Today, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is synonymous with Muirfield, one of the golf courses on The Open Championship rota.
A lesser-known fact about this honourable company is that in 1744, then known as the Gentleman Golfers of Leith, they produced what is recognised as the oldest surviving rules of golf.
A total of thirteen rules were agreed upon for the very first competition played by the gentlemen golfers on Leith Links. Most of the rules, in one form or another, survive to this day … though my particular favourite is rule #10, namely …
“If a Ball is stopped by any person, horse, dog, or anything else, the ball so stopped must be played where it lies”
Roll the clock forward to 2023 and the latest edition of the Rules of Golf collaboratively compiled and published by The R&A and the USGA. There are now twenty-five rules, all containing several sub-rules, comprehensively captured and available in various media formats.
Despite the (numerous) additional and modified rules that have occurred between 1744 to 2023, the underlying principles of golf have always been …
“Play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. Play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game”
These principles were most definitely uppermost in the hearts and minds of the staff, committee, members and caddies of Richmond Golf Club, London in 1940, so that they could continue to play golf during World War II.
Battle of Britain
During World War II, the Battle of Britain, which began in July 1940, was a battle for daylight aerial superiority over the United Kingdom between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force/Fleet Air Arm.
By September 1940, the Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain. The German air fleets were then ordered to attack cities, towns and industrial targets, with the Blitz beginning with bombing raids by Heinkel He 111 bombers on the city of London.
Several towns in London were also bombed, including Richmond, a town in southwest London about 8 miles from the city centre. One landmark in Richmond that was impacted was the golf course at Richmond Golf Club.
Richmond Golf Club
Richmond Golf Club was established in 1891. The course was originally designed by Tom Dunn, a renowned golf course architect, who in the late 19th century was at the forefront of developing courses inland rather than the traditional coastal links.
The clubhouse is a Grade 1 listed building … Sudbrook House was built in 1725 and is considered one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture and was leased to Richmond Golf Club back in the 1890s.
This par 70, 6091 yards, parkland course, is short by modern standards. However, the narrow tree-lined fairways, strategic bunkering and long par 3s afford a challenging test for golfers of all abilities … and the course was most definitely a challenging test, and some, during the Blitz!
Indomitable Spirit
After the bombing destroyed the laundry, an outbuilding belonging to Richmond Golf Club, the members decided that whatever might happen to the course as a consequence of the German bombing raids, nothing was going to prevent them from playing a round of golf!
And thus … in the autumn of 1940, some of the members drafted and published the following sublime, albeit slightly tongue-in-cheek, temporary golf rules … and in my opinion, Rule #7 is awfully harsh!
Rule #1
“Players are asked to collect Bomb and Shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the Mowing Machines”
Rule #2
“In Competitions, during gunfire or while bombs are falling, players may take cover without penalty for ceasing play”
Rule #3
“The positions of known delayed action bombs are marked by red flags at a reasonably, but not guaranteed, safe distance therefrom”
Rule #4
“Shrapnel and/or bomb splinters on the Fairways, or in Bunkers within a club’s length of a ball, may be moved without penalty, and no penalty shall be incurred if a ball is thereby caused to move accidentally”
Rule #5
“A ball moved by enemy action may be replaced, or if lost or destroyed, a ball may be dropped not nearer the hole without penalty”
Rule #6
“A ball lying in a crater may be lifted and dropped not nearer the hole, preserving the line to the hole, without penalty”
Rule #7
“A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball from the same place. Penalty one stroke”
Challenges
The unique, and at times extreme challenges presented by the bombing and the constant threat of air raids, were met head-on by all at Richmond Golf Club, such as …
- George Hudson, the club’s secretary, picked up shell caps and incendiary bomb parts from around the course.
- Caddies, wearing flat caps and long overcoats, marked the positions of time bombs with red flags!
- Members picked up various incendiary parts, including those from Molotov bread baskets.
- During alerts, players hurried to air raid bunkers situated on the course.
- Carefully moving balls in bunkers when landing in close proximity to unexploded devices!
- Removing shell splinters from golf balls.
Propaganda
These temporary rules attracted much publicity and were widely published as a statement of defiance against German aggression.
Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, was so enraged that he used these rules in a radio broadcast, in an attempt to mock the British.
The mouthpiece for these radio broadcasts during World War II was William Joyce, better known as Lord Haw Haw. On this occasion, he tried to castigate the British with …
“By means of these ridiculous reforms the English snobs try to impress the people with a kind of pretended heroism. They can do so without danger, because, as everyone knows, the German Air Force devotes itself only to the destruction of military targets and objectives of importance to the war effort”
(At the end of World War II, William Joyce was captured, convicted of high treason and sentenced to death … he was the last person to be executed for high treason in the United Kingdom)
War Relief Fund
The war effort of Richmond Golf Club did not stop with the temporary golf rules. In May 1942, they hosted an 18-hole fourball match, held in aid of the ‘Daily Sketch War Relief Fund’ … just over £100 was raised for this fund, which supplied wireless sets and other comforts to the fighting forces.
Reggie Whitcombe (1938 Open Champion) and Arthur Lacey (6 professional wins) played against Alfred Padgham (1936 Open Champion) and Sam King (14 professional wins). The match, which attracted a large crowd, finished all square.
Conducted by Leslie Henson (comedian, actor, producer and director), an auction was held after the match to raise further funds for the relief effort.
Stage Golfing Society
Leslie Henson was also a passionate golfer, whose efforts secured a Gold Cup, one of many trophies contested by the Stage Golfing Society, whose members are creatively involved in the Entertainment Industry … and their home is none other than Richmond Golf Club!
(If you have a few minutes, please visit The Stage Room … a truly unique array of golfing memorabilia)
Global Pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of life. From a golfing perspective in the United Kingdom, golf clubs were closed for many months and when re-opened, strict rules were in force.
In 2020, and very much in the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the temporary golf rules introduced 80 years earlier, the Stage Golfing Society drafted temporary golf rules for Richmond Golf Club, this time with COVID-19 as the enemy.
Unfortunately, I was unable to secure permission to assimilate an image of these very funny rules within this article. My favourite is rule #7 which states that …
“Any player dying on the course may be classed as a moveable obstruction. Please see the list in the Pro Shop for those players who may be regarded as immovable obstructions”
Moral
I hope you have enjoyed this article. Maybe the moral of the story is to think twice about complaining to the greens committee about the state of a golf course!
Finally, it would be great to hear from Golfing Herald readers about similar stories where exceptional local rules have been introduced. To share your story, please use the comments section below.
Attributions
For the photographs used to augment this article, attributions are as follows …
- Heinkel He 111 Bomber ~ Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-343-0694-21 / Schödl (e) / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Richmond Golf Club Clubhouse and 8th Green ~ Theobaldg, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Leave a Reply