CLUB HISTORY
Darwen Golf Club
1891 - 1893
The Early Days of Darwen Golf Club
In the summer of 1891 Mr Corfield who was a Reverend in the area was walking back from Darwen to Tockholes over Winter Hill. He was surprised to encounter three men knocking a golf ball around with a curved stick. Already interested in the game of golf and a man of vision he saw the possibilities. His idea grew over the winter and in the spring of 1892 he and the three men set about forming the golf course.
On a certain Saturday afternoon the party of four, having received the necessary permission from the farmers and arming themselves with a spade (with which to make the holes) one club and one ball, went forth to play the game according to the then recognised rules.
At a meeting in September 1893 attended by seven people, Darwen Golf Club was born.
1929-1932
Richard “Dick” Burton
Richard Burton was born in 1907 in the small town of Darwen, on a farm near Winter Hill. He was the youngest, but tallest of three boys and with his brothers, Tom & John, used to watch members of the golf club play past their farm which was located just above the clubhouse. Upon leaving school Richard went into the mills and while still in his teens he was a four-loom weaver at Cobden Mill, which later became Crown Paints, in Darwen. He later returned to golf after undertaking a greenskeeping role at Darwen and then progressed onto becoming the clubs professional in 1929 at the age of 21.
After three years at Darwen, Richard left and became the professional at Hooton Golf Club. At Hooton, Burton developed his game, and he played in his first Open Championship in 1932. He would go on to play in the next six Open Championships without much success, but he immensely improved as a player during this time.
1935
Dick Burton - Top row, third from the left
Burton’s Ryder Cup Appearences
Since playing in his first Open Championship in 1932, Burton went onto win the Northern Professional Championship in 1934 and the following year he collected the Dunlop Northern Trophy which led him to be selected to represent Great Britain in the 1935 Ryder Cup.
Burton played in three Ryder Cups (1935, 1937, 1949) and won a total of two out of his five matches.
1939
The 74th Open Champion
In the 74th Open Championship, 1939, Burton was leading after two rounds at St Andrews, however a poor third round left him four strokes behind John Fallon. In the final round Burton found himself on the 18th hole needing a par four to win. He took just three strokes to complete a two under par round of 71 and win the Claret Jug at the Home of Golf.
Shortly after this win at St Andrews, Burton was enlisted in the RAF and fought for his country for the duration of World War II. Following the war Burton returned home having been in possession of the Claret Jug for seven years, five years longer than Shane Lowry in the modern day (2019-2021).
In his title defence in 1946 he would finish tied 12th, followed by a 5th place in 1947 which earned him another spot in the Ryder Cup team in 1949. Burton played in his last Open Championship in 1968 at the age of 60.
“I remember Dick Burton very well…watching him play in his Air Force Uniform…I can see him now, borrowed clubs, no proper golf shoes and going round Ferndown in 68 or 69 everytime he played. I particularly remember his backswing and the immense power he seemed to generate with very little effort”
The Burton Trophies
In 1986, Darwen Golf Club decided to honour the Burton brothers by adding the Memorial Trophy to their 1987 fixture list. In 1989, a further two trophies were donated to the clubs competition schedule, “The Burton Trophies” which includes a gross team trophy and a nett team trophy. The club also proudly displays the irons that Richard used on his way to victory at St Andrews in 1939.