Luffenham Heath Golf Club

Our Heritage

Sir Walter Scott pronounced Stamford to be “the finest sight on the road between Edinburgh and London”.

“If there is a more beautiful town in the whole of England, I have yet to see it” wrote the historian Hoskins.

5 miles to the west of Stamford, across the Great North Road, called less romantically nowadays the A1, lays another gem. A golfing gem - The Luffenham Heath Golf Club. Widely acknowledged by golfing cognoscenti as one of the finest and most challenging heath-land courses in the Midlands and beyond, it lies in the gently rolling countryside of Rutland, England’s smallest county. Surrounded by woodlands and delightful stone villages, this wonderful course perfectly encapsulates the County’s motto “Multum in Parvo”.

Timeline

1909

Meeting chaired at The Stamford Hotel by Right Hon Gilbert Heathcote Drummond Willoughby Baron Wiilloughby de Eresby MP to discuss the feasibility of a golf course to be designed on South Luffenham Heath

1910

Sketches of the original course layout were produced by Charles Hugh Alison.

1911

Course opened with a celebrity match, witnessed by over 1000 spectators, between James Braid and Harry Vardon

1912

Viscount Castlereagh becomes Captain

1928

The Prince of Wales, later to become the uncrowned King Edward VIII, was invited by letter to St James' Palace to become Captain; a position commemorated by the presentation of a trophy in 1929

1932

Viscount Castlereagh becomes Captain for a second time, this time with the title Marquess of Londonderry.

1941

An exhibition match, including three time Open Champion Henry Cotton, was played to help with the war effort. £200 was donated to the Red Cross as a result of the match.

1943

60 acres of land, including holes 9,10 & 11, were given up to help meet the demands for food during World War II. Compensation of £33 was paid to the Club per annum.

1946

A re-arrange of hole 9 & 10 as well as new holes for 11 & 12, meant 18 holes were in play. The course has remained in this layout ever since.

1951

The Club took the opportunity to purchase, with membership donations, the freehold of land and buildings from the Ancaster estate for the sum of £6,000. The Members Club, in the form in which it exists today, dates from 1964.

1963

Mrs A Marrion won the Ladies’ Midland Championship.

1969

The County Champions Tournament for the Presidents Bowl was won by Alex Holmes with rounds of 71 & 73.

1973

The entire golf course was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest and currently managed in agreement with Natural England to ensure the propagation of rare flora and fauna.

1982

Reciprocal with Lindrick Golf Club was agreed

1984

The clubhouse veranda was extended enlarging the social horizons of the Club.

1990

The western end of the clubhouse was extended to facilitate the secretary’s office

1990

The Club hosted the English Boys’ Amateur Championship (Carris Trophy). With a course record of 64 followed by rounds of 69, 74 & 69 Michael Welch (Hill Valley Golf Club) claimed a 6 shot victory ahead of Simon Williams (Glen Gorse Golf Club) and Lee Westwood Worksop Golf Club).

1997

Rutland County Council granted the Club full planning permission to construct a water storage lagoon with a capacity of 35000 cubic meters.

1999

Pumping commenced on January 1st to fill the reservoir.

1999

Robert Stevens, Luffenham Heath Assistant Professional won the inaugural PGA Midlands Pro-Am with a new professional course record of 65.

2003

Dr Martin Hawtree was commissioned to review the golf course. All 70 original bunkers were renovated, deepened and/or repositioned with a further 6 added to catch big-hitters playing from the new blue-tee course measuring 6560 yards. 6 men’s tees and 3 ladies tees have been built and two new greens add length to holes 8 and 10.

2005

The Club formed a reciprocal agreement with Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell)

2006

The Club formed a reciprocal agreement with Alwoodley Golf Club

2006

Work was completed and all improvements were back in play by mid-summer. The golf course was reassessed with a standard scratch of 73 against a par of 70 from the very back tees.