Barton-on-Sea Golf Club

About the club

Golf was played at Barton-on-Sea Golf Club for the first time in 1897 over a 9 hole course situated on the cliff top to the west of the present course. The game was becoming very popular at this time and the course was built as an amenity for the guests at the Barton Court Hotel, a converted manor house. By today’s standards the condition of course was rather primitive and the cost of a round was half-a-crown (12½ pence). A group of local golfers led by Sir Robert Affleck had permission to play the hotel course and hold a few competitions, and a club was formed. This course remained in play until 1909. At about this time a property developer acquired a large area of land, the Barton Court Estate, with ambitious plans for high quality houses and an 18 hole golf course. Much of this scheme never came to fruition, but the 18 hole course over meadows situated a little inland of the first course was built and played for the first time in 1910. The course architect was Harry Vardon, one of the best known golfers of his day. In the years that followed the expanding community of Barton-on-Sea required building land, and by 1922 the meadows course gave way to this pressure.