Stornoway Golf Club History 1977 - Present
The club's finances have always varied directly with the economy of the Island and the income brought in by the steadily rising membership during the boom years of Arnish was put to good use in the form of a further extension to the club house and the erection of a modern detached house for the Club Master.
More recently, well-planned course drainage systems, with chipping, putting, and driving net facilities together with substantial improvements to the club house has left us with a thoroughly modern development of which we can be justifiably proud.
Over the past 100 years, the club has amassed almost an embarrassment of silverware, all of which is keenly contested and there is scarcely a Saturday from April through to October which is not a club competition day. And then the real golf starts.
The Winter League, the brainchild (as was Golf Week) of the late and much respected Ian Cumming, is by far the most popular and competitive event of the year attracting more competitors than any other fixture. Played over 12 holes only, because of shortage of daylight hours, it is also something of a social gathering.
To survive in this hard world, clubs like ours have to diversify somewhat particularly during the winter months and efforts are always being made to maximise the use of the clubhouse. For a number of years now we have hosted the Stornoway Bridge Club to the mutual benefit of each club.
Re-reading the minute books of the past has been a fascinating exercise and in writing this account the difficulty has been in deciding what to omit. We have placed a D notice on most of the arguments and disagreements without which no committee would be complete but it would be fair to say that over the first 100 years of its existence, the club has been well served by all of the past committees and the present 14 seem set to continue the pattern.
Note: The above narrative of the history of Stornoway Golf Club was authored by former captain Norrie Macgregor and previously published in our Centenary Magazine.
