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and history. Riddlesden G.C. was good for lashing balls over quarries, your lie was never flat. Had a few laughs going round there while at school. There's Branshaw GC and the big one, Keighley Golf Club. During a holiday job once I worked with a young man who reckoned he was a bit of a ladies man, playing golf at Keighley GC and meeting wenches on the moors in the dead of night. Anyway........we were never encouraged to take up this good walk spoilt at school. In fact, I reckon there's not one golfer on this board. In Scotland, golf a way of life, and we'd probably all have played. I'm always interested in the history of golf courses and the ghosts of past players hacking out of the rough. A meandering post, but never mind.
Although I have never played, golf seems to be a total waste of time [to me], when there are far more interesting and beneficial pastimes.
That said, Branshaw featured strongly in my time at KBGS.
I used to knock about with John ‘Jake’ Davies and John ‘Vic’ Baker, who both lived on Moorlands Avenue and the most direct route to ‘The Plantation’ on Slaymaker Lane, was over numerous walls and across Branshaw.
I still remember (vividly) the summer evening in 1959 when we decided to ‘have a fire’ at the side of a tree next to the bill hoardings where Oakworth Road levels out just past Moorlands Avenue. 1959 was one of the driest summers in the late 50’s early 60’s and, yes, you’ve guessed it, the ‘small fire’ got larger than we had expected. In fact it burnt everything on Bogthorn Moor and melted the tar on the gable-end of the row of cottages.
Keighley’s vintage Leyland ‘Coronation’ fire pump arrived with steam blasting from its radiator cap rapidly followed by the part-timers from Haworth in their nifty new little red machine.
The three of us, looking rather sheepish, owned-up to our misdemeanour after nearly being lynched by the owners of the cottages.
Never did get to ‘The Plantation’ that night!
We did on numerous other occasions, from which ‘prog’ for our bonfires was collected during the cover of darkness during late October, early November evenings.
We also used to collect frogs from the pools both on Branshaw , The Plantation and the ponds down Slaymaker Lane, for the Biology lab. All donations were gratefully received by Messrs. Hardstaff and Cowx!
I remember one evening when, with about half-a-dozen large frogs in a NHS ‘Truefood’ powdered milk tin and a piece of ‘wire gauze’ over the top we caught the Oakworth bus from Slaymaker Lane. Don’t know what the driver was on but he literally flew down Oakworth Road. After the Moorlands Avenue stop, where Jake and Vic alighted, the bus jerked and I lost control of the tin. Water and frogs under the downstairs seats, and a rather irate conductor, with me on all-fours trying to catch them before the Fell Lane Bottom stop. Just managed to recapture them in time.
Brilliant times. But nothing to do with golf!
Sorry if this has rambled a bit. Suppose it could have been posted on the ‘Keighley Busses’ comments.
Me neither - I always favoured West Brom when I lived in the West Midlands.
Anyhow, getting back to golf - ta;k of Bransher and Slaymekker Lane brings back memories - of moonlit walks and of two or three of visits to the golf club.
Don Wilding, who was a year or two older than me joined Branshaw when he was 17 or 18. On occasions he took some of us up there when there were special events on in the evening. On one occasion, when there was some form of entertainment provided, Don decided to play the fruit machine late in the evening and won the jackpot first try. It was quite an effort to down the rounds that he bought in about the last 20 minutes before closing. On another occasion there was a bonfire at the club and, in the nearby field, a group of locals had a bonfire of their own. A bottle fell over when we were launching a rocket, which then took a trajectory towards the neighbouring bonfire. Salvo after salvo was then fired in both directions - a miracle nobody was hurt.
Writing this reminded me of the "spectacular" finale to Keighley Gala Fireworks Display with two battleships firing at each other - they seemed to do it year after year.
You must have lost thousands of balls in the hawthorns. Difficult course.
So, you two, who obviously don't know a mashie from a mashie niblick. Good to see two posters with a passion for the game.
Following extensive research with Trevor Clark we've come up with the following list of some ex KBGS Golfers all currently "spoiling a good walk".
Riddlesden
Trevor C
Malc Binns
Dave Whitwam
Stuart Hopkinson
Keighley
Brian M
Tony Simpson
Mick Linyard
Andy Hesp
Chris Cotton
Dave Hoyle
Pete Ashcroft
Stuart Brook
Stuart Shackleton
Bingley St Ives
John Toothill
Nigel Betts
We'll need to try and spread the word to some of them re visiting the site.
Good to see I'm not the only golfer/hacker from KBGS.I don't recognise any of the names, Brian. Is Keighley GC considered a bit upmarket from the others? How much would a mid-week round cost there? Wonder what the green fee is at Riddlesden, a comparatively short course with plenty of par 3s. When I was about 17 or so I'd walk with a club and a few balls from Calver down through the valley up to Riddlesden GC, and hit balls from one hill to the other. There never seemed to be many people around, if any, in the evenings back then. Perhaps it's all changed.
This thread set me thinking(again !!)so I have delved into my scrapbooks which I put together from Keighley News clippings in my first few years out this way,until my relatives either got sick of posting K.News to me or died ---so---in the issue of 16 May 1969 there is a photo of the Keighley Golf team which won the Second division of the Yorkshire Union(sounds grand).One of those in the photo is Jack Emmott who was at KBGS in my day--so he was a pretty good golfer.
