Congratulations to the Lundin Ladies Golf Club on reaching the 125th anniversary of their formal constitution. There was a lovely feature in the East Fife Mail this week (30 March 2016), which included the photograph below. The newspaper article suggests that this image dates to around 1897 (when the club house was first opened on its original site adjacent to the men's course). However, closer inspection shows this was in fact taken at the club house's present site with the 'Fir Park' trees in the background. It was actually the official opening of the new course at Standing Stane Park in 1910. Careful comparison with the second photograph (of Harry Gilmour driving the first ball at the opening event on 15 April 1910) shows not only the same trees outlined in the background, but the same ladies with the same outfits looking on.
Golf was played by ladies in Lundin Links prior to 1891. The previous year, such was the demand for a separate place for women to play golf, that a 20-hole course was laid out to the east of the men's course. The Dundee Courier of 26 August 1890 ran the brief piece below at the time. This early course was set out by a John George Glover. As the article suggests, Glover was based in London, however, he was a regular visitor to Lundin Links and was involved with the Lundin Golf Club at the time. He was the son of the Scottish businessman Thomas Glover, who established a large gas meter company in the 1840s. His son John worked for the firm, which had a significant presence in Scotland. The present ladies course was of course laid out by James Braid.
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