FGC History

Filton Golf Club's History in a nutshell

 

On 2 November 1909 a meeting at the Anchor Hotel in Filton decided on the formation of a golf club.

14 May 1910 the club opened for play.

28 May 1910 the club was officially opened with a Drive-in by the club's first President and landlord, John Atkin Waller.

In November 1910 meetings of the Golf Club's management committee were renamed Council meetings.

In 1914 the club was awarded the honour of hosting the County Championship, won by J H Beavis, of Minchinhampton.

In December 1921 it was agreed to purchase a "Roll of Honour" to commemorate those Club members who perished in the 1st World War. This memorial is mounted in the main entrance hallway to the Club.

In 1924 the Professional was permitted to employ caddies for the use of members. 1st class caddies cost 1 shilling and sixpence. (7.5p)

In 1929, the retiring Club Captain H C Hull proposed that the Captain should be allowed the privilege of being given precedence on the starting tee, the motion was seconded by the incoming Captain, Mr Trory and has been continued to this day.

The Scratch Cup was presented to the club by a Mr Adams in 1929 when it was decided that it should be a trophy played for the Championship of the Club and it has been awarded to the Club Champion ever since.

In 1930 a competition was held to give names to the holes on the course. Only three of those original names survive; "Barn", "Pen Park" and "Pond"

In 1944 the Bristol Aeroplane Company became the club's new landlord.

1948 saw the formation of the Bristol Aerospace Golfing Society, BAGS, whose members play regularly at Filton at preferential rates. The Society dates back to the days when the Bristol Aeroplane Company was the club's landlord.

In 1951 the practice of allowing animals to graze the course was ended.

In 1952, the Stragglers were formed, originally for club members having a handicap of 16 or more.

William Howland started the Seniors Section in 1964, now the largest and most active section within the club. Also in this year, the practise of presenting the retiring Captain with an inscribed tankard was agreed.

In 1965 the method of selecting the Club Captain was changed from election at the AGM, to selection by a panel made up principally of Past Captains, originally the new Captain was introduced to members by being dragged out at a Stag party, a practice that has lapsed.

In 1966, ownership of the course passed to Rolls-Royce.

In 1970 the practice of hanging the pictures of both the Club Captain and the ladies Captain on the Clubhouse wall was initiated.

In 1971 Rolls-Royce went into Receivership.

In 1975 another hole naming exercise was carried out using members' suggestions.

The Golf Club purchased the course from the Rolls-Royce Receiver in 1979.

In 1989 the Club Captain, Peter Briggs, decided that he would have a blazer made for himself and put it forward as a design for a Club blazer. Evolving from this idea, part of the tradition of installing a new Club Captain has been the presentation to the new Captain of his Club Captain's blazer.

In 1992 construction work started on the lakes.

In 2001 the present clubhouse, changing room and office upgrades were started, the ladies changing room was the final area to be completed in 2007.

2009: Filton Golf Club celebrates 100 years of existence and also hosts the County Championship.

 

Images

The image below show the Anchor Hotel in Filton as it was when the first meeting to set up the club was held there in 1909.

 

The old Pro Shop in 1986, just before it was pulled down to build the one we have now.

 

This image shows the bottom end of the course, to one side of the Barn green, players teeing off to play the pre 1983 Pen Park hole from the wall side of the green. Note the lack of trees and mounding that were put in just afterwards, when we sold the land for building.

 

This image is from 1937 and shows some of the local Filton personalities through the eyes of a press cartoonist. Bill Heyward was the long time Club Secretary, 1911 until 1942,