I used to just rip out items of interest to me,photos etc.One is headed "Where are they now?"Dec '69--a photo of the great Keighley Rugby team which won in 1947-8 the Yorkshire Cup,the Yorkshire Shield and only had one defeat the whole season.Gilbert Swift was of course the Captain.Another article is of Gilbert's retiring function in July '74.Cheers.
Jack Emmott is still playing golf at Keighley and a few years ago won the Yorkshire Seniors title.In terms of annual subs/green fees these have always been substantially higher at Keighley than Riddlesden and Branshaw.At Riddlesden they have managed to improve the condition of their course over the years, mainly due to employing a full time greenkeeper and piping water to the greens.However they haven't filled in the quarries !Keighley continue,without much success, to try and resolve the issue of flooding on the lower holes.
I also, like Shaun, tramping around Branshaw with Donald Wilding.
I did try this infernal game for a few years in the early 90's, but didnt have time to play regularly enough to improve.
However since 1985 I have gone to watch the 'Open' always on the first day, and with a few business customers, so the cost was on my employers! (Three different ones in that period) I was certainly at St Andrews a couple of weeks ago. Its a good day out.
Next year its almost on my doorstep at Hoylake, not been there sunce Roberto de Vicenzo won in 1967 or 8.
What was the only international golf tournament held in the Keighley and Bradford area?
Answer: The Lawrence Batley International at Bingley St Ives. Won at least once by Sandy Lyle. The course record at St Ives is held by Nick Faldo at 62. And I remember Lee Trevino hacking his way round the course with a bad back. Seems like a dream now.
One morning, long ago, I waited at the swingbridge at Farnhill to allow a Rolls Royce through. In the back seat were Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino, on their way to St Ives. Has anyone else seen a 24 carat sporting great on their way to work? (Keighley RLFC players do not, by the way, count as stars of this magnitude)
Bingley St Ives and Nick Faldo eh! I'm impressed. As for seeing Arnie and Trevino in a Rolls on the way to work, I'm surprised you could recognise them for the cigarette smoke. I'd have loved to see them! Both magical players. Sounds to me like Bingley St Ives (whicjh I can't place at all) is one up from Keighley GC. Funnu how the class system appears not just within one golf club but between golf clubs. I hate the places but love the game. Did you hear the one about the two old chaps standing on the 18th green and a hearse passed by on the nearby road?
I had a few words with Robbie Fowler (Jamie Carragher and Steve Gerrard nearby)in the book shop at Liverpool Airport and they were about to fly to Kiev. It was the day after Houllier had been rushed to hospital with his heart scare.
Presumebly Laurence Batley launched his Euro Tour event at Bingley because he felt it would test the Pros and got the consent of Bradford Council who own the St Ives Estate(it was a municipal course back then).However the BBC decided that for some reason it was not suitable for their coverage so eventually he moved it to St Mellion in Cornwall and then the Belfry.
I remember at the time it seemed remarkable to see the likes of Palmer and Trevino play on a local course.I assume they were paid expenses and appearence money and from the "sighting" mentioned earlier stayed at Kildwick Hall.
Chums, I presume the Laurence Batley Event at St Ives, Bingley, circa 1980, was in tandem with the Bradford Metro Council, to boost tourism and interest in the Aire Valley. But no doubt the European Golf bosses got tired of an obscure Municipal Course being used for a European PGA event, and moved on.
My favourite memory was the 17th at St Ives where there was a beer tent. Anyway the crowd pleaser Brian Barnes was about ten over par and was feeling cheesed off. The portly Ryder Cup player went off to the beer tent and got two cans of Carlsberg beer and a cornish pasty! Applause all round from the spectators. St Ives is no longer municipal but private, and no doubt will never see a major tournament again.
Having established that Nick Faldo holds the course record at Bingley St Ives with 62, I would like to add that Colin Montgomey holds the course record at Ilkley with a similar score. It's on their website. Did he not learn his golf there from his father who was the professional? All this stuff about Monty being Scottish is nonsense. He is a Yorkshire lad just like that other Jock, a certain IW of Silsden.
Thats interesting, but I always understood most of Monty's childhood was at Troon where his father was secretary (not a professional), but he certainly doesnt have a Scottish Accent. Mind you, its not Yorkshire either.
I stood next to Monty at a golf tournament once and he sounded like an Ilkey/Harrogate type to me. In fact he was shushing people to keep quiet, so I reckon he a bit of big girl's blouse really. Know wonder the Yanks pick on him.
Hm. The veteran golfer David Feherty, who was never as good as Monty, once irreverently described him as having 'a face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle' Quite true I think!
PS Hope some of you will be coming over to the Wirral for the Open next year.
I remember playing at Riddlesden Golf Club in the early eighties and going to pay my green fees at the greenkeeper's house. Such was the parochial nature of the club. Anyway chaps, the greenkeepers wife/mistress was one of the best looking females I had ever seen in Keighley. An unusual scenario if ever there was one.