History of Hout Bay Golf Club
1921 to present day
In 1921 a coterie of ardent golfers drawn from company directors, bankers and professional men conceived the idea of a Hout Bay Golf Club, which, while conforming to the accepted rules of other established clubs in the Peninsula, would allow “a more enthusiastic expression of their enjoyment of the game of golf and subsequent relaxation in a clubhouse.”
After various localities were investigated, negotiations were conducted with the City Tramways Company (a subsidiary of Peninsula Excursions Ltd.), owners of the Hout Bay Hotel and motor coach commissionaires plying between the hotel and the city centre.
It was on the 10 July 1921 that the Hout Bay Golf Club was officially founded and constituted under the presidency of F C Sandell who filled the position until his death in 1940. The Vice-President was Walter F Long who, as a director of the City Tramway Company, was largely instrumental in negotiating the lease of an area in the hotel premises as a club, and suitable land adjoining the hotel for the golf links. The first nine holes were laid out and the first organized competition took place on the 29 September 1921. The course became a popular venue with visitors and was well patronized over weekends and on the regular third Sunday club day.
The minute book reveals that in 1936, the club, although firmly established, was experiencing many problems with regards to upkeep and maintenance. At the AGM that year a member queried the magnitude of the rental of GBP450 paid to the owners, the sum being half the gross profit for the year. Club Captain, Teddy Dichmont explained, “the Peninsula Excursions Ltd is in fact a fairy godmother who, during the period involved spent GBP450 on a reservoir and GBP1000 on maintaining the course.”
The committee, in conjunction with the owners, decided to extend the course to 18 holes, and a professional Cecil Nuttley was employed to lay out the additional holes and fairways. New fairways and greens were constructed to maintain the first nine holes on the mountain side of the entrance to the hotel and the new nine holes on the beach side of the main road and across the river. Records are incomplete but the official opening of the 18-hole course took place in 1938.
In late 1937 the Hout Bay Hotel was sold to a Mr Collingridge. The land on which the course was located was retained by Peninsula Excursions Ltd and the club negotiated a new lease undertaking to pay the owners 25% of any net profit annually. The club had applied for a liquor licence which was first granted in 1922, and arranged with Mr Collingridge to continue the lease the clubhouse, changing rooms and adjoining rotunda at a rental of GBP15 per month plus GBP5 per month for the services of a barman/cleaner.
After a few months the new owners of the hotel became more and more dissatisfied with the leasing agreement. The minutes record that they were unhappy with regards to the opening of the clubhouse bar on certain specified occasions. This was largely due to the fact that revenue – and profit – from the club bar was not for the owners. The situation became more tense and in December 1937, it is recorded that Mr Collingridge be notified officially that under no circumstances is he to effect any ‘planned’ alterations or construction on the golf course without authority in writing from the club committee.
The club allowed the owners to close the access from the clubhouse to the rotunda, and Mr Collingridge increased the accommodation of the hotel by constructing timber cottages and rooms in front of the clubhouse and not adjacent to the 18th green as was his desire. Thereafter, until he disposed of the hotel in 1948, relations with the Collingridges were more harmonious.
After completing the layout of the course, Cecil Nuttley was appointed club professional and did much to promote the game amongst the younger generation. In fact, after coaching a few sons of members, they were entered into the Prentice Competition in 1939.
The establishment of a ladies section took place in the early 1930’s. No records of the early beginnings are available, except that they were held on a Monday and a Saturday and only from April to November.
By 1940, the younger members of the club had joined the armed forces, to be followed by several older members – including the club professional – who had experience in the military. The introduction of petrol rationing affected the number of visitors using the course and reduced the number of members attending the monthly competitions. The club had
to hand over land comprising the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th fairways and greens to the army. Staffing difficulties forced the closure of the bar and lounge facilities.
Members attending the monthly competitions were accommodated for lunch at the hotel and were allowed to use the changeroom facilities. The liquor laws did not allow the sale of liquor to non-hotel residents on a Sunday and this restriction led to difficulties with the owners. Fortunately, Don Stewart offered his home – situated above the 2nd green –
to those Hout Bay members attending the monthly competition in order that the customary conviviality was retained.
