History

A brief history of the land at Copeland Road, Beecroft—site of Beecroft GC and later Pennant Hills District GC followed by Pennant Hills GC

Rowland Hassall, carpenter by trade and lay preacher, arrived from England via Tahiti in 1798. Governor John Hunter welcomed Hassall, along with his fellow missionaries. In 1799 the Governor granted Hassall 100 acres of land at Pennant Hills which he named “Kerby Corner”, almost certainly named after the area in which he lived in Coventry. This is the same land which the Pennant Hills golf course now occupies.

The land stayed in the hands of Rowland Hassall and his heirs until 1861 when ownership passed to James Smith and then to his son Edwin. At the time of the establishment of the Beecroft Golf Club the land was known by the locals as “Smith’s Bush”.

In 1906, ownership of the land passed from Edwin Smith to a group of five businessmen. This change of ownership ultimately led to the exclusion of the playing of golf on the land for several years.

Pennant Hills lays claim to being the fourth oldest Golf Club in Sydney still playing on the same turf

2006 will mark the Centenary of Golf at Beecroft, making it the fourth oldest Sydney golf club occupying its original site. Research has determined that among Sydney golf clubs only Royal Sydney, Killara and The Australian can lay claim to be still playing golf on the same land that they occupied prior to 1906. Some will argue that the discontinuity during WWI and following years make 2023 our Centenary but it should be noted that even The Australian Golf Club, widely recognised as Sydney’s oldest golf club, was inactive for seven years during its early development.

1923 – Golf returns to Beecroft

The idea to build a golf course at Beecroft was again the brainchild of a local doctor. This time it was Dr. Arthur Christian Holt who had moved to Beecroft in 1913 while Dr. Mark Lidwill was still practising there part-time as partner of Dr. Rygate, to whom he had sold his practice when he established his specialist practice in Macquarie Street in 1910. As was the case with Dr. Lidwill and the Beecroft Club, Dr. Holt was elected to the first Presidency of the new Club. Arthur Holt would have been well aware of the history of the Beecroft Golf Club. As prime mover he influenced a number of prominent residents to attend a meeting in the Beecroft School of Arts on the 10th September 1922 to float the idea to the Community of forming a Golf Club in the neighbourhood.

By chance, the western portion of the original Hassall Grant land that had been cut off by Pennant Hills Road was put to auction on Saturday 4th November 1922. Either at the auction or shortly afterwards, Robert Vicars made contact with the owner of the land, James William Meader, and made an offer to buy the eastern portion of the land. The outcome of these negotiations was that Meader agreed to accept an offer of £4750 for the 97 acres (approx.) and granted Robert Vicars an option to purchase at that bargain price.

Robert Vicars ensured the future of the new Club

Robert Vicars’ foresight and business acumen showed clearly how the embryo Golf Club could procure and secure control of the roughly 100 acre bushland covered block of land which had been the site of the Beecroft Golf Club founded in 1906. Suddenly it seems the Committee could see that Vicars’ plan made the site ‘quite suitable’ for their purpose.

Robert Vicars is revered as one of the Founders of our Club. He was made a Life Member in 1947 and the clubhouse now includes a ‘Vicars Room’ as one of its lounges

The Pennant Hills District Golf Club was formed in 1923

As was the case with Dr. Lidwill and the Beecroft club, the instigator Dr. Holt was elected as the first President and Pennant Hills District Golf Club Limited was incorporated on 26th February 1923.

Initially a nine-hole course was constructed, mostly by members working at weekends. This was always understood to be a temporary layout to be played on until the full 18 holes were constructed to a design provided by Tom E Howard, 1923 Australian Open Champion. The 18 hole course was opened for play on March 22nd 1924.

The principal golfing Journal of the day, “Golf in Australia”, reported in its April 17th 1923 edition:

The rest of the course presents its fair proportion of easy situations and difficulties, and it is noted with pleasure that the quality of play in general has much improved, although experts note a tinge of blue in the atmosphere, and corresponding warmth in the temper of players.

There is still room for new members. When residents awake to the charm of their own particular links and understand what an excellent and congenial crowd meet there, it is confidently believed that it will not be long before the “house full” notice will be necessary.

Situated on the high lands overlooking Beecroft and on the main Pennant Hills Road, the links present a most charming and delightful natural picture. With an area of 97 acres, ample room is provided for a most excellent course of 18 holes.

Other early members who returned included Edward Alcock, Oscar Wines, Rev Angus Ogilvie, Bob Quodling, Ted Sherring—and their families.

The Osborne Shield – a link to the past

Leonard (Len) J Osborne was the best golfer in the early days of golf at Beecroft. He was the Beecroft Club Champion in 1907, 1908 & 1909 and represented Beecroft in the Suburban Champion of Champions at Royal Sydney in 1909, incidentally the event was won by Eric Apperly who played off scratch, while Len’s State handicap was 7.

In 1924 Bill Chorley donated a shield that he named the “Osborne Knockout Shield” for matchplay competition between sixteen qualifiers playing off scratch “to perpetuate the memory Mr. Osborne, who was one of the pioneer golfers of the district”. For the next fifty years this annual competition was competed for. In 1976 it was replaced on the calendar by the Captain’s Cup. It is a pity that the shield does not still hang in the Clubhouse but unfortunately it has been lost.