Chelmsford Golf Club Essex

Chelmsford Golf Club was formally constituted on May 4 1893. The 1890s was a time of a major golfing boom, and Chelmsford, which was formed mainly through the efforts of three keen golfers, Garrad Baker, J. Albert Copland and Walter M. de Zoete, was one of them.

It is the 11th oldest club in the county. The entrance fee was set at two guineas with an annual subscription of one guinea for gentlemen and half a guinea for ladies.

The Golfing Annual for the year 1894 shows that Chelmsford Golf Club was situated on the Galleywood Common, 270 feet above sea level, had good natural hazards and greens in excellent order.

An early Golfers’ Handbook, advised, a little optimistically, that the Club was “about two miles from Chelmsford station and that conveyances may be hired at the Saracen’s Head ….

Visitors 1s per day and 5s per week” A common bond among golf clubs born a century or more ago is their proximity to railway lines and stations. The reason is that there were no cars and the train was the only means of getting to these clubs other than by horse and trap.

In 1910 Sir Daniel Gooch leased to the Club some land at Widford which was confirmed as suitable for an 18-hole course. The new course was opened on June 22 1911. More land was bought and new holes designed. It has remained largely unchanged since. Chelmsford Golf Club celebrated its centenary in 1993. The membership has increased over the years and the clubhouse has been extended to its fullest.

Today Chelmsford Golf Club is a well-established 18-hole parkland course, total yardage 5996, Par 68, SSS 69. For ladies, total yardage 5573, Par 72, SSS 72. It has excellent bar and catering facilities. The course is known throughout the county for its excellent condition in all seasons and the speed of the greens, which are faster than most. A course where every shot needs to be thought about if a good score is to be maintained for all 18 holes.