History
On the 9th June 1914 over eighty people assembled in a classroom at the Liberton village school to discuss proposals to set up a 9 hole golf course,
and to form a club for residents in Liberton. The committee looked around for suitable land and decided to approach Colonel Gordon Gilmore with a
supporting declaration signed by 105 people. The committee asked the colonel if he would lease about 60 acres of parkland at Kingston Grange or any
other suitable ground, this he agreed to in principle.
Unfortunately four days later world war one broke out and it took a further six years before the nine hole course was officially opened on the 19th June 1920 with
Mr James Welsh being the first captain of the club. At the clubs inaugural meeting held four months earlier on 19th February 1920 it was agreed that both gents
and ladies would have equal rights. This departed at that time from tradition but, the war had brought a change of attitude.
The nine hole course at this time was played over 52 acres which, was leased from Brigader-General Gordon Gilmore. To help pay for this lease and to help keep the
grass short the club rented the land out to a local farmer at Milton Bridge who, put his sheep on the land to graze. At the end of 1920 an agreement with Mr Watson
a tennant who had fenced off six acres of Kingston Grange land stated that the club could go ahead and use this land. This allowed the course to be extended from its
exisitng nine hole course to twelve holes.
By May of 1922 the course had been cosiderably extended and by the following year Libeton Golf club opened up its Eighteen hole course which, is basically the same as it is to-day.
However, the sequence of play has changed.
In 1923 the first hole was our present 8th hole, thus Liberton golf course started with a par 3 down the side of the club house. In those days
the outer ring of the course was played first with our current hole seven being hole 9 in 1923. The golfers then played the inner ring of holes (present numbers 1,2,3,12,14,15,16,17,and 18).
In 1929 the playing order was revised, many of the members had objected to a par 3 as the start, due to holding up play.
To-day the course almost reverts to order of play in 1923 for its winter course with the outer ring played first followed by the inner ring played for the back nine holes. As in 1923 golfers
leave green 3 and move onto tee 12 to start playing the inner ring, finishing at summer 18.