A conversation with Charles Lock, Corhampton's Grand Old Man of Golf,
who still enjoys playing a few holes as he approaches 96.
When did you first see the course?
My father came over from the Isle of Wight and took a small farm in Bishop's
Waltham, where I was born. Our nanny took us for walks and one afternoon
when we walked to Corhampton Down I saw two men with sticks hitting a ball.
I asked nanny what they were doing and she told me they were hitting the
ball a long way and who got it into a hole with the least hits won. She added
its a game called golf and only the gentry play. I was aged about four and
Queen Victoria was still on the throne.
So that was your first introduction to Golf?
Yes, but it was not until 42 years later that I played at Corhampton. That
was in 1936 when I moved to Warnford.
Charles, how did you learn the game?
My father moved to Sussex and took a large farm on the Goodwood Estate at
Lavant and by good fortune there was a 12-hole golf course on the down close
to the farm. Minding sheep when I was home on school holidays I used to pull
up ash sticks and fashion the roots into something suitable to hit a ball
I found in the long grass. That's how my brothers and I developed our love
for the game.
What was the Corhampton course like when you started playing here in the
1930's?
A lovely nine-hole course, probably the best I have ever played on. You could
play in any weather, apart from in snow, and with springy downland turf to
walk on and beautiful views to admire what more could you want? It was a
sight to behold when the May blossom was out.
Was it a good test of golf?
Corhampton was a very different proposition in those days. The greens were
pocket handkerchief sized and the rough was so tough that when you strayed
off line you were really in trouble. Jim Silvester's flock of sheep was used
to keep the fairways trim, but you did extremely well if you returned a good
score.
Were there any amenities?
Before the war there was just a hut. Before playing you were supposed to
put two shillings into a box and sign your name in a book. Cricket was still
played on part of the course and the old pavilion was still there.
What happened during the war?
No golf was played and part of the land regrettably including the ninth (now
18th) hole was ploughed up under the ruling of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Somehow the greens were kept intact, thanks to the efforts of the then professional
Mr. Freeman and Bert Dedman. Bert worked for David Silvester's father and
in his spare time he tried to keep the courses shipshape. Some evenings I
would walk up to the course and help a bit. I was on the War Agricultural
Committee and had a lot of things to do.
And after the war?
When the ninth hole was restored the worst job was picking up all the stones.
The hut was turned into a clubhouse and Mrs. Dedman used to serve drinks
at the weekend. Dedman left to go to Alresford and later moved to Royal Winchester.
He was a great character one of nature's gentlemen - to whom Corhampton owed
a great deal.
What do you think of Corhampton today?
I am amazed at the way the club has grown and is still developing. I suppose
it reflects the remarkable growth of the game nationally. The club has certainly
come a long way since I took my first steps on Corhampton Down.