Mornington Golf Club - Berhampore

In January 1916 a men’s club, the Wellington Municipal Golf Club, was established, and in March a women’s club, the ANZAC Golf Club, was also established. In 1919 the men’s club was renamed the Mornington Golf Club. The women’s club become the Mornington Ladies Golf Club and joined forces with the Mornington Golf Club.

Dr Cameron was elected the first Captain and the first President of the golf club.  He donated a cup which was competed for annually till 1929. In 1942 the Cameron Shield was dedicated to his memory and has been played for every year since.

The establishment of the course received great support from the local community but no sooner had the course opened and the Club established than it was surrounded in controversy. Namely the playing of golf on Sundays.

In 1915 there was a by-law in place that prohibited playing sport on Council land on Sunday, and although the Mayor and the majority of Council wanted golf prohibited on the Council Course on Sundays, the by-law did not specify golf and much, often humorous, debate ensued about whether golf was in fact a sport. The result being that the by-law was not enforced on the golf course. Sunday was the most popular and profitable day for golf as most workers only had Saturday afternoon and Sunday free each week.  After deputations from the Presbyterian Boys Home (that bordered the course) and the Presbyterian Assembly however, a new by-law that specifically prohibited golf on Sunday was enacted by the Council in September 1916. This created much public debate for and against, including a petition of over 2,000 signatures in favour of golf on Sunday.

Less than a month after the by-law was enacted it was deliberately flouted by the Club Secretary (well known local accountant William Whitehead) and he was taken to court by the Council in November 1916 and, after a long and very public battle (with the full support of the Club), the case ended up in the Supreme Court. In 1917 the Supreme Court deemed the Council by-law unlawful. William and the Club had won.

The popularity of the course grew exponentially. In 1917 80 tickets were being sold each Sunday, by 1919 that number had grown to over 140 on a fine Saturday or Sunday and as many as 220 on a holiday. The 9 hole course was incredibly congested and players often had to wait hours for a game.