courses were very basic layouts.

Tantallon (Mountcharles) was the Donegal GC and this club moved to Murvagh in 1972.

I believe Ramelton Road (Letterkenny GC) moved to Crievesmith/Oldtown in 1913 and then from there to Barnhill in 1968.

St. Patrick’s (Magheramagorgan, Carrigart) is defunct for now, but I'm sure at some stage, somebody with some cash will come along and develope a course here.

In 1930, Nairn & Portnoo was laid out over some of the land that hosted the Castlegoland course.

[Niall C]

Donal,

I think you are spot on. A lot of these courses must have been very basic. I suspect a lot of them comprised no more than 9 holes in a field with little by way of features.

I've being doing a similar list for up here in Elgin, and while no where near as complete as yours, I have found the following;

Elgin - original 6 hole course before moving elsewhere in town
Forres - original course on side of Findhorn Bay
Burghead
Portsoy
Keith - club relocated to another part of town
Tomintoul - highest course in UK when laid out
Fochabers
Banff - links course which eventually closed when Banff GC amalgamated with Duff Houuse Royal
Tarlair - original course was abandoned and then the existing course built on top many years later

Niall

I would imagine that