Scarborough Town Golf Club 1903-1920

Work commenced on the Pavilion and Links in the early part of 1903.
The Pavilion stood close to the location of the present clubhouse.

The first hole was played in the opposite direction to that of the current 18th and veering to the right (the houses overlooking the 18th were not built at this time), holes 2, 3 and 4 continued in the same direction, climbing the embankment which is to the Oliver's Mount side of the present 17th hole and on in the direction of Eastfield.

Holes 5, 6 and 7 criss-crossed the beck in the valley beyond where the present 16th hole is situated.
Holes 8, 9, 10 and 11 were played on the far side of the beck.
Hole 12 came back over the beck playing towards Oliver's Mount. Holes 13 to 17 were played towards the current practice area, which in part is included in the present course forming holes 15 and 16.
A turn to the left and the 18th hole was played back towards the pavilion.
The present putting green is approximately where the 18th green was.

The green was surrounded by wires on posts to keep out animals, with stiles to gain access.
The overall length of the course at 4537 yards was short by modern standards but it compared with other courses of that time.
Today's golfer wouldn't find the course a great challenge because of the advancements in club and ball design.
But we would find it more difficult trying to put the ball in the hole.
In those days the the courses were not as well manicured as we take for granted now.

The terrain beyond the present 16th green where a substantial part of the 1903 course was located must have been somewhat similar to what it is now.
Minutes reveal that when they started to play the course, removal and control of whin bushes was an ongoing task.

Most modern golfers dislike artificial tees (mats) during winter when the regular tees are being rested. In the early days, 'Appleton' artificial tees were used in winter and for special matches in the summer.

The course was played for a few weeks prior to the official opening, until the pavilion was completed.
Then on the 5th August 1903 the pavilion and links were formally opened by Lady Londesborough.

The opening was celebrated with an exhibition match between:-

• T Williamson (Nottingham)
• F. Beck (Filey)J Taylor (Redcar)
• W Gaudin (The Club Professional)

Report from the Evening News 5th August 1903

"The Pavilion is a wooden structure intended to be only temporary.
It contains a central hall; there is a ladies' dressing room and a gentlemen's changing room, each with locker facilities.
A kitchen is situated at the rear from which it is intended to provide cold lunches and afternoon teas.
A veranda faces south and west.
At some future date, if the club flourishes, it is intended to erect a pavilion of a more permanent character in brick and stone."

The pavilion was situated close to where the present clubhouse stands, but it was 27 years before a new pavilion was built, which is the current building.

The course was referred to as a links, which was the way many courses were described in those days, it was not a links in the true sense.
St. Andrews, Cleveland Golf Club and others like it are true links; they occupy sandy ground which links the land with the sea.

It took 8 months from the start of the course development until the first game was played, which was about the normal time to develop a course at that time.
Today it is doubtful that one hole could be developed in this time.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Londesborough was elected to be the first President of the Club.
The club's affairs were managed by a committee consisting of three Directors of the Limited Company, The Captain, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and eight Club members.
Matters of detail concerning only the Ladies Section were arranged by a Ladies' Committee consisting of the Lady Captain, Hon. Secretary and five Lady members.

The entrance fee for Gentlemen was fixed at one guinea (£1.05p) and the subscriptions one guinea also; the Ladies' fees were half these amounts.
Also, no play was permitted on a Sunday.

They either didn't get as many members as the thought or they didn't have the services of an accountant, because within a very short time they realised the subscriptions had been set too low and were insufficient for the needs of the club.
A special General Meeting was help in April 1904 where they decided to double the subscriptions and to allow play on Sundays.

The Tennis Club

Although a considerable sum was expended on the Tennis Club, it was never really a success and was wound up with the lease of the land surrendered.
The Company kept its original title but concentrated solely on Golf.

As mentioned earlier the first Professional to the Club was W. C. Gaudin, a member of a well known Jersey golfing family.
In 1905 he left to go to Portrush and Arthur Day was appointed in his place.

