Kathleen Garnham: Walton’s female golf champion.
Thursday 10 August, 7pm

Talk by Steven Walker about Kathleen Garnham, Walton’s female golf champion. 

Walton on the Naze is known for many things; great beaches, the Pier, Fishing, Family caravan holidays, and the Naze which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its Nature Reserves, geology, fossils and rare habitat.

But few people realize that there was a Golf Course on the Naze in the period up to the outbreak of World War 2. And probably even fewer people know that the Golf Club was the home base of a World class Internationally competitive female golfer- Kathleen Garnham. The area is prone to erosion by the North Sea and the land occupied by the golf course has long been lost to the sea. As the cliffs collapse drainage pipes used to water the course are often found on the beach.

In the 1920’s Kathleen Garnham was a World Champion Golfer at a time when few women played the game or were even allowed in male-dominated golf clubs. In retrospect she could be regarded as a feminist icon, unafraid to take up a sport where women were mostly expected to make tea and sandwiches for the men.

The Links Golf Course was built on The Naze north of the iconic Naze Tower, and designed by one of the country’s leading golf designers: the 18-hole course was created by James Braid a five-times Open champion who created over 20 courses around Britain. The Naze golf club was officially inaugurated in 1928. Local newspapers reported in January 1925 that 120 acres of land had been purchased at the end of the Naze for a golf course.

The Nose bookshop. Free.