History of the Union

The Devon County Golf Union (DCGU) was established in 1911 by the Devon Clubs. In brief, the DCGU is a non-profit making organisation which devotes its resources to the development and administration of Amateur Golf in Devon. It is responsible for:

Affiliation of Member Clubs’
Course Assessments (Course Rating) to produce Standard Scratch Scores (SSS)
Handicapping
County Championships, Inter-County Matches, Inter-Club Match Play events
Junior Golf (via the Devon County Junior Golf Society).

The Union is funded by Affiliated Club Member subscriptions, receipts from the County Card Scheme and various ancillary means including sponsorship and donations.

There were 17 affiliated golf clubs in existence in 1911. The first County President was Capt. E.F. Morrison Bell M.P., the first Secretary was W. Whytock and the first County Captain was L.C.H. (Lionel) Palairet whose name became synonymous with County Golf in the early years. Since those early days, the Union has grown in number to 45 Affiliated Clubs (plus 3 Artisan Clubs). To date, 16 clubs have celebrated their Centenary.

The DCGU is the effective link with the English Golf Union Ltd (EGU) and has a Voting Member who attends the EGU General Meetings. The DCGU has an Executive Committee (with various sub-committees) to run its affairs and a full-time Secretary to keep everything in order and provide advice and guidance on a wide range of golf related subjects for the benefit of the DCGU and its Affiliated Clubs