Wessex History

Written by Eddie Robertson

When I arrived in Dorset October 1990 to take over at Ferndown to remain in the Association of Golf Secretaries (AGCS) I had to transfer to either the Southern or the South West Region of the AGCS as those were those only areas with practical travelling time.

The Clubs in Dorset were, in the main, ‘administered’ by the Dorset County Golf Union (DCGU) which consisted of just over 20 clubs. The DCGU arranged the venue and date of the Spring Meeting and the secretaries had no control over that. Although it was conducive to talk to our colleagues from Dorset it did limit the exchanges from the other clubs from a wider area. The experience gained in this field was by either joining the two nearest regions which meant a lot of travelling to attend the South West or Southern areas for their meetings.

The history of the Wessex Region came to fruition when David Matthews, the Club Manager of Came Down, suggested that we should organise ourselves and that perhaps we should form our own region within in the AGCS. Before I was tasked to approach the Secretary of the AGCS, Ray Burniston, I informed the DCGU Secretary, Maurice Hutchins, that was the wish of the managers of the Dorset Clubs and Maurice agreed immediately.

In 1996 The Wessex Region was born with David Matthews as the Captain, Eddie Robertson as Secretary and Neil Hallam Jones as the AGCS National Representative.

Although we are a relatively small region we have extended our boundaries to include Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset, hence the name of Wessex.

We have played a full part in the National Association having had a National Captain, chairmanship of the now defunct Institute of Golf Club Management and provided a National Committee Representative over the years we have been in existence.