A comprehensive guide to the history of Haywards Heath Golf Club in West Sussex has been published to celebrate the club’s centenary.
‘The Club – 100 Years Of Ups and Downs at Haywards Heath Golf Club’ has been written by experienced golf writer Tim Southwell, with new course imagery by world renowned photographer Kevin Murray, both of whom are members of the club.
The book unfolds decade by decade from HHGC’s formation in 1922 to the present day, and not only chronicles the events at the club, but also, in a break with tradition from centenary tomes, gives a snapshot of what was happening in the world in general, including innovations in golf, technology, culture and science.
Among the topics covered include Open champions; a Walt Disney legend; machine guns on the fairways; big money card schools; bombs in the bunkers; storms, floods and black outs; Sophia Loren in The Men’s Bar; SKYTV helicopters overhead; Peter Alliss; Strictly Come Dancing; three Princes thrashing their niblicks; Dinner Cup carnage; £600k for charity; German prisoners of war; Gary Lineker’s paella recipe; member anecdotes; COVID; and the growing threat of closure.
Martin Jones, club captain for the centenary year, commented: “We are delighted and grateful to be able to celebrate one hundred years of golf at Haywards Heath Golf Club, a course originally laid out by James Braid. We have also been fortunate to have both Tim Southwell, the founder of GolfPunk, and Kevin Murray, one of the world’s leading golf photographers, to create the book, which we believe will create a new benchmark for golf club books.”
Southwell added: “We set out on this project to create something distinct and different from the normal golf club histories. We wanted to properly capture the spirit of the different decades as golf evolved and provide a wider context to what was going on in the game and in the wider society, from the golf stars of the day to the film and music stars of the day to give a much broader perspective. And I really believe that we have achieved that, as well as capturing the character and idiosyncrasies of the club.
“If you’ve ever been a member of any kind of club, you will recognise and be familiar with much of the content of this book, especially the characters and the politics that form the backdrop to ‘the member’s experience’.”
Murray added: “I have photographed golf courses across five continents, but Haywards Heath Golf Club remains my home course, and my first true golfing love. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in this project, and I think we have truly raised the bar in terms of how a golf club’s history can be presented.”
Jones concluded: “We like to think we have managed to capture the colourful moments, people and personalities who have all contributed to the history of the club to date and it is great to come out COVID with a solid achievement to pave the way for the next one hundred years.”
A copy of ‘The Club – 100 Years Of Ups and Downs at Haywards Heath Golf Club’, which is priced at £50, can be purchased from the club directly or online by clicking here.