Club Heritage
Founding of The Club
The origins of Sandiway Golf Club begins with the foundation of the Mid-Cheshire Golf Club in 1902. Established by a group of Northwich golfers, the club’s first home was a modest course in Winnington. By 1908, seeking a higher standard of play, the club relocated to the Moss Road area of Northwich, where a nine-hole layout provided a significant improvement in quality over the original grounds.
From the start of the war a large number of troops were stationed in the district, first British and later American. The golfers among these servicemen used the course whenever possible. However the 14th and 15th fairways were ploughed for food production so part of the course was temporarily lost. The course was maintained by three able bodied men, all over 70, supervised by the professional on a part-time basis.
One American golfing visitor carved his name on the trunk of one of the beech trees by 5th tee and this inscription can still be seen today. Another legacy of that period is the men's 4th tee. That was created during the war by bulldozing a 30 foot high horse-show shaped mound to be used as a rifle butts for American soldiers where they practiced their shooting skills prior to the invasion of Europe.
The decision by the Ministry of Transport to complete the western portion of the Northwich bypass resulted in the loss of the 3rd hole and the abandonment of the 2nd and 4th holes. 49 acres of new land was acquired to the south of the course. This land no accommodates the 13th, 14th and 15th holes. A happy result of these enforced changes has been the legacy of the old 4th which is now retained as a very acceptable spare hole for occasional use.
During the 1960s and 70s Sandiway Golf Club enjoyed increasing membership and made improvements progressively to the course. An indication of the Club's standing in the golfing world came in 1967 when Sandiway was chosen as one of the two Clubs to host the qualifying competitions for the Open Championship - the finals being played at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake. From that time on Sandiway has been the venue of both amateur and professional national competitions as well as innumerable County competitions and Inter-county matches. Indeed, Cheshire County Golf Executive has used Sandiway clubhouse as its unofficial headquarters for many years.
During this period the clubhouse has been extended and many improvements to facilities have been undertaken; a professional's shop has been constructed; large investments in machinery and equipment to maintain the course have been made; and not least, leases have been purchased so that that club now owns the freehold of its assets.
The latest improvements are the installation of a new water sprinkler system across the course and replacement of outdated sewerage facilities.
1920-2020 Happy 100th birthday Sandiway! The Centenary celebrations began on January 4th, with a day of golf and an opening ceremony during the annual Professional's Day. Over 200 members attended the golf and afternoon ceremony when the Centenary flag was raised and the Centenary sandstone was unveiled.
One hundred years after its inauguration the club is regarded as one of the best courses in Cheshire.