Wallasey Golf Club was established in 1891 and, with its undulating fairways and sand dunes it is a traditional links of 6,607 yards. It is located on the Wirral peninsula overlooking Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea, leaving it open to the elements and in particular, the wind. It is one of the great links courses of the north, originally designed by Tom Morris Senior and later changed by other notable golfing figures Harold Hilton, Alec Herd and James Braid.
The course has hosted a lot of great events, which includes the qualifying rounds of The Open, most recently when the championship returned to nearby Royal Liverpool in 2006.The club played host to The Amateur Championship qualifying rounds in 1995 and also in 2000.
The club has a great history in the game, because this is where a club member, Dr Frank Stableford, first developed the Stableford system of points scoring. He became a member of the club in 1914 and, aware of the frustration of high handicap golfers, following a disastrous start in a medal competition he devised his point system. The first Stableford competition was played at the Club in ‘May’ in year 1932.
Wallasey has a fine collection of oil paintings in the clubhouse, which include an original portrait of the man many consider to be the greatest ever golfer, Bobby Jones. Bobby Jones won The Open at Hoylake In the year 1930, having been qualified at Wallasey. The portrait became well known across the world and Jones had a copy painted for him to take back to America to hang in the famous Augusta National Clubhouse.
The Course itself is a true test of golf, due in part to the prevailing north westerly winds and the variety of holes, which made it more interesting by the natural terrain. The final four holes is one of the toughest, particularly the 18th which is a magnificent hole to finish the round. Wallasey has been called ‘The Diamond in the Dunes’ and golfers who come here do enjoy the challenge of the course and the well documented history and traditions of the game.
