The Course of Yesteryear

In 1896 when the members moved from Southchurch to the meadows of Rochford Hall, they had a nine hole course laid out by Peter Paxton at a cost of £60 13s 0d that's £60.65 in today's currency. then a year later Mr James Tabor offered £100 towards the construction of the second nine holes with the overall area of the course growing to some 70 acres. In 1906 Mr F.G. (Joe) Steel the club professional proposed to the committee that some minor alterations should be made to the course. Unfortunately the details of his idea are not known today, but we can establish, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, the general layout of the course as it was from 1897 to 1915.

The 1st tee was orginally outside the clubhouse close to the current practice putting green, with the green on a straight line to the oak tree along side the 4th fairway near to the pond.

The 2nd tee was also around this location with the 2nd green located on the site of the current 1st green.

The 3rd tee was near our ladies 4th tee with the green having the pond behind it.

The 4th tee was on the current 4th fairway close to the dip in front of the green and their 4th green was where the current 10th is now sited.

The 5th tee and green are now the 11th and their 6th is now the 12th.

The 7th tee was slightly east of its current position played to a green in a direct line back over the brook to the rough in the corner of the current 13th. The 8th tee, evidence of which remains, was from the corner of the dog-leg to a green which is now the 13th.

The 9th hole is now the 14th and the 10th now the 15th. 

The 11th tee was where the 16ths occasional white tee is located, to a green on the rigt hand side of the 16th fairway just short of the airport gate and guardhouse. As can be seen from the aerial image the land bordered by a straight line from the airport gate to the bridge across the current 5th hole, the brook, railway line and the airport perimeter fence did not become part of the course until 1925 when James Braid redesigned it.

The old 12th tee is still visible in the rough on the left of the current 6th fairway and was played to the green which now the 6th. Their 13 is now our 7th.

The 14th tee was near the current 10th fairway about 100 yds out from the 10th tee, played to a green located on the current 6th fairway near to the two new fairway bunkers. The 15th tee was on the current 6th fairway to the south of the ravine and played to the current 9th green.

The 16th tee was located where today's 5th yellow tee is and was played over the pond to a green located on the left of the current 8th fairway. Fom the 9th green looking up towards the 8th fairway you can still see the bunkers that guarded it.

The 17th tee was located at the north edge of the ravine and played to a green that was in what is now the garden of the house. It was a dog-leg over the brook and then right to a green in the corner of the garden.

Finally the 18th hole, fairway and green are largely unchanged, except as explained elsewhere in these chapters played short on Sunday to avoid injury to worshippers going to their pews in St Andrew's Church.

Later in 1915 the first hole outside the clubhouse was abandoned with the 2nd becoming the 1st etc, so a par three hole was laid, in what eventually became the garden of the house, played from a tee adjacent to the brook near to what is now the 17th green.

Then in about 1924 when it became known that Dr Fisher was having the house built Mr Braid, Mr Hawtree and Mr Taylor were invited to redesign the course. The land now occupied by the 2nd and 3rd holes was adopted for the course, there being no houses in Hall Road at the time . Althought we lost the land owned by Dr Fisher the club gained 28 acres east of the ravine to the railway line increasing the total acerage for the new course to 98.

The result is that today's course is 6221 yards off the white tees compared with the previous 4010 yards.