Club History
Cowglen Golf Club has no bucolic significance as the “Cow” in Cowglen is derived from the Gaelic word meaning hazel and who can deny that the name in its proper connotation of Hazel Glen calls up before the imaginative eye a romantic and attractive picture.
Before golf was played on this area of land, which is now Cowglen Golf Course, there was horse racing and one of the holes is still named “Racecourse”.
Horse racing was followed by curling on which is now the first fairway and this sport was enjoyed by the curlers of Pollokshaws and many a shout of “soop her up” and other rousing sounds of the roaring game must have resounded where the present Clubhouse now stands.
A third sport, fox hunting, preceded in all probability both curling and horse racing and certainly outlived both of them.
Cowglen Golf Club was formed on 26 January 1906 and within 3 months a 9 hole Course was laid out and ready for play on 12 May 1906.
In less than 12 months it had been extended to 18 holes and was open for play on 12 May 1907.
The Course remained in this layout until 1923 when following a report by the late James Braid a reconstruction of the Course took place and the extended Course was opened with an exhibition game involving the big four at that time; Braid, Vardon, Duncan and