North Adelaide Golf Club

In 1985, the North Adelaide Golf Club published a book on the history of the Club.

The book was titled "Eighty Golfing Years" commemorating the Official opening of the North Adelaide Golf Club on 8 July 1905 at Montefiore Park, North Adelaide.

The author was Club member, Clarrie Bell, journalist and author who researched for over a year to gather the most accurate and detailed stories of the Club's origins and development. The Club was indeed fortunate to have a member with Clarrie's talents available and that he dedicated himself to such an onerous task.

"Eighty Golfing Years" is no longer in publication but copies are known to be available at second hand bookstores from time to time and on eBay. Depending on the condition of the book, asking prices seem to be up to $40.

In 2004 / 2005, the North Adelaide Golf Club celebrated its Centenary Year and there is an extensive description of the Club's Centenary Year on this website. At the gala Centenary Year Celebration Dinner, the Club published a Celebration Dinner Souvenir Program. The Souvenir Program included an abbreviated history of the Club also written by Clarrie Bell.

Meanwhile, here is the text of the jacket of "Eighty Golfing Years": -

"The North Adelaide Golf Club is so indissolubly linked with the history of golf in South Australia that it may claim the strongest of historical threads back to the introduction of the game of golf in the State in 1870.

As a senior club, it may claim not only its officially recorded 'Eighty Golfing Years' but also the only golf club to continue in the early tradition of Parklands golf and the only club to show eighty consecutive annual general meetings.

Golfers on the original 9 hole course in paddocks at Montefiore Hill had to share the links with cows. To prevent cows from grazing on the greens, a post and wire fence was erected around them. Local rules were introduced whereby a golfer could take the shot again if the wire were hit and players could lift their ball without penalty from cow pats.

It is doubtful today, whether any city in the world has two 18-hole golf links and a par-3 golf course only a kilometre from the business heart of a capital city. the courses are a tribute to the Adelaide city Council of 1921 which took over the original 9-hole course and extended it to 18 holes. It was the second public course of its kind in Australia, the other having been started at Moore Park in Sydney.

Many first class golfers learned their golf at North Adelaide and talented juniors have since become State champions or have added lustre to North Adelaide Golf Club record books with selection as representatives of the State in Australian golf."


The following background on Clarrie Bell is also reprinted from the jacket of "Eighty Golfing Years": -

"Clarrie Bell is a South Australian born and bred with family links reaching back to the earliest days of settlement.

An author and journalist for more than 20 years, he recently completed four years study of English and Australian Literature at the University of Adelaide towards his B A Degree.

In sport, Clarrie has followed a family tradition in cycle racing which goes back to a grandfather winning an Australian Championship riding a 'penny farthing' cycle in 1889. Clarrie became South Australian Professional Individual Pursuit Champion; represented the State in National Professional Cycling Titles at Bundaberg, Queensland and Broken Hill New South Wales; was a member of the 4-man team that 'placed' in the inaugural Sun Tour (a gruelling 6-day, 1000 mile cycling race through Victoria and won numerous major wheelraces such as the Whyalla Wheelrace.

Since taking up golf in later years with moderate success in competitions at the North Adelaide Golf Club ('C' Grade Champion, Mesnil Cup, and the Hodge Trophy to name a few), a day has not gone by when Clarrie doesn't talk golf, watch golf or think about golf. The only thing left to do was to write about golf.

Publishing this book, with research of more than 12 months, has given Clarrie an insight into the North Adelaide Golf Club history and how the club has achieved its present status through the dedicated efforts of countless club members over the past eighty golfing years."