Club profile: Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club
15th January, 2012 by Tania Longmire
Established in 1909, Walmer & Kingsdown was officially opened on April 17 that year with a match between James Braid, the course designer, and famed US professional golfer Harry Vardon, fondly remembered for the ‘Vardon Grip’, or ‘overlapping grip’ – still one of the most extensively adopted hand positions among professionals.
The natural beauty of the coastal location was upset during World War Two as all three armed services put its strategic advantage to good use. The clubhouse became a billet for 60 soldiers, and the course was swathed in barbed wire and peppered with gun emplacements asEnglandreadied itself for what it believed to beGermany’s inevitable invasion.
The damage the war wrought on Walmer & Kingsdown took two years for groundstaff to make good, and the club reopened shortly after its 50th anniversary on June 11, 1949.
From the outset, the club set out to be one where membership was about golfers enjoying their golf and where a warm welcome was extended to men and women players, young or old, who wanted to enjoy what is one of golf’s more dramatic settings.
The draw of the course largely takes care of itself, so the impetus has been placed on improving the interior offering, which the club had done well to prepare for.
Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club, which sits high up on the edge of White Cliffs Country between Dover and Deal, Kent, is the latest in a lengthening line of clubs that have realised the potential that a bespoke changing room refurbishment can provide.
Plans were firmed up last spring, co-ordinated by a fresh face at the club, one keen to work with the committee to introduce new ideas to take it forward.
David Nehra became club secretary/manager a year ago, having spent many years in a similar position at Sheerness Golf Club in north Kent. He raised the issue of clubhouse investment at a committee meeting last spring, specifically the changing provision, which had gone many years without any attention being lavished on it.
“The committee was very proactive in the plans,” Nehra recalled, “and we all recognised that good changing facilities play an increasingly important role in the successful running of a club and in attracting new members.
“Money was made available by the club for any improvements, which meant we could progress quickly with what we wanted,” said Nehra.
“It’s a tough market now. All golf clubs are upping their game to attract members, and we are no different. At this club, we all believe that investment is the best way to improve, and we’ve shown with our latest addition that it does pay off.”