A Brief History of Lilley Brook Golf Club

Features :

A Brief History 
Course Designer
The Course

A Brief History
Prior to World War 1, there were two golf clubs in Cheltenham, Cheltenham Golf Club and Cheltenham Town Golf Club (now Cotswold Hills), both playing the same course on the lower slopes of Cleeve Hill.  Cheltenham Golf Club used what is now the Youth Hostel as the Clubhouse.  In 1922 Cheltenham Golf Club leased 132 acres of land to the south of Cheltenham, including Lilleybrook Lodge, and renamed the Club Lilleybrook (note the spelling) Golf Club after a tributary of the River Chelt which flows close by.  The course was designed by Mr. MacKenzie and included a cricket style pavilion as the clubhouse.

In 1964, as the original lease was nearing its end, the Club purchased the land and Lodge for £18,000 to include 27 acres to the south of the area known as the ’40 acres” which is now the site of the 15th and 16th holes.  In 1967 the Club obtained the “Drifts”, the land now housing the 5th and 6th holes, from Cheltenham Corporation by exchanging the 27 acres of unused land.  This enabled the redesign of the course to its current layout which was completed in 1969.  A new clubhouse, designed by Roger Dyer, was built and the old one went to Northleach to be used as a cricket pavilion.

Organ’s Field, which became available in 1978, was purchased by the Club and after considerable, but abortive, attempts to build a new Clubhouse on Organ’s Field, the current clubhouse was built in 1986 using the foundations of the “Roger Dyer” building.  The Tait Room, which now houses the TV, is a remnant of the previous clubhouse.

Lilley Brook is a traditional Members Club and as such the Club is run by a Committee consisting of a President, Club Captain, Immediate Past Club Captain, Vice-Captain, Ladies Captain, Honorary Treasurer and six Committee members elected  at the Club AGM in March. 

This area is an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Lilley Brook itself does justice to this designation.

The course is a parkland course, with many varied species of fine trees, including Red Maples, Indian Bean Trees, Walnuts, Oaks and many others. Particular mention has to be made of the magnificent Horse Chestnut tree that guards the right hand approach to the second green.