Greenmount Golf Club owes its origin to fourteen local business and professional gentlemen who met on 24th June 1920 to discuss the formation of a Golf Club in the area. Eleven of them, together with three others, were elected to the first Council at the first General Meeting held on 7th July 1920. Mr H Rostron was elected as Captain and Mr Myles Kenyon, then High Sheriff of Lancashire and Captain of Lancashire County Cricket Club, accepted an invitation to become the first President. Entrance fees were set at £2 -2 -0d for the Gentlemen and £1 -1 -0d for the Ladies and annual subscriptions respectively at £3 -3 -0d and £1 -1 -0d.

Mr Kenyon retired as President in 1924 and was succeeded by Major Charles Ainsworth who was MP for Bury from 1918 - 1935. He held office until 1934 since when it has been in the hands of worthy members of the Club rather than of the wider community.

The course took shape on some 36 acres of land leased from Mr Simmonds of Greenhalgh Fold Farm. The Clubhouse was initially sited in a lean-to attached to the farmhouse, made habitable by the considerable efforts of the members. Mrs Simmonds was to provide catering services and Mr Simmonds was employed to help with the preparation and maintenance of the course. At first small greens were cut by hand mower and were extended when a motor mower was acquired. The purchase of a horse drawn mower (and a horse) began the transformation of pasture land into fairway.

The formal opening of the course took place on Saturday 18th June 1921 and was celebrated with a gala day, and a golf match played by the Captain and Vice-Captain, Mr H Rostron and Dr G Bailey against Messrs A Worthington and J Sutherst of Great Lever and Farnworth Golf Club. The result is not recorded but we do know that the generous visitors donated respectively the Worthington Cup and the Sutherst Bowl, the Club's first Trophies, which are still competed for annually.

Relations had deteriorated so far by 1925 that the Council bravely decided to dispense with the services of the landlord and his wife. The immediate upshot was that the members had to leave the modest comforts of the lean-to and were temporarily rehoused in the barn which still stands to the left of the first fairway. Construction of a new wooden Clubhouse on the present site was soon completed and Miss Olive was appointed Stewardess. She ruled over the Clubhouse and looked after the members, mostly with the support of but occasionally in defiance of the Council for 25 years until she finally retired in 1950, much missed and quite irreplaceable.

After protracted negotiation all the land and farm buildings were acquired for £2000 in 1935.

The Club prospered despite the privations of wartime, which included accommodating sheep for grazing as the preferred alternative to ploughing up the fairways, until disaster struck on the night of 22nd December 1947 when the Clubhouse was consumed by fire.

Fortunately, rebuilding was speedily commenced. The new Clubhouse was opened in mid-1948 and, having undergone a number of alterations and extensions, remains in use today.

In 1989 land was bought from Brick Barn Farm to extend the then 7th hole. More recently the acquisition of the land adjacent to the access road from Holcombe Road has allowed the Club considerably to extend and redesign the course to provide the attractive, yet testing layout, it now enjoys.

A E G Gardiner
Past Captain
Past President
Life Member