History
It has often been said that Newton Green Golf Club is unique, and in truth, it probably is. Where else could you find an arrangement where a golf club built its course on a village green, used the village pub as its clubhouse, and paid for the privilege by providing a bag of coal to each household in the village every Christmas. This scenario existed until about half a century ago.
The club’s records start with the minutes of the first AGM which was held in April 1908. Contemporary press reports however show that the club was formed at a meeting held in May 1907 at the Rose and Crown Hotel in Sudbury.
Three gentlemen who had stopped at the Saracen’s Head for refreshment had taken a stroll on the village green adjoining the hostelry and were heard to say, “Wouldn’t this make a lovely course?” None of the residents at the time knew what they were talking about.
The course was duly laid out on a green which would have looked a lot different back in the day with gorse everywhere and the rough ground being grazed by cattle, sheep and goats, with geese and chickens wandering freely.
The good relationship between the golf club and the village always has been, and still is, of the upmost importance. Each party is dependent on each other as for without the green there would be no golf, and without the maintenance provided by the golf club the 40 acres of green would quickly become overgrown.
The annual match between the club and the village, which began in 1920, still continues today and is fiercely contested each year.
Eventually, not until the late 1970s, the club managed to purchase a site behind the 2nd tee (which is now the 1st) that became available and were able to build its own facilities. Also during this time, the grant of a licence of the green to the club was formalised by the newly formed Newton Green Trust due to the Common Lands Registration Act coming in.
With the increase of popularity of golf in the 1980s membership continued to grow. The need to expand from a nine-hole course to an 18-hole course became apparent. A long lease became available with farmland adjoining the green which was too good an opportunity to miss. Despite the fact that development of this land would place a substantial financial burden on the members, the project went ahead with great enthusiasm and the club celebrated probably its greatest moment with the opening of the new holes in September 1994.
The club’s records start with the minutes of the first AGM which was held in April 1908. Contemporary press reports however show that the club was formed at a meeting held in May 1907 at the Rose and Crown Hotel in Sudbury.
Three gentlemen who had stopped at the Saracen’s Head for refreshment had taken a stroll on the village green adjoining the hostelry and were heard to say, “Wouldn’t this make a lovely course?” None of the residents at the time knew what they were talking about.
The course was duly laid out on a green which would have looked a lot different back in the day with gorse everywhere and the rough ground being grazed by cattle, sheep and goats, with geese and chickens wandering freely.
The good relationship between the golf club and the village always has been, and still is, of the upmost importance. Each party is dependent on each other as for without the green there would be no golf, and without the maintenance provided by the golf club the 40 acres of green would quickly become overgrown.
The annual match between the club and the village, which began in 1920, still continues today and is fiercely contested each year.
Eventually, not until the late 1970s, the club managed to purchase a site behind the 2nd tee (which is now the 1st) that became available and were able to build its own facilities. Also during this time, the grant of a licence of the green to the club was formalised by the newly formed Newton Green Trust due to the Common Lands Registration Act coming in.
With the increase of popularity of golf in the 1980s membership continued to grow. The need to expand from a nine-hole course to an 18-hole course became apparent. A long lease became available with farmland adjoining the green which was too good an opportunity to miss. Despite the fact that development of this land would place a substantial financial burden on the members, the project went ahead with great enthusiasm and the club celebrated probably its greatest moment with the opening of the new holes in September 1994.