Established in 1887, Seaford Golf Club has a proud place in Sussex golf history. Explore the stories behind our early coastal course, our 1907 move to East Blatchington, the champions who played here and the members who shaped the Club.
Seaford Golf Club was founded in 1887, at a time when the game was taking hold across the Sussex coast.
From a coastal course at Seaford Head to an enduring golfing institution.
Seaford Golf Club was established in 1887, when golf was still a comparatively new sport in southern England. The original 12-hole course stood at Seaford Head, overlooking the sea, and was extended to 18 holes in 1889. This period illustration captures the atmosphere of early golf at Seaford.
Early women members, their own golf club, and the foundations of the Ladies’ Section.
Mrs Danby became the first woman elected to Seaford Golf Club on 7 December 1889. A separate Seaford Ladies’ Golf Club was established in April 1895 and developed its own nine-hole course and pavilion. The archive images capture early female golfers and social occasions at Seaford Head.
One of the Club’s enduring competitions, honouring its first Captain, Major William Webb Turner.
First played in 1893, the Turner Cup was presented in memory of Major William Webb Turner, the Club’s first Captain. Originally an 18-hole handicap match-play knockout, it remains one of the Club’s longest-running competitions. The photograph shows Turner’s portrait alongside an early honours board.
The move to East Blatchington in 1907 and J. H. Taylor’s influence helped establish the golfing character of Seaford.
A move inland marked the beginning of the course members know today.
As membership increased, the Club needed a larger clubhouse and more secure arrangements for its course. Negotiations with the Seaford Head landowner did not produce an agreement, and in 1907 the Club relocated to Bullock Down, East Blatchington. This original postcard shows the new links and some of its early golfers.
Five-time Open Champion J. H. Taylor helped shape a distinctive downland challenge.
John Henry Taylor was a five-time Open Champion, Ryder Cup captain and influential golf-course architect. Commissioned to shape Seaford’s new course, he used the natural contours of Bullock Down, including old dew ponds and flint quarries. The original layout measured 5,814 yards with a bogey of 81.
An extraordinary surviving object from the year the Club was founded.
The historic Jack Putter was in use in 1887, the year the Club was founded. It belonged to A. J. Jack and was presented to the Club in November 1946 by his son, Commander C. V. Jack, in memory of his father. It is displayed in the clubhouse today.
From determined members and historic captains to the generosity that secured the Club’s future.
A milestone in stewardship, community and the future of Seaford Golf Club.
After uncertainty over the course lease, Seaford Golf Club purchased the freehold in 1925 for £7,000, including additional land. The acquisition was financed through debentures, existing funds and a bank advance. F. C. B. Welch and Judge James Scully played important roles in the negotiations.
Clubhouse improvements, the Dormy House and a remarkable act of generosity.
In 1955 Alida Dormer, later Mrs Alida Snow, purchased the Club’s freehold, leased it back and supported important course and clubhouse improvements. The Dormy House was added in 1958. In 1968 she offered the Club back to its members for £50,000, with half payable interest-free over ten years—a defining act of generosity.
The historic clubhouse and a community shaped by the upheavals of two world wars.
The First World War brought a large military presence to Seaford. During the Second World War, the area and course were affected by military activity. This archive photograph shows the clubhouse in 1913, before the upheavals of the two world wars, and offers a striking view of an earlier era.
A rich competitive history that includes professional champions, county events and remarkable course records.
Club professional Joe Baker and visiting stars who helped establish Seaford’s reputation.
Seaford’s professional Joe T. Baker won the Sussex Professional Championship in 1950, 1957 and 1958 and became Captain of the Professional Golfers’ Association in 1964. The Club also welcomed notable visiting professionals. The adjacent historic photograph records a 1971 charity exhibition involving leading golfers.
From historic cards to Steve Watts’s outstanding round of 65.
On the original Seaford Head course, Miss Gilroy recorded a ladies’ 63 in 1897. At East Blatchington, Harry Weetman posted a professional 67 on 29 August 1963; E. Allan Snow then recorded an amateur 66 in September 1964, including a two at the par-four 13th. In 2022 member Steve Watts set a new record of 65. The original scorecards are preserved in the Club archive.
A memorable occasion in the history of women’s competitive golf at Seaford.
Seaford Golf Club hosted the Sussex Ladies’ Championship from 14–16 April 1986. This group photograph records the competitors, officials and supporters who helped make it an important county golfing occasion, continuing the Club’s long association with women’s competitive golf.
The social side of the Club and its proud history remain part of life at Seaford today.
A photograph of the refurbished bar captures the social side of the Club.
Golf has always been only part of the Seaford story. This photograph shows members enjoying the newly refurbished bar in 1986. Dinners, social occasions, charity events and friendships have been as much a part of Club life as the competitions on the course.
A living reminder of golfing heritage, with a connection to Oak Hill and the Ryder Cup.
In 2001 Seaford Golf Club received one of 100 commemorative oak trees presented to clubs with historic links to the PGA. The oak grew from an acorn associated with Oak Hill Country Club in New York, venue of the 1995 Ryder Cup. Today the tree is a living link between Seaford and the wider golfing world.
Nearly 140 years after its founding, the Club remains a place where great golf, friendship and a sense of belonging come together. The course continues to evolve, while the history behind it remains a source of pride.
We would love to hear from members with old photographs, scorecards, programmes or memories that could become part of the Club’s growing archive.
