FOLLOWING last week’s busy schedule at Downes Crediton Golf Club, including the Club Championships, the pace continued on Sunday, June 29 with more than 60 players playing in the June Inter Club mixed competition, won by Claire and David Coates.

At the end of our last article mention was made of the trophy awarded for the Handicap Club Championship. The trophy is called the Buller Bowl, and there is a very nice link to Golf in Crediton in former days.

This trophy was one of several presented by Captain ML Buller MC of Downes House. There is a photographic record of this being presented to Mr H Day in 1926, 99 years ago.

This competition took place on Crediton's first golf course, which was opened in June 1923. The location of this golf course followed the River Creedy, from Upton and Salmon Hutch to about a mile from Fordton. It is well worth quoting an article, written 102 years ago, from the “Western Morning News”.

“Wednesday 26th September 1923 – ‘CREDITON GOLF COURSE – Remarkable Success Of New Venture

“Golfers in the neighbourhood of Crediton are now deriving material benefit from the energy and enthusiasm of the group of enthusiasts who embarked on the project of forming a golf club for the town.

“They were not daunted by the fact that about seven or eight years ago, when a similar experiment was made, the project was dropped owing to difficulty in acquiring land.

“After circulars had been issued a meeting was held and the response was even greater than the most optimistic had anticipated.

“Not the slightest difficulty was found in obtaining sufficient support, both as regards capital and membership, to establish a club, and therefore there was no hesitation in coming to the decision that a club should be formed.

“Even at that meeting 60 members were enlisted, and the club is now in the happy position of possessing over 80 playing members and about 20 honorary members”.

For more detail about the course and members type “Crediton Golf Course 1923” into a search engine, and select the entry entitled “Golf’s Missing Links”.

Do you know anyone in the attached photo? Perhaps you have a photo of the course? Please get in touch if you have any information to share.

So, back to Downes GC, it’s another very busy month, with over 30 official competitions taking place in July.

The Shiphams Trophy was played for on Wednesday, June 25. From a field of 30 players Neil Wilson just pipped Alistair Todd by a better back nine, both returning 40 points. Thursday’s 9 hole stableford was won by Simon Podd with 21 points.

On Thursday the Ladies competition was The Grandma’s Cup. For this extra shots are added to the handicap, depending on the number of grandchildren. The winner with an excellent score of 43 points was Joyce Gilg. Well done Grandma!

Saturday, July 28 saw a large field of almost 100 players enter the Captains Centenary and Captains Salver competitions. There were plenty of good scores, the overall winner being Philip Beasley with a very respectable 44 points. It’s worth noting there were also 19 twos!

On Sunday there was another Mixed Dartmoor League event with over 50 players.

This was won by a team from Dainton Park Golf Club.