Since 1911
More than a century of golf at Rothley Park
The story of Rothley Park Golf Club begins long before the first ball was struck.
In 1893, businessman Frederick Merttens purchased the 700-acre Rothley Temple Estate with an ambitious vision for the area. His plans included the creation of Rothley Garden Suburb, but for that development to succeed, Rothley needed something crucial: a railway station.
Merttens successfully campaigned for the new railway line between Leicester and Loughborough to stop at Rothley, with Rothley Station eventually opening in 1899. The arrival of the railway encouraged new homes around The Ridgeway and Swithland Lane, and helped lay the foundations for the community that would eventually support a golf club.
By 1910, another important part of Merttens’ vision was beginning to take shape. The natural landscape surrounding Rothley Brook was identified as an ideal setting for a golf course, and renowned Midlands golf professional and course designer Tom Williamson was commissioned to create it.
What followed was the beginning of more than a century of golf at Rothley Park.
The story in episodes
Club history documents
Read each chapter below, or open it in full.
A club timeline
From estate to championship parkland
Scroll through the moments that shaped Rothley Park.
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1893
The Rothley Temple Estate
Businessman Frederick Merttens purchases the 700-acre Rothley Temple Estate for £40,000 and begins developing his vision for Rothley Garden Suburb.
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1899
Rothley Gets Its Railway Station
After years of campaigning, Rothley Station opens. The railway connection helps make Merttens’ proposed residential development possible and would ultimately play an important role in the creation of the golf club.
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1909–1910
A Golf Course Takes Shape
Tom Williamson, later known as the “Father of Midlands Golf”, is appointed to design the new course. The slopes beside Rothley Brook and the railway embankment provide the natural landscape for what would become Rothley Park Golf Club.
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1911
Rothley Park Golf Club Is Born
Around 40 men work under Williamson’s direction to construct the first holes and clubhouse. By May, 12 holes are ready for play, and in August 1911 the first recorded meeting of the newly formed Rothley Park Golf Club takes place. The club takes a lease on the course and buildings from the Temple Estates and the Merttens family.
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1912
The Official Opening
James Sorley, a scratch golfer from St Andrews, is appointed Rothley Park’s first professional after being selected from around 150 applicants. The club officially opens in May 1912, with some extraordinary names from the world of golf among those present, including James Braid, Harry Vardon and J. H. Taylor — the Great Triumvirate.
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1913
Eighteen Holes and Two Legends
By March 1913, Rothley Park’s full 18-hole course is ready for play, measuring approximately 6,000 yards. On 8 May, Harry Vardon and James Braid return for an exhibition match. Despite heavy rain and gale-force winds, Vardon edges the morning medal 78–79, before Braid wins the afternoon match 3&2.
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1914–1918
The Great War
The First World War had a profound effect on the young club. Many Rothley Park members served, and a number lost their lives. On 13 October 1915 alone, three club members were killed during the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt at the Battle of Loos.
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1921
Harry Colt Comes to Rothley
Celebrated golf course architect Harry Colt is invited to recommend improvements to the course. His proposals are accepted at a cost of £500, although the expenditure caused considerable debate among members at the time.
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1922
The Jack Seager Era Begins
On 17 March 1922, John Frederick “Jack” Seager is appointed club professional. A decorated First World War veteran who had received the Military Medal for gallantry, Seager would become one of the most important figures in Rothley Park’s history, remaining professional until his death in 1959.
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1923–1946
Rothley Park on the Open Stage
Jack Seager qualifies for his first Open Championship at Troon in 1923. Over the following two decades he qualifies for the Open ten times, playing at Hoylake, Carnoustie, Muirfield, St Andrews and Royal St George’s. His best Open finish came at Carnoustie in 1937, where he finished 47th.
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1929
A Course Continuing to Evolve
By 1929 the course measures 6,105 yards. Architects Hawtree & Taylor are commissioned to prepare an ambitious redesign that would have extended Rothley Park to 6,329 yards. Detailed plans are produced, although the proposed work is ultimately never carried out. Remarkably, much of the routing established during the club’s earliest years remains recognisable today.
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1931
A Ryder Cup Contender
Jack Seager’s performances earn him consideration for the 1931 Great Britain Ryder Cup team. After breaking the Rothley course record with a round of 65, he is selected for a Ryder Cup trial at Sandwell Park. Although he performs well, he narrowly misses selection for the final side.
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1939–1945
Golf Gives Way to the War Effort
Five holes are requisitioned for food production and the course is reduced to 13 holes. Jack Seager takes responsibility for agricultural production while continuing to maintain the remaining course. By 1941, 41 male and four female members of Rothley Park were serving in the armed forces.
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1946–1948
Rebuilding the Course
Work begins on reconstructing the affected holes, with German prisoners of war authorised to assist with some of the work. The 8th and 9th holes are eventually restored and officially reopened on Captain’s Day in June 1948.
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1950s
A New Generation
A new practice putting green is created in 1949 and the practice ground is enlarged in 1953. Jack Seager continues to represent the club with distinction, winning the County Professional Championship at Rothley Park in 1956 at the age of 60. His remarkable 37-year association with Rothley Park ends with his death in October 1959.
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1971–1972
The Course Takes Its Modern Shape
Course architects Cotton, Pennink & Lawrie are appointed to redesign and extend the 17th and 18th holes. Donald Steel visits Rothley Park in 1971 to present the proposals and work begins later that year. By the summer of 1972 the new holes are ready for play, adding approximately 300 yards and creating one of the most significant changes to the layout since its original construction.
Then and now
A course shaped by generations
More than a century after Tom Williamson first began shaping the ground beside Rothley Brook, much of the original character and routing of Rothley Park remains.
The course has survived two World Wars, welcomed some of the greatest names in the history of golf, and evolved through the work of several generations of members, professionals, greenkeepers and course architects.
Today’s Rothley Park is the product of that history, but it remains first and foremost what Frederick Merttens envisaged more than a century ago: a special place for golf at the heart of Rothley.