Douglas Water Golf Club reaching its centenary

Club president Jim Allen, 77, told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette that on Saturday, August 20, members and specially invited guests will participate in a Centenary Cup competition to celebrate the occasion, before players enjoy a buffet and music in a specially-erected marquee.

Sixteen-handicapper Allen, who was Douglas Water captain for the club’s 75th anniversary in 1997, first joined back in 1990 having initially moved north from London way back in 1973.

For many years he and his late wife Mabel lived in Lanarkshire, with Allen spending 28 years in the police force before retiring aged 55.

"My wife came from Airdrie, we came up and I joined the police force,” he said. “We lived in Airdrie, then I had a flat in Lanark and then we moved to Blackwood.

"I came from London and you couldn’t get a game unless you were there at six or seven o’clock in the morning.

"There is much more space at Douglas Water, it’s a very hilly course but easy to get onto and nobody rushes you, with visitors welcome.

"I really like the friendliness of the members and the easy access to the course. I try to play golf three days a week.”

The nine-hole municipal Douglas Water course – par 72 if you go round twice – is currently in very good condition, with the greens vastly improved compared to last year after recent investment.

It’s been around since way back in 1922 when it was constructed by miners from Douglas Water.

One major headline maker at Douglas Water GC for over two decades has been the club’s best player Stewart Henderson, who in 2021 racked up his 23rd club championship title in a row.

Henderson, now 56, posted an impressive gross score of 70 at last year’s staging to ensure that the trophy stayed where it had been for the previous 22 years.

All in all, Henderson has won the club championship a record-breaking 28 times in total – his first victory coming back in 1985 when he was just 19 years old.

Henderson, also a member at Hamilton Golf Club, has been playing off a plus two handicap and plans to keep on playing at Douglas Water thanks to a close bond with the club he has been a member at since he was nine.