With the departure of Mr Collingridge in 1948, the club became involved with the new owners, Mrs Shepherd and Mrs Holmes who had acquired the land from Peninsula Excursions. Both parties were involved in lengthy discussions regarding compensation for rental and other costs. Mrs Shepherd and Holmes demanded GBP300 per annum which was reduced to GBP186.
Rumours were prevalent that the ladies were negotiating the sale of the land on which the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th holes were situated but despite strong denials, they were reluctant to give any assurance or undertaking that the club would have the course and facilities in 1949. As a result of this impasse, and because the club was unable to again lease the land requisitioned by the army in 1940, the committee began investigating a new location for the club.
The hard-core members were reluctant to see the club disband and it was then, in 1949, that the decision to become “nomadic” was adopted.
Bay’s last Meeting on Old Course
HOUT BAY – The club recently played its last “third Sunday” competition on its well-known course. The club has been given notice to quit and will no longer have its headquarters in the seaside place from which it takes its name. Tentative arrangements have been made, however, for keeping the club “in being,” and a general meeting is to be called. On final “third Sunday” about 50 members and friends were guests of Col. H. J. C. Stephan, who in the club tradition spent his 60th birthday there. He was the recipient of many congratulations, and a presentation was made at lunch time to mark the happy event. The competition for the Call Boy Cup (bogey) resulted in a tie, Don Stewart and Bob Bowie each returning a score of one down. Don and his partner also tied in the afternoon greensomes. The president, F. C. Sandell, who inaugurated these birthday celebration meetings many years ago, presided at lunch. The club arranged a “last minute” engagement before leaving its home, and entertained the Navy at its seaside course.
Hout Bay GC – Last Meeting – July 1944
The Nomadic Years (1949 – )
Following the tragic demise of then Chairman, Charles Upton, on 17th December 2008, it was decided to hold a meeting on 2nd March 2009 on the merits and possible demerits of the continuation of Hout Bay Golf Club in its present form of a Nomadic Club with no longer a clubhouse or course to call home. Forty three members voted unanimously in favour of retaining the Club with all its traditions and values and constitution, with Richard Gold then being elected Chairman, a position he held until 2023.
As alluded to, Hout Bay Golf Club, which was inaugurated on 10th July 1921 at the Rotunda Room of the Hout Bay Hotel (now known as the Hout Bay Manor) by a number of well to do management and employees of the City Tramways as well as local businessmen, lost its local golf course in 1948 to a rapidly developing suburb on the outskirts of Cape Town. Today the remnants of the course in Hout Bay are barely visible as it has been replaced by a Primary School (Kronendal) a retirement village (The Spinney) a large shopping centre (Mainstream) and an upmarket housing development on the banks of the Disa River on Princess Road.
Of course, with the sands of time a great deal has changed and the once thriving Ladies Section disbanded in 1962 and the trophies were donated to the Western Province Golf Union to be awarded to promising young Prentice golfers but the men’s section continues and in fact has blossomed into quite a formidable Club these days. It is also recorded that during the Second World War years there was very little activity and the Club was in danger of becoming defunct. But due to the doggedness of the likes of W D Hearn, Captain O’Riley and E V Dichmont the Club managed to survive and thrive again.
Various golf courses around Cape Town and environs play host at least 12 times a year, although recently with the onset of Covid we have had our outings severely curtailed over the last year or so.
Whilst on the subject of venues, it is noteworthy to mention that a tradition introduced by Dr Falconer in 1956 called “Hermanus Water” has all but died since we no longer have reciprocity with the Hermanus Golf Club and the last outing was in 2006. Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Carstens family who owned the Birkenhead Hotel afforded members and their wives free accommodation for the Hermanus weekend. In 1965 the cost of R2 per head was imposed by the new owner, Mr le Roux, who subsequently sold the property for development and in 1985 accommodation was moved to the Windsor Hotel owned by a Mrs Clark-Brown.
Membership dwindled in the 1950’s and on many occasions there would be as few as 16 players in the field. Thankfully with the enthusiasm of people like Ted Adderley, Charles Upton, Richard Gold and more recently our Club Captain, Trevor Quelch, numbers have greatly improved again. The result of which is that we may have to again limit the number of members as Clubs around the City and nearby country struggle to accommodate both Hout Bay Golf Club as well as their own members on any given day.