The Course Expands

A working party of members complete the turfing of a track which
used to run down from the farm house to below the 6th green

In July 1960 a piece of adjoining land to the new course became avialable and negotiations began in earnest to secure the land.

In preparing and transferring to the new course speed was essential as the new owners of the Lord Lane land were impatient to start buiilding houses. A developemt committee was formed under the Chairmanship of Mr Jack Holmes and together with members, the work commenced.

It was an enormously daunting task and the work undertaken by most of the members at that time with such energy and enthusiasm is reflected in the course today.

It was found that the most economical way to make fairways was to treat the meadowland with selective weedkiller and fertiliser and then to cut them repeatedly. This worked!

Unfortunatley. the meadows were poorly drained and there were six ponds in various places which it was necessary to fill and install an extensive drainage system.

Under the supervision of Mr Jack Holmes the Surveyor of Failsworth Urban District Council, and a Club Member, nine miles of drains were laid by Club Members with enthusiasm and sheer physical effort.

Lady Captain's Drive-in March 26th 1996
to mark the club centenary

When it came to making greens, sowing with the best seed mixture avaliable would have given the best results, but it would have taken far too long. So a decision was taken to turf the greens, but no adequate turf was available commercially. Fortunately the purchaser of the Lord Lane course was agreeable to the Club stripping the turf from one whole fairway at no cost, and this was used to turf the greens which had been built.

Honorary member and former next door
neighbour, the former England cricket
captain Mike Atherton, tees off on the
4th hole, which has been named in his
honour. Picture credit: Mr. Chris Gleave.

Throughout the lengthy period of building the new course, the members drove bulldozers and tractors, turned meadows into fairways, dug drains, built bridges and laid turf in freezing weather, a concentrated effort sustained over a period of years until the task was complete.

On December 15th 1962 the move to the new 12 hole course at Medlock Road, Woodhouses, Failsworth was completed. The newly built clubhouse was opened by Lee Monks, the captain of the Manchester and District Captains Association.

The first Captain was the late Jack Holmes. The membership continued to increase and in 1973 Mr Holmes acquired some more land and the course became a full 18 holes.

Jack was an Honourary Life Member until his death and lived at the back of the 4th tee.