• Golf began at Crowborough on a wet October day in 1895 when Lady Cantelupe hit the first shot on the new, rather primitive, nine hole Crowborough Beacon Golf course. 
  
• In the early 1880s a group of men and women recognised that a piece of rough heathland at nearly 800 ft. above sea level known as the Manor of Alchornes owned by the De La Warr family with a majestic outlook to the South Downs and beyond was an ideal spot for a golf course.
  
• After the drive-in (and lunch!) there was an 18 hole exhibition match between J H Taylor, the Open Champion of 1884, and J Rowe, the Royal Ashdown professional.
  
• The initial development was no small task to be undertaken by the ‘founding fathers’. Firstly, the Earl De La Warr was approached by Hugh Verrall to obtain access to the common who readily agreed to a 25 year lease. Next, a Clubhouse was required and, fortunately, available for rent was an imposing two storey, turreted house named ‘Chiflik’owned by the local Wolfe family at the current Clubhouse location near the 1 st tee and 18 th green.
  
• Three members Corfe, Langridge and Verrall signed the lease for the Clubhouse. The undoubted ‘powerhouse’ behind these early years was GT Langridge both financially and administratively and included a major contribution to the architecture of the first course.
  
• With improved rail links, Crowborough was also establishing itself as a healthy place to spend time away from the cities and towns (and still is). There were 5 local hotels and three bedrooms available in the Clubhouse for visitors who came from as far away as London and Brighton. Journey time from London to the Club by train and then pony and trap was listed at 1 hour 20 minutes (only)!
  
• The first men’s monthly medal was held in April of 1896 with GT Langridge runner up to GS Ashby-Darcy. Only scores up to 130 were recorded. The ladies followed in July of the same year with Miss Langridge taking the honours.
  
• Within 5 years the membership had grown to nearly 300 and in such a short time the Crowborough Beacon Golf Club had progressed from an idea conceived in smoke-filled rooms at the then Red Cross Inn to a thriving golf club whose course was showing signs of being an important links, providing healthy rivalry to Ashdown.

The Early 1900's

• The Club had to move on its option to buy the Clubhouse by the end of 1902 or lose it. The freehold property plus its two acres (down to and just beyond the present 18 th green) would never be available again at a price of £2,100.
  
• The members had pledged half of the total required. The Captain, AE Taylor took the floor at the AGM and persuaded those present to meet the rest! Be reminded that this additional funding raised at the meeting was five times the subscription income total.
  
• Subscriptions at this time were 2 guineas for playing members and 1 guinea for lady and country members of which there were many.
  
• 1905 was also a pivotal year for the Club. With personal guarantees for the overdraft, at short notice the committee acquired the Manorial Rights of the Alchornes Manor from the Earl at the price of £750. The club was now its own landlord – a position that could be rivalled by few other clubs at this time. The future was secured so the Club and Course could be developed and expanded further with great confidence.
  
• Flush with success and, presumably, numerous wealthy members the committee proposed a new clubhouse be built with the existing building used as a dormy house.
  
• The new clubhouse, much as it is today, was open for business in August 1907 completed by Connors the local builder using stone taken from the quarry behind the present 4 th tee.
  
• In 1909 GT Langridge resigned from the committee after developing and steering the club through the most extraordinary and fascinating times. All current and future members have a lot to thank him for.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• The name of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first appeared on the roster of committee members. He was appointed Captain for 1910. Most of Conan Doyle’s writing was done at Windlesham Manor. His study looked out towards the clubhouse where now there would be trees to block the view. Although a member of other clubs, Crowborough was nearest and dearest to him. Lady Conan Doyle was elected Lady Captain for 1911.
  
• Sir Arthur played regularly until late in life when rheumatism got the better of him.
  
• The story is told that Conan Doyle made a pact with his son to meet him on what is now the fourth green exactly one year after his death should the son perish in the war – which he did. Whether the connection was made is unknown.
  
• From 1925 the course was altered to bring it up to ‘standard of a good modern inland course’. The first experienced greenkeeper was appointed.
  See 1926/7 below.
  
• The beginning of the next decade was marked by the death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1930. We can only assume that the vistas and weather patterns on view from his study to the course were inspirational in some of his stories of Sherlock Holmes.
  
  

• The Club has made two amazing discoveries relative to the (end of the) Conan Doyle period courtesy of contact from Neil Crafter a well-known golf architect and historian in Australia. Mr. Crafter has been researching Dr Alister MacKenzie and his golf course design work and also reviewing rare books written by the great golf writer and Times correspondent Bernard Darwin. Darwin was induced to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.
• Firstly, the availability of a rare book written by Darwin in 1926. The book is a hole-by-hole guide to Crowborough Beacon golf course published in 1926/7 and contains unique photographs of some of the holes. The volume had stayed unknown as in the bibliography of rare golf books, the earliest edition had thought to be 1934.
• Secondly, the reference by Darwin to the work the 'ingenious' Dr Alister MacKenzie had carried out on Crowborough Beacon! (Dr MacKenzie would shortly be designing the Royal Melbourne course in Australia and a little later Augusta National in the US).
• Club archivists had noted the involvement of 'a Dr MacKenzie' at that time - see a reference in our Centenary Book (page 20) - but no one had associated the name with the great man himself. Archivists found Green Committee minutes going back to the early 1920's. To their surprise there was a copy of a letter from CBGC Club Secretary Frank Holroyd to MacKenzie confirming the authorisation for him to proceed with the re-design work. The price agreed was £700 and the Club raised this money by selling £1000 of New South Wales Bond stock. From the records it appears that Dr MacKenzie was involved in the re-design of 8 holes.
• Coincidentally, at the time there was a member of the Greens Committee with the name of T H Mackenzie. It is possible therefore that in the past Dr A MacKenzie had been confused with the name of the local man, hence the confusion and (now amusing) reference in the Centenary Book ' 'In all six holes were changed in this shake-up and a Dr MacKenzie, who appeared to be knowledgeable on course construction, proposed some radical changes'..'!
• The rare Bernard Darwin book is now the property of the golf club. Crowborough Beacon is now officially added to the list of worldwide golf clubs associated with the famous Dr Alister MacKenzie. In both the UK and America there are established MacKenzie Societies, whose members include golf clubs subject to his design skills.