Coxmoor Golf Club

The process of establishing a golf course in Sutton-in-Ashfield took its initial steps in 1913 when local business and professional community members formed a committee to locate suitable land. By October 10, the committee commenced the formalities of creating the club, and by the end of November, land negotiations were nearly complete with play anticipated to begin by spring of the following year.

Evidence shows that the Coxmoor Golf Club's first nine holes were designed and laid out by Mr. Tunbridge, a professional from the Mansfield Golf Club, over a highland area under a land lease agreement from the Duke of Portland. Restrictions were implicated by the Duke which included a prohibition on play before 1pm on Sundays, and an initial absence of caddies for reasons not recorded.

The club experienced immediate growth and demand, leading to a subscription model and setting a membership cap of 100 subscribers. By 1919, the club introduced its first notable competition, and by the start of 1921, committee members discussed expanding the course and clubhouse, proposing the club become a limited company with a capital of £500.

The golf course was extended to an 18-hole layout in the late 1920s, on land offered by Mr. Arthur Farnsworth, with the design work by Tom Williamson and Coxmoor's professional, Len White. This expansion required inventive solutions like a custom-built tractor for land preparation due to financial constraints and the lack of advanced machinery.

By 1929, Coxmoor Golf Club was in full operation as an 18-hole course with modifications over the years, including acquiring additional land in 1934 for a new 18-hole course plan devised by Tom Williamson. The new layout, primarily treed and influenced by the elements, presented a significant challenge to the players who used equipment of the time, such as hickory shaft clubs and gutta percha balls.

Negotiations in the post-war era culminated in Coxmoor's pursuit of land ownership, although initial bargaining with the Welbeck Estates saw a deadlock. However, Len White's dwindling health led to his eventual resignation as steward in August 1947, marking a transitional period for the club's management and the solidification of Coxmoor as a central part of the golfing landscape in Nottinghamshire.