Like many golfers I started to play the game on a municipal golf course near where I live and I have posted here before about how pleased I am at my
local authority’s (Leeds City Council) commitment to golf.
In the early 1970’s a round of golf at Gotts Park cost 15p which was incredible value particularly as we used to sneak around the back of the clubhouse and play three rounds in the day!
It is a very short undulating course that suffers from all the usual muni problems and rejoices in the informal name of “Royal Gotts”. Unusually though, for a municipal golf course the greens are good, Leeds CC seem to train their Park Department staff there so the course is quite tidy.
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Back in the 70’s it was not unusual to find kids playing in bunkers, your ball mysteriously disappearing and on one memorable occasion a family picnicing on the first tee!
Gotts Park in those days had a wonderful pro who seemed to have a deal with Slazenger when it was a top brand to sell their “seconds” clubs and many a bargain was to be found, I once picked up a Seve Ballesteros 1 iron from there that was an absolute beast of a club.
Obviously, the pro sold all the usual stuff including an own label golf ball called a “Gotts Flyer” which whilst cheap wasn’t particularly cheerful because they only flew about half the distance of a normal ball and lumps quite frequently came off them!
Years later I dropped into Gotts and was reminiscing with the pro particularly about the Gotts Flyer and he told me I shouldn’t laugh because one of those had once been recovered from a lake on the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club! :-)


Have you seen our Free customisable (is that a word? :-) guide to all the Major winners and golf courses that have held Majors? Further details here!