Moortown Golf Club is a

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

located in

Alwoodley Alwoodley is a suburb and civil parishes in England, civil parish of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is north of Leeds city centre, central Leeds and is one of the most affluent areas of the county. Alwoodley lies in the LS17 postcode are ...

, near

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It was founded in 1909, and the championship

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

was designed by

Alister MacKenzie Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was an English golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the British Army during the ...

. In 1929, Moortown hosted the second

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

matches, the first to be played in Great Britain. About two thousand spectators saw America gain a narrow lead before the Great Britain team won singles on the final day and thus the competition by a score of 7–5 points. Moortown was a regular venue on the British PGA tournament circuit, which later became the

European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

, through to the mid-1980s, hosting the

Yorkshire Evening News Tournament The Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was a professional golf tournament that was held in the Leeds area of Yorkshire, England between 1923 and 1963. It was a fixture on the British PGA tournament circuit, which would later become the European To ...

(19 times between 1925 and 1962), the Daily Telegraph Foursomes Tournament (1949), the Lotus Tournament (1950), the Silentnight Tournament (1965), the Tournament Players Championship (1980) and the Car Care Plan International (1984–1986). The club has also hosted qualifying rounds for

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

as well as being the venue for the English Amateur four times, and the Brabazon Trophy on five occasions.

History

Plans for the establishment of Moortown Golf Club were revealed in 1908. The

designed course, built on Black Moor, land that was leased from the Lane-Fox estate, partially opened the following year. Soon after, the full eighteen holes were open for play. Development of the course continued through into the 1930s, by which time MacKenzie's brother, Charles, was overseeing the work. The official opening of Moortown was commemorated with a challenge match involving James Braid and

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

in September 1910; the event was originally planned for May but was postponed following the death of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

Tournaments hosted

Ryder Cup

European Tour

Amateur

* – ''Event reduced to 54 holes because of adverse weather.''

References

External links

Moortown Golf Club
official website {{Ryder Cup venues , state=collapsed Ryder Cup venues Golf clubs and courses designed by Alister MacKenzie Golf clubs and courses in Yorkshire Sport in Leeds Sports clubs and teams established in 1909