Wallasey was founded in 1891 by
members from nearby Hoylake, perhaps
because their links was becoming
crowded or maybe because Wallasey
was more convenient for the many
Liverpool businessmen wanting to slip
away to play golf.
Tom Morris senior of St Andrews, four
times Open champion, laid out the
links. An 1893 newspaper comment
that "...the greens were in excellent
condition..." has been repeated
continuously ever since.
Course improvements were made in 1901
by Alex Herd and in 1913 by Harold
Hilton. The links had been affected by
drifting sand in the early years, but
after the October gales of 1917 sand
inundated the holes closest to the
sea. There
was a real risk of golf being
abandoned. On top of this there were
problems with the local Council over
the lease and their plans to develop
the coastline.
Fortunately these problems were
resolved, a new coastal embankment
checked the encroachment of sand, and
the Club was able to consider
restoring the links to its former
glory. In 1929, James Braid was
consulted on alterations which led to
Wallasey being selected as a
qualifying course for the 1930 Open.
It was whilst Bobby Jones was playing
in the competition that the famous
portrait was painted by Wallasey
member J. A. A. Berrie, R.A.
(See "Bobby Jones"). Only two years
later the first stableford competition
was played at Wallasey. (see "Dr Frank
Stableford")
Although Wallasey was again an Open
qualifying course in 1936, a new lease
meant that the acreage was reduced and
a new layout was required. This was
designed by Hawtree and J H Taylor,
with additional advice from James
Braid.
The Second World War interrupted this
development and caused the loss of
some holes for defences. It was not
until 1952 that the full 18 hole links
was available, and in 1956 the Open
qualifiers were again held at Wallasey
when the Open returned to Hoylake. As
well as eventual winner Peter Thompson,
the competitors included Henry Cotton,
Gene Sarazen, Peter Alliss, and the 20-
year-old Gary Player.
1964 saw the retirement of club
professional Bill Davies after 36
years service, during which he also
managed 2 Ryder Cup appearances and
several top-10 Open finishes.
Improvements to the links have
continued to the present day, with
three new holes designed by Donald
Steel being introduced for play in
2004.
In 1995 and 2000 Wallasey staged the
Amateur Championship preliminary
rounds. In 2006 the club hosted Final
Qualifying for the Open Championship.
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