While many golf clubs throughout Ireland have already celebrated their centenaries, and others are about to, Lambeg Golf Club is a comparatively new club. It was established in 1986 by two friends from Lisburn, Alex Hamilton, a Chartered Accountant and Tom Smyth who was Secretary of the Construction Industry Federation. They arranged a public meeting in Lisburn Leisure Centre by placing an advert in the Ulster Star calling for support from anyone interested in forming a golf club in Lambeg. About fifteen people attended the meeting. From these humble beginnings the club was established at the Aberdelghy Golf Course on the outskirts of Lisburn. This parkland course was owned and managed by Lisburn Borough Council (now Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council).
With a lot of help and advice from the late Alfie Collis, MBE, of the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI), the Club compiled a constitution and applied for, and achieved, affiliation to the GUI in 1988. Greg Ferris and others from Lisburn Borough Council worked hard to get the course ready and to arrange for it to be surveyed.
Tom Smyth was the club’s first Captain and President. Alex Hamilton was the first Honorary Secretary.
George Heron, who had an antique shop in Lambeg village, created a crest for the club based on the crest of the Richardson family who, in the nineteenth century, owned a number of linen mills, bleach works and warehouses in the Lambeg area.
The late Ian Murdoch was the first golf professional associated with Lambeg Golf Club. Ian was renowned as one of the finest golf teachers in the whole of Ireland and had previously been the professional at Royal County Down.
Initially the course had only nine holes but it was later extended to 18 holes. In 2010 David Jones, a golf professional who has played, and won, on the European Tour, and is now a renowned golf course designer, was contracted to redesign and upgrade the new nine holes.
Today, the recession has resulted in many other clubs losing, or struggling to retain, members. However Lambeg Golf Club is thriving and increasing its membership, so the future looks assured.