The following History of the South Australian Golf Association spanning its first Centenary (1904-2004) appeared in the SA Golfer Magazine August 2004 Centenary Edition.

The South Australian Golf Association

By William P Holmesby
Former Vice President & Councillor of SAGA

FORWARD

The story of the origins and workings of the South Australian Golf Association has been written with the assistance of the research of Mr Clarrie Bell and described by him in his History of the North Adelaide Golf Club and of the parallel research of Ms Pauline Saunders in her University Thesis entitled ‘Nota Game but a Way of Life,’ Adelaide 1980.

Access to the Minutes of meetings of the Council and Executive Committee has ensured accuracy of events and I am indebted to Mr Peter Gilchrist, the Editor of the SA Golfer magazine for his format of the story and to Mr Malcolm Hall, first Executive Director for details of his first-hand experience of the acquisition of the Torrensville property.

My personal involvement with some of the events helping with the narrative and I trust that what follows will be of interest to readers.

After the departure back to Britain of the golf’s mentor and originator, Governor Sir James Fergusson, membership of that first club numbered less than 30, all of them Scotsmen. But although obviously individual enthusiasts continued their involvement it was not until the 1890s that there was sufficient interest to encourage them to form clubs and in that decade a number of clubs came into being in the city and country centres.

It then became obvious to a group of responsible city golfers that some form of organisation would be necessary so that all clubs would have guidance in organising their competitions. And this would ensure that there would be a better degree of comparability between clubs.

Click here to read the full history.