In addition to the Professional the Company employed a Housekeeper, a Stewardess and 5 Greenkeepers to which the annual wage bill was approximately £500.
By the end of the decade the total membership had reached 320 and about 3,000 visitor tickets were issued each year.

During the early years a number of distinguished golfers played the course.
Harry Vardon, James Braid and J. H. Taylor as well as the Open Champion of 1907, Arnaud Massey of the La Boulie Club.
During the 21 years preceding the First World, Vardon, Braid and Taylor dominated the Open Championship, taking the title 16 times between them that they became known as "The Great Triumvirate."

On the 6th August 1908 the course was visited by the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Princess Patricia, who were staying with Lord and Lady Londesborough in connection with the opening of the Marine Drive.
Another visit by royalty to the course took place on the 9th September 1910, when Prince Henry of Prussia, the Kaiser's brother, played a round with Prince Munster Van Dernberg.

On the 25th August 1908, an exhibition match took place between James Braid, who had recently won the Open at Prestwick, Edward Ray and Harry Vardon who were 3rd and 5th at Preswick respectively and our Club Pro, Arthur Daly.
The match was played over 36 holes with the scores of each being; Braid 71-70, Ray 65-73, Vardon 71-76 and Day 71-78.

Scarborough Town Golf Club 1903-1920

Finances

Early records show that after the initial correction to the subscriptions the club was very careful with financial matters.
The Directors bought fertilisers and dressing for the greens from money in their own pockets, and savings were made by reducing staff, cutting wages and maintaining equipment.
A few extravagant decisions were made, the wages of two men were increased from 4d to 4.5d per hour (240d =£1) and they also had a 2 for 1 deal where a member offered to buy a new mowing machine if the Club would buy another, so they did.

As things improved, a wing was added to one end of the pavilion to accommodate separate gentlemen's rooms.
Would you believe it we were going green in those days, a cycle house was built at the opposite end in 1910, and in 1911 the front of the building was brought forward and the main general room divided into dining and smoking rooms.

The amateur course record at this time was held by F. (Jimmy) Wilson, with a score of 67.
Playing in the Tradesmen's Cup in the Open Meeting of 1909, he beat his previous record of 69 twice in one day.
He was later to be awarded the magnificent Londesborough Bowl outright in recognition of his three wins in that competition.
Jimmy is reputed to have scored 12 holes in one.
On 3rd October 1921 his handicap was set at +2.

For many years the Ladies Section played a competition annually for golf balls provided by ]immy.
He left the Londesborough Bowl to the Ladies Section in his will, which was renamed the Wilson Bowl in his honour, and is played for annually.

]immy served as a Club Committee Member during the 1920's and was made an Hon. Life Member in 1967 when he reached the age of 82.

Records for the years 1909 to 1920 have not been available

The earliest minutes to have survived are dated from the 6th June 1906, and are shown below

• Committee meeting 6th June 1906. Present T Hutton in the chair. Dr Edmondson, T T Pearce, Hope, Rudgard and Orr.
  
  
  • It was decided to repair posts at the 13th green.
    Fill up corner of 3rd green.
    Fill up ruts at the 3rd and 16th holes.
    Cut and prop trees at the 14th.
    Cut nettles at the 6th and repair all stiles.
  • Miss Cockerill was granted leave of absence from Saturday to Monday on the understanding that she found a Stewardess to take her place.
• June 1906 - It was decided to dam the beck at the 12th hole so as to make a water bunker surrounding the green.
  Remove whin bushes at the 18th hole.
  Cut rough at the right of the 1st hole. Use Appleton tees (their version of mats)
• July 1906 - Order Day (Professional/Greenkeeper) to reserve Appleton tees for Open Meeting.
  Use new machine on 1st, 16th, 17th and 18th greens only.
  Move wire netting closer to footpath at 3rd hole. Order Day to put wind direction flags at 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th and 17th.
• September 1906 - Maximum handicap for men 24.
• October 1906 - Caddies Competition to be played on 25th October.
  Money given by Lord Londesborough and Mr C S Horton for improvement of greens to be used to buy charcoal.
• June 1907 - Order Day to go round course early each morning and see to moving of tees according to wind direction.
  Mowing machines to be cleaned at night and covered with tarpaulin (there was no equipment store).
  Borrow a horse for the summer for its keep.
• May 1909 - Enquires to be made about a cycle shed.
• September 1909 - Secretary to write to Mrs Constant re Ladies playing in high heels.
  Noticeboard to be erected directing horse riders on which route to follow.

Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd. (1920-1939)

By the end of the First World War the club's membership and finances had been seriously reduced, and it was intimated that the land in Deepdale occupied by the 1903 course would shortly be needed for other purposes and the Club would have to vacate.

At a meeting held at the Price of Wales Hotel in Scarborough on 11th May 1920 under the Chairmanship of a Colonel Land, the following resolution was carried "That The Scarborough Town Golf Club including all its assets be transferred as a going concern to the purchasers of the Scarborough Town Golf and Lawn Tennis Company Ltd.
On the understanding that the said purchasers take over and indemnify the present Committee members of the Club against all liabilities of the Club as at 30th April 1920".

A new company, The Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd, was duly incorporated.
The registered office of the Company was at la Carlton Terrace, Scarborough.

There was little local support for the formation of the new Limited Company.
Instead considerable financial backing came from a group of Sheffield sportsmen whose prime interest was in golf rather than generating dividends.
A majority of the Directors' Meetings and the Annual General Meetings were held at either the Victoria Hotel or the Millsands Works at Sheffield.
Golf club committee meetings were held locally (in Scarborough).

After obtaining a lease from Scarborough Council of new land at Wheatcroft Cliff in 1920, the Directors formed a syndicate to provide capital for building a new course 3,500 £1 shares were issued at 10% interest.
Directors were not the only people injecting money into the Company; others were invited to take up shares and £1,000, £500 and £250 were typical amounts.
A company headed by Dr. MacKenzie of Leeds were appointed as architects, and Messrs Franks and Harris Bros. as contractors.
Further shares were issued over the ensuing years, some of which Dr. MacKenzie took.
He became a Director in January 1921 and eventually became a member of the Club Committee.

In 1907 Dr. MacKenzie was a founding member and Secretary of Alwoodley Golf Club in Leeds and was involved in designing the course; he was also involved in the construction of Moortown golf course.
After World War One he gave up his profession as a medical Doctor to become a full-time golf course architect.
By the time he became involved at South Cliff he was 51 years of age and well established as a golf course architect in this Country.
In 1926 he designed Royal Melbourne in Australia.
He followed that with Cypress Point.
Bobby ]ones was impressed with that course and once he had found the ideal piece of land he chose Dr. MacKenzie to join him to design and oversee the construction of one of the most famous golf courses in the world at Augusta.

Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd. (1920-1939)

The New Course

The land obtained at Wheatcroft Cliff was separated from the original course by Filey Road, and ultimately nine holes were developed at each side of it.

While there is no reference to any course construction taking place prior to October 1920, on 29th and 30th of that month a new temporary nine hole course was opened.
This was done with some pomp and leading dignitaries were invited with officials of Scarborough North Cliff Golf Club.
Souvenir books were provided and a marquee was erected. Mr C. E. Sidall (Director of the Limited Company) gave souvenir knives.
Where the temporary nine holes were located is not recorded, but as the Pavilion was already close to where the present Clubhouse stands, it seems reasonable to assume that those holes were on the west side of Filey Road on land which now forms part of the present course.
It would make sense to complete holes there and get them into play while the holes to the seaward side of the road were being developed.
An indication that this pattern was followed is that some holes belonging to the 1903 course were "borrowed" for that special opening.

While the records still gave no other indication that a golf course was being constructed, there were events which indicate that changes were about to be made.
Up to 1920 most of the equipment was manually operated, with a horse being hired for the heavy work during summer months, sometimes for its keep, and sometimes for cash payment.
Seven pounds ten shillings (£7.50) was paid one time.
During the early years the greens staff were never more than five, sometimes less.
In March 1921 a horse was bought and the greens staff was increased to ten including a new Head Green keeper, and one motor mower was obtained.

