The Belvoir Park Golf Club: A Celebration

Belvoir (pronounced ‘beaver’) Park Golf Club, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was founded on 23 February 1927.  A meeting had taken place the previous year, 30 September 1926, at 5 Bedford Street with prominent businessmen including the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sir William Turner, DL, JP after which they approached Lord Deramore to option a lease (which the club eventually bought out in 1972) on the land. A public meeting followed which was chaired by the mayor, who together with his wife would be named captain and lady captain, for which 100 attended.

The club was established during a period of economic depression around the time of the General Strike (1926), showcasing the determination and vision of its founding members. The club was financed by the issue of fifty GBP100 bonds at an interest rate of 5%. Lord Deramore  leased 163 acres of his estate for ten thousand years at an annual rent of GBP700 for the construction of an 18-hole golf course. Harry Hammill was the first professional appointed by the club in 1928.

The course was, at the suggestion of Anthony Brutus Babington (later made honorary member for services to the club), the then Attorney General for Northern Ireland, designed by the renowned golf course architect Harry S. Colt whose design philosophy focused on creating courses that were both challenging and enjoyable for players of all skill levels. Messrs. Franks, Harris Brother Limited carried out the construction work in accordance with Colt’s design and a full 18-holes were completed in autumn 1928. The clubhouse designed by James Scott, one of the founding members, was completed in 1929 at a cost of GBP2k. Lord Deramore was made first president and he allowed his family coat of arms to be use on the club crest with the motto ‘Nocte Volamus’ (we fly by night) a bat reference.

Belvoir Park is a championship parkland course that meanders through 163 acres of mature woodland. The course is known for its strategic layout, featuring narrow fairways, well-placed bunkers, and undulating greens.

The club hosted the Irish Open Professional Golf Championship in 1949 (Harry Bradshaw) and 1953 (Eric Brown), Irish PGA Championship in 1935 (Sydney Fairweather) and 1995 (Philip Walton), Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship in 2008 (Paul O’Hanlon) and the Ulster Volkswagen Classic (1984-1987).

Notable golfers from Belvoir Park include Ian Elliott, the 1975 winner of the West of Ireland and Michael J. Malone who won the North of Ireland (1980) and runner-up in Spanish Amateur and West of Ireland (1982). Michael Bannon played out of Belvoir Park when he was runner-up to Ronan Rafferty in the 1980 Irish Amateur Close Championship and the following year turned professional. Together with Harry Diamond, the 2012 West of Ireland champion, they went on to fame and fortune as Rory’s coach and caddie.