Blackhill.
This golf course was first laid out in 1895 by the Glasgow Golf Club, who had just departed the links at Alexandra Park due to overcrowding. The ground at Blackhill was owned by the Glagow Corporation and the Glasgow Golf Club took out a lease in order to lay out the course. The Glasgow golf club would remain here at Blackhill until 1904 when they moved yet again, this time to the estate of Killermont, where they made their permanent home.
When the Galsgow golf club vacated the course, the corporation of Glasgow re-opened the course as a municipal facility which survived in this capacity until 1932 when the course was eventually closed and turned over for housing.
Blackhill Golf Course. 1895 to 1904.
Glasgow Golf Club
Opening Of New Course At Blackhill.
_____
The new golf course at Blackhill will be
Formally Opened for play on Saturday, 6th
Inst., at Three O’Clock Afternoon. J.R. Motion Esq,
Captain Of The Club, Will Strike Off The First Ball
Adam Neilie, Secretary
Glasgow, 175 St Vincent Street
(Glasgow Evening Times, 5.4.1895)
Glasgow Evening Times April 6th 1895
The New Golf Course At Blackhill
"The new course at Blackhill in connection with the Glasgow Golf Club was formally opened to-day. We give a plan of the course. The green gives great promise of being an ideal spot for carrying on the Royal and Ancient pastime. For the most part the turf is old, and exceedingly well clothed. Hazards are numerous – in fact, there is not a single hole that has not a stone wall between the tee and the green. The putting greens, too, are all natural, and are each 25 yards square. The special feature of the course, as distinguished from Alexandra Park, and one which is very welcome to players, is that members will have to possess a knowledge of every part of the game to negotiate the holes successfully. The putter will have to be used only on the greens, and not from the tee as at the park. Access to the first tee is by the bridge over the canal, and the distance from the present club-house is ten minutes walk.
Distance To Holes
1st Hole …… 236 yards 7th Hole ….. 273 Yards 13th Hole …….. 227 Yards
2nd “ …...275 “ 8th “ …... 324 “ 14th “ ……… 250 “
3rd “ …… 250 “ 9th “ ….. 295 “ 15th “ ……… 260 “
4th “ …… 325 “ 10th “ …... 325 “ 16th “ ………. 293 “
5th “ …… 295 “ 11th “ …… 292 “ 17th “ ………. 300 “
6th “ …….. 230 “ 12th “ …... 300 “ 18th “ ………. 255 “
(Glasgow Evening Times, 6.4.1895)
“The Glasgow Club having got possession of their new club-house at Blackhill, shown in the heading, the next step was to re-arrange the course, with Blackhill Farm as the starting point. The work was entrusted to the veteran golfer, Willie Doleman, and members will have the opportunity to-morrow of judging of the skill with which he has discharged his task. While retaining all the best features of the old links, Willie has managed to lengthen the course, a feature which will be welcomed by long drivers. As will be seen from the sketch, shown left, there is only one crossing, which does not seem a dangerous one. The committee of the club mean to do all they can to popularise the Blackhill course, which will compare most favourably in a year or two with any other inland course, and with that object in view, they have arranged for a bus to leave Garngad Station to-morrow for the clubhouse at 10am and hourly thereafter. This will be a decided boon to players, as many objected to the twenty minutes walk from the Alexandra Park Station.
Hole No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Length 300 200 250 260 429 190 230 380 200
(in yards)
Hole No. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Length 220 230 230 160 300 200 190 300 230
(in yards)
(Glasgow Evening Times, 6.4 1895)
In 1899, Blackhill, which had been in Lanarkshire, formally became part of Glasgow and the resulting urban development prompted Glasgow Golf Club in 1904 to move to its new course at Killermont, The Blackhill course remained so popular that the Corporation took over the course. The land was turned over to housing in 1933 when a major new housing programme was initiated,
The clubhouse in later years
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