On Friday 20th May 1921 a feature appeared in the Scarborough Mercury, an edited part of which is reproduced below.

Scarborough's New Golf Course

The new eighteen hole course of the South Cliff Golf Club was officially opened on Monday in the presence of a large attendance.
The result is that Scarborough now possesses a course which for beauty of situation and golfing interest is second to none in the North of England.
It is laid out on the land at the cliff top in the vicinity of the bold headland known as "White Nab."

The cliff top has been rendered attractive by picturesque, undulating putting greens and bunkers cunningly contrived to look as if formed by nature herself.
Clumps of bright flowering gorse have been planted in the bare fields, and ugly views, such as the back gardens of the little hamlet of Wheatcroft have been screened by plantations of poplars and other trees.

To celebrate the completion of the work, at the end of May 1921 a dinner was held for the men who had been in the Company's employ throughout.
When the 1903 course was abandoned is not recorded.

While the exact layout of the 1921 course is not known, the records show that soon after completion many changes had to be made, particularly on the seaward side.
Drainage was a major problem and has remained so ever since.
At the time of building, according to Ordnance Survey maps, the cliff at White Nab went further out to sea than it does now and some holes were built there.
The Club was reporting to Scarborough Council throughout the 1920s that the cliff was eroding, and those holes were subsequently lost.

Some of the changes were on the recommendation of Dr. MacKenzie and were overseen by his Company without charge; others were planned by Fred Rhodes (Professional/ Greenkeeper), and carried out by his staff much to the satisfaction of The Directors and The Club Committee.
Fred was made an Honorary Member in 1929 but a few years later he fell out of favour.

Several changes to the numbering of holes were tried and some completely new holes were developed, then abandoned (the Directors were not pleased by the waste of money).
Because of the scant information they left it has been impossible to say what happened or where, but it is obvious that a great deal was done.

The plan on page 16 copied from a Club handbook dated 1935 shows the layout of the course as it stood at that time.
When it is compared with a description from The Scarborough Mercury of 20th May 1921 it is apparent that changes had been made since Dr. MacKenzie's original layout.
The Mercury describes two holes as being on cliff promontories.
Those holes are not shown on the plan.
That layout remained until changes were made in 1981/3 which were done to comply with the lease agreement.
As is recorded elsewhere the Club was obliged to stop playing the 9th hole because of cliff erosion and the subsequent danger to Rumours have circulated within the Club for many years that there was once a clubhouse on the cliff, its location suggested to be close to where the 5th tee is now.
The report in The Scarborough Mercury, 20th May 1921, refers to a proposed clubhouse and tea bungalow to be built on Wheatcroft Cliff at a later date.
Serious consideration was given in the early 1920s to building a clubhouse with veranda on the cliff and a disused Y.M.C.A. hut from Ripon was looked at for the purpose, but the idea was dropped when difficulties and costs were realised.

By 1925 the pavilion had become dilapidated and protracted discussions were taking place with the Landlords (Scarborough Corporation) regarding provision of a new clubhouse and feelings ran high at times.
Things were eventually resolved and the present clubhouse was opened in February 1930.
Sydney James (Town Clerk) and Harry Smith (Borough Engineer) were made Honorary Members in recognition of their assistance in the project.
On October 4th 1930 the A.G.M. was held in the new clubhouse.
Members were asked to donate the furnishings, the donors to retain ownership. At a later date The Corporation spent £170 on furniture and charged The Club 5% rent which was the same percentage as was paid for the clubhouse and the professional's shop when it was built seven years later in 1937.

The Scarborough Mercury report the opening of the new course in 1921 said that on the seaward side gorse, poplars and other trees had been planted to improve the landscape.
Like many tree planting schemes since that time their efforts were mostly in vain.
Over the year there have been many tree planting schemes.
The ease with which it has been possible to establish trees on the clubhouse side of the course is apparent by the number which are growing there.
It has been a different story on the seaward side; there have been at least as many tree planting projects as at the clubhouse side but the rate of success has been much less rewarding.
At the beginning of the 1960's there were virtually no trees on that part of the course.
In consultation with the Scarborough Council Estates Manager and the Forestry Commission a plan was drawn up to create several plantations.
Although it was anticipated that it would be difficult to get good results they had a go.
The plantations were protected by dead fencing which remained in place for a number of years; initially many trees seemed to become established, but when the fencing was removed they succumbed to the hostile winter conditions.

Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd. (1920-1939)

The Course for Holiday Golfers

During the lifetime of Scarborough Town Golf Club '1903 to 1920' though the finances were frugally managed there is no indication of any serious money problems.
Following the formation of the new Company in May 1920 and the construction of the course at Wheatcroft there was a very different financial situation.
Transferring the assets of the old Company had brought nothing in the form of capital.
The land on which the old course was built did not belong to the original Company, and apart from the pavilion, the machines were all there was.
In view of the re-equipping that took place for maintaining the new course, it seems that few of those were of much use.

In 1921, despite an increase in membership to 348 and visitor tickets of 3,750, there was an urgent need to raise money.
There were debts of over £4,500, a vast amount in those days.
An issue of £5,000 worth of debentures at 6% was made.
An appeal was made to members and the leading business houses of Scarborough to take them up, the holder of ten debentures being entitled to nominate one free Gentleman member and the holder of five debentures to nominate one free Lady member.

In 1922 the Club was severely criticised and was deemed a failure by the local press, both financially and by the state of the course.
The Directors refuted this and issued the following statement;

"The first Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders of the new South Cliff Golf Club took place on 22nd January, the Chairman, Mr C. E. Siddal, J.P. of Sheffield, presiding.
The Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts were presented and adopted.
Considering the Club is quite new these were considered very satisfactory.
The Chairman pointed out that he had noted with regret very adverse criticism by the local newspapers condemning the course as a failure.
Although the Editor pointed out that the first object of the Golf Course was to be attractive to visitors, his very criticisms were conducive to having the opposite effect.
The chief financial support had come from Sheffield Sportsmen, not with the idea of dividend, but in the interest of golf.
It is very discouraging to them to see that the very place that their action would benefit is disposed to criticism, rather than to encourage their efforts to provide a first-rate golf course for the benefit of true sportsmen and those who have not read those scathing and unwarranted critics.
The Chairman would like to say that in the coming summer the course for holiday golfers will be fit to rank with any on the coast.!"

That statement by the Chairman would seem to suggest that the intention in developing a golf course in Scarborough was somewhat philanthropic in nature, and that the prime concern was to create a benefit for the town.
It seems unlikely that high-powered business men who controlled industry at Sheffield (the Directors held their meetings at The Millsands Works there) would provide capital for a golf course in a "foreign" town which was not a speculative business venture.
Scarborough was at that time a leading spa and holiday resort to which the wealthy were attracted.
Providing for their leisure would present an attractive proposition.

It would be obvious that a great deal of money was required to develop a major new golf course, yet they took it on.
Those Sheffield people who provided the original capital for the new course went on for many years supporting the Club financially.
It was done in various ways.
They took shares, debentures and scrip's, they made personal loans and sometimes gave in the form of equipment and materials.
They also stood guarantor to cover bank overdrafts.
There is little to indicate that the moneys were ever repaid.
Col. Land who was Club Captain in 1920 had a huge influence on the Club and injected a lot of money.
When he died in 1922 his loss was described by the Chairman of Directors as immeasurable.
In September 1933 the Secretary brought to the attention of the Directors the fact that the expiry date for some debentures had passed and that a court order needing a 75% majority vote of holders would have to be sought to renew them.
The debentures were renewed, overriding the wishes of some, including the executors of Col. Land's estate.
In 1939, when the Company was being wound up and almost 18 years after his death, Col. Land's executors were still pressing for the money he had put in to be repaid.

The Captain and Club Committee were not elected by the Membership but were appointed by the Directors, and acted as a management group who had responsibility for overseeing the staff and the general well-being of the Club, yet had virtually no involvement in the financial aspects.
In 1922 the Directors set a spending limit for the Club Committee; they were allowed an aggregate of £10 between meetings of the Board, which were held two-monthly, the approval of the Directors' Secretary had to be sought before each transaction.
In October 1930 the Committee took control of the Club's management; some Directors became members of the Committee, which eliminated a lot of the difficulties, but the Board of Directors still had control over all things financial; they could and sometimes did overrule the Committee.

Rumour has it that the Club was in a bankrupt state more than once.
That is not quite true, but, without the financial support of the Directors and their friends it seems doubtful that the South Cliff club would have survived those early years.
Even the Club Solicitor on occasion took his pay in debentures; the banks also held some.
For almost two decades following the formation of the Company in 1920 the meetings of both Directors and Committee were dominated by financial issues.
There was seldom a time when they were not being pressed for payment by one organisation or another.
At such times the wealth of the Directors and their friends would rescue the situation.

The many financial problems made little difference to the Club's prestigious reputation.
During 1938/39 the Limited Company was again experiencing financial difficulty and it was decided to restructure the Company and transfer the lease, assets and liabilities to a new company.

Winding UP

A meeting of the Directors of Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd. was held at the Victoria Hotel, Sheffield, on Saturday January 21st. 1939 at 11.30 am.
At that meeting it was resolved that the guarantors pay off the overdraft at the bank and take over the bank debentures, and that the present shareholders sell their shares to members of the Club, the proceeds of the sale to be handed back by the vendor shareholders to the company to be utilised in paying shillings in the pound.
The balance to go into a reserve fund for the Club to carry on for the next twelve months.
The whole of the present directors to retire.
(What took place at South Cliff was not dissimilar to what is now common practice, in that, an established golf club is taken over and becomes a business enterprise.
It might be our good fortune that the venture eventually failed).

Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd (1963-Today)

Trustees Messrs R. J. Warren (Captain), J. Sutcliffe, N. Allatt, F. W. Plaxton, 1. C. Johnson and H. Gaunt were appointed to take over the assets and liabilities of "The Deepdale Golf Company Limited" and "South Cliff Golf Club".
The Articles of Association were drawn up by the Club's Honorary Solicitor, Mr V. V. Marshall, and the Golf Club as we know it "The Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Limited" was duly registered.

The first meeting of the Directors of the new Company took place on Friday 4th January 1963.
From that date one body, The Committee, has been responsible for all aspects of Club management.

On 28th September 1966, P.J.(Paddy) Cotter broke the course record with a score of 62.
The Club presented him with a silver cigarette box engraved with a copy of his scorecard to commemorate the event.
Paddy was an Irish self-taught golfer, with a flailing style of swing which gave the ball a long, low, penetrating flight.
He had a deceptive way of misleading his opponents by playing a longer iron club than appeared to be required.
This, coupled with a magical short game, altogether made him a golfer not to be taken lightly.
Paddy had a short fuse and needed to be treated with a certain amount of trepidation, but he was a player you wished to have on your side.
He was Club Champion several times.

During this period a Rabbits Section was formed, its objects being to instruct beginners in the etiquette of the game and to encourage new members to play in Club competitions.

Lifeboat Day was established as an annual event and Golf Week continued to attract more visitors each year.

An exhibition match between Dai Rees, Dave Thomas, John Jacobs and Guy Hunt attracted a large number spectators and raised a considerable sum for charity.

Exhibition and charity matches have in the past been a regular feature at South Cliff, as at many other Golf Clubs.
There were Professional golfe who did the rounds appearing in those matches.
The Club did not always make a profit from them.
In April 1925 the Club Committee decided to hold an exhibition match on 13th July, in support of Lord Haigh's Ex-Service Men's Fund.

Arrangements were made to employ six leading Professionals.
A marquee was to be provided and 2,000 1/6 tickets to be obtained.
However, at the 17th June meeting the 2,OOO-ticket idea was annulled, a Sub Committee was formed to organise the match and insurance cover to the value of £150 was arranged at a premium of £14.1.0, and some members were to act as guarantors.
The match is not commented on, but at the next Committee meeting it was decided that, regrettably, the guarantors would have to be called on to pay the full amount of £90.7.0 to cover the deficiency.

Members now would be surprised to be asked to contribute to the upkeep of the Clubhouse and its equipment.
Pre 1930 the Pavilion (Clubhouse) was owned by the Company and any work thereon was paid for by the Company Board.
The Club Committee only dealt with the golfers' needs, but the Board did not always come up with the money to provide for Clubhouse decorations and the replacement of equipment and furnishings.

It was not until after the present administration - Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd. - was formed in 1963 that the finances began to be managed with a view to the future development of the Club.
Before that time money was found when the need arose by members chipping in, and a Social Committee maintained a fund to help.
When a new bar was installed in the lounge in the 1950s it was paid for from the social fund.
It took a few years after the 1962 changes before the Committee got the finances into some kind of stable order.
In 1966 when the Committee appealed for contributions to replace wicker chairs and settees in the lounge, which were the originals from 1930, £276 was donated and some of the old furniture was bought by Members.
From the very beginning members have made gifts to the Club; one gave tyres for a cart, as is recorded elsewhere, one gave a mowing machine.
Tools were also contributed.
Sometimes the Board of Directors loaned money to the Club Committee for improvements.
Proceeds from the gaming machines sometimes went into the social fund.

It was not until the 1970s that the Ladies section stopped providing such items as carpets and curtains for their own lounge and paying for the decor in there, the Club Committee taking that responsibility over.

At one time the ladies ran a fund raising effort to help with the purchase of a tractor.
In November 1952 a television set was rented at £4 per month.
By December the television viewers were complaining that the bridge players were spoiling their pleasure.
Despite the disputes it caused the set was attracting Members to the Club, particularly on Saturday evenings, and the bar receipts showed a marked improvement.
The effect was so good that a set was purchased on H.P. at a cost of almost £100 (early television sets were not cheap, considering that a Greenkeeper would be paid less than £8 per week).
Discussions on the television and its impact on the Members and their varying interests took up a lot of Committee time and it was some months before a permanent place was found for it.
When the time came that the television needed repairs (televisions were fickle creatures) an appeal went out for subscriptions to pay for the repair, £20 being needed.
Television has not been a continuous facility.
In 1977 a colour set was installed but after that the facility was intermittent, and it was not until the 1990s that television became permanent.
Before golf was regularly shown on television, film shows on golf were frequently held and were very popular.
Roulette was also popular when played on alternate Saturday evenings.
Roulette was stopped in 1969 when the licence to operate became too expensive (£2,000).
It was later found that a licence was not required if the bank did not take a cut.

Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club Ltd (1963-Today)

New Holes

In 1970, in response to an increase in membership and extra activity within the Club, the Committee decided to extend the Clubhouse by the addition of a sun lounge and increasing the size of the dining room.
To raise funds for the extension, Club members sponsored Peter Chambers in attempting to break a record set up in 1938 by an Australian, who had played continuously for 14 rounds and 4 holes.

Starting at 6pm on Friday 19th June 1970 Peter played 14 rounds and 5 holes which took 1,168 strokes.
He made 14 birdies and lost only 3 golf balls.
To facilitate play through the hours of darkness a caddie cart was fitted with a battery and car type spotlights to illuminate the ball for each stroke.
Car headlights were lined up to illuminate the area to which Peter was aiming, and a hand held torch spotted the hole.
A camp bed and refreshments were set up in the Pro's Shop so that Peter could take an occasional rest and he and his support team could take on sustenance.
The Police and Coastguard had to be notified regarding the unusual lighting on the cliff throughout the hours of darkness.
Peter was able to continue playing for 23 hours 40 minutes because of a rigorous training schedule devised and supervised by George Shelton and the organisational skills of Geoff Rhodes.

