CHAPTER 1 The Early Years (1893-1920) I


T is difficult to envisage the problems encountered by the pioneers who founded the Long Ashton Golf Club on the high ridge above the village in 1893. Te land


was part of the Ashton Court Estate which at that time was the centre of all local activities. Like most of the farms in the area, the land was rented from the Ashton Estate by a Mr Richmond Harding who grazed horses, cattle and sheep on the land, particularly in the summer months. Golf in this part of the country was just becoming popular and one or two


Clubs were already in existence, Bristol and Cliſton and Henbury had started as nine hole courses in 1891. Tere was a course called Cliſton Down Golf Club in Bristol and there were new Clubs at Weston and Portishead. Our first Minute Book records that seven people met at Mr W.J. (John)


Kempe’s house at St Martins in Long Ashton on the 20th November 1893 and agreed to found Long Ashton Golf Club. John Kempe was the headmaster at the local private school and he played a leading role in developing the Club. He was Captain from 1894 to 97 and Treasurer for many years, he also supervised much of the early development of the nine hole course. Perhaps an even more important figure was Mr Tom Dyke, who chaired the


first meeting. Mr Dyke was the agent for the Ashton Court Estate-a most influential position in those days. No doubt he persuaded Sir Greville Smyth, the owner of Ashton Court, to be the Club’s first President in 1893 (Plate 2). He probably also pressurised Mr Harding, the tenant farmer, to allow the Ashton Hill to be used as a golf course during the winter months without payment. (We now know this area as the Ridge-containing holes three to seven). Among the other names on the original list were Mr W.L. Bernard, Mr J.


Nichols, Mr W. Perry, Mr C.H. Tippet and Dr Fuller who was the local doctor and he became the Club’s first Honorary Secretary. Each of the above men took turns at being Chairman, Secretary or Links Supervisor and without their persistance, Long Ashton Golf Club could not have survived. During the first two years, membership was restricted to the residents of


the parishes of Long Ashton, Barrow Gurney, Flax Bourton and Wraxall. Later, in 1895, members were admitted without any parish restrictions, probably because they could not find enough potential golfers locally. So by 1898, about half the 70 members listed in the Minute Book came from Cliſton and other adjacent parts of Bristol.


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