Andrew Wilson never set out to be Kiama Golf Club’s official historian but, after more than 50 years of membership at the club, it was a gimme.

On Saturday Andrew will host a talk for the Kiama Historical Society, sharing 122 years of the golf club’s history from its early years at Chapman Point, to a brief period at what is now Kiama High School, to the past 90 years at Minnamurra.

Andrew grew up in the area and became a Kiama Golf Club member in 1971.

Four decades later, when a member of the board discovered Andrew’s passion for playing golf with hundred-year-old hickory clubs, he was asked to delve into the club’s dusty archives.

“Hickory clubs are the golfing equivalent of driving around in a Model T Ford,” laughs Andrew. “Presumably as a consequence, I was asked to take on the role of Kiama Golf Club historian.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Andrew found himself going down the proverbial rabbit hole, and his sleuthing not only uncovered a treasure trove of fun facts but unearthed his passion for research.

Nell Caird the 1909 NSW Ladies Amateur Champion. Photo: Kiama Golf Club

When he first began trawling through old newspapers and documents, Andrew made an interesting discovery; Kiama Golf Club had celebrated its centenary in 2005 but the club had in fact opened in 1903 not 1905 as first thought.

“A story published in 1903 in the Shoalhaven Telegraph says: ‘Kiama can now claim a golf club … and with a goodly number of members there is every prospect of (the club) having a very successful career’,” explains Andrew.

He has since spent almost 15 years documenting the club’s ‘very successful career’ after being given a box of documents, photos and old newspapers as the newly-minted club historian.

“It was all hard copy,” says Andrew. “I didn’t really know what to do but just started reviewing, scanning and recording the documents. I also used Trove, an excellent research tool, and interviewed long-time club members like Margaret Boyd to fill in the gaps.

The Boyds continue to have strong links to the club, 90 years after Cyril Boyd made the land available for the Minnamurra course in 1935.

“Margaret won 23 club championships over six decades,” says Andrew. “She could really hit a ball. Her sister-in-law Val Boyd probably stopped Margaret from winning more. Val won 10 out of 12 championships between 1961 and 1972.

“Margaret and Val were the respective wives of Alan and Sam, Cyril’s sons. Sadly Alan died suddenly in 1972 while president of the golf club, but the Boyd family continues to play a significant role in the club’s history.”

Margaret’s daughter Noni and granddaughter Amy are upholding the Boyd tradition of strong female golfers at Kiama. Andrew’s research also shows the pivotal role a large number of women historically played in the club’s success.

Nell Caird plays a shot while Nancy Parbury, the eventual runner-up, looks on in 1909. Photo: Kiama Golf Club

“You go right back to the very, very early days and there are quite a lot of women who were active golfers at the club,” says Andrew.

Kiama golfer Nell Caird was the runner-up in the Inaugural NSW Ladies Country Championship in 1906 and crowned the NSW Ladies Amateur Champion 1909.

Press reports called the club ‘one of the most progressive’ in NSW. In 1935 there were 35 associate members (women were only allowed to be associates at the time, not full members) and only 30 male members.

“That was the same year that the new course at Minnamurra was unveiled with great fanfare,” says Andrew.

The president of the suburban country golf association did the honours and was quoted in the Kiama Reporter and Illawarra Journal as saying that ‘golf is primarily a man’s game’ but the ladies ‘excelled themselves in serving a truly delightful meal on the verandah’.

“I don't know whether he was aware of the fact that the women actually outnumbered the men at the golf club,” laughed Andrew. “But, by all accounts, he got out of Kiama with his skin still intact.”

By the 1980 and ‘90s golf was booming, Greg Norman was at the peak of his power, and Kiama’s playing membership grew to over 1000. The battle for places on the competition timesheet was fierce, with ladies and men both playing midweek. This sparked the ‘Great Wednesday Competition Controversy’ with female golfers taking their concerns to the anti-discrimination board.

“Increasing pressure on tee times for the Wednesday comp led to a proposal to move the ladies’ comp to Thursdays,” explains Andrew. “This was not well received by the ladies but thankfully the matter was resolved.”

If you’d like to find out how, or you just want to know more about Kiama’s rich golfing history join Andrew’s talk – The History of Golf in Kiama – at the Kiama Library Auditorium on June 21 from 2pm. Tickets include afternoon tea and are $3 for members and $5 for non-members.