The record was beaten the following year by an American.
However, sponsorship from the Club members raised over £500 and in appreciation Peter was given free Club membership for five years.

Architects quoted £350 to design and oversee the Clubhouse extensions.
The Committee thought that figure too high and approached a Club Member, Harry Willis, with the proposal that he do the work in return for three years' free membership which Harry accepted.
The building work was done by Plaxtons at a cost of £5,345/15/0.
Included in the price, two showers were installed in the Men's locker room.
On completion the new extensions were officially opened by the Mayor of Scarborough on 5th September 1970.

1970's saw a number of important changes and developments to both the course and the running of the Club.
A long-debated automatic watering system to all the greens was finally installed.
Discussions with Scarborough Council resulted in a renewal of the lease for a further 28 years.

On the retirement of the long serving Hon. Secretary (Eddie McCullough) and Hon. Treasurer (Ken Dockray) in 1977, the Committee were concerned that the day to day running of the Club entailed too much work to expect from a part-time Hon. Secretary and C. H (Harry) Atkinson was appointed as the Club's first Secretary/Manager.
In recognition of their many years of service to the Club Eddie McCullough and his wife Edith (Thissy), and Ken Dockray and his wife Rita were all created Honorary Life Members.

In 1979 the Club was chosen to host the prestigious News of the World Under-23 Match Play Championship, an event which attracted many sports and show-biz personalities for the pre­tournament pro-am and provided Ian Woosnam with his first professional tournament win.

Dai Rees brought his Golf School to the Club twice a year.
Showbiz personalities such as Tom O'Connor, Little & Large and the cast of the Black and White Minstrels were regular visitors.
Entertainers in Scarborough for summer shows became temporary members.
This in turn, along with the untiring efforts of the Social Chairman, the late ]oe Nixon, created a congenial atmosphere within the Club.
With the prosperity came the funding to allow the bar and lounge to be re-designed and refurbished.
The men's locker room were also changed with new fitted lockers and the dinning room and kitchen completely refurbished.

Since Dr. Mackenzie designed the course in 1920 some changes have taken place, resulting in the loss of the contoured-greens for which he is famous.
There is a cliff path which is part of the Cleveland Way and because of Cliff erosion in 1980 the path became to close to the 9th green resulting in a danger to walkers being hit by golf balls.
To compensate for the loss of that hole, Scarborough Council provided land at Deepdale and the present 16th hole was introduced by utilising the original 17th tee and sweeping the fairway to the left and bypassing the 17th green.
About 250 metres of whin bushes and scrub were cleared and the 16th green and a new 17th tee were built.
The original 17th green had extensive Mackenzie swinging borrows however, this had to go because of the new line into the green!

The project, which cost approximately £32,000, was funded by a small grant and a £10,000 interest-free loan from the Sports Council, which was guaranteed by ten volunteer members.
The remainder was provided from Club funds.
The weather was extremely wet throughout the period of the work, and machines got stuck in mud and remained stuck.
The job was sometimes suspended for several weeks on end.
Consequently the work took a long time and the new holes did not come into play until 1983.
It was a very frustrating time for the Club Committee and members.

No further major alterations were made to the course over the next twenty years until 2000 (the Club has known about the changes since 1929) when plans to carry out route changes to the A165, Filey Road came to fruision.
This meant that substantial changes had to be made to the golf course.
The land where the new eleventh and twelfth hole are was North Yorkshire County Council's they handed it over to Scarborough Council who in turn gave it to the Club.
The third hole was re-designed by moving the tee and green further away from Filey Road but retained the same line (the new 3rd green is a MacKenzie Style).
The twelfth hole was abandoned and because of cliff erosion the sixth hole was also abandoned.
The Thirteenth tee was moved over nearer to the new 12th green.
Also a bridge was built crossing Filey Road both for use of golfers and green staff with their equipment.
The contractors completed the course changes in 3 months.

The new holes increased the course length by 354 metres (387 yards) this increased the standard scratch by one to 71 and par to 72.
The holes were brought into play in the spring of 2003 in time for the Club's Centenary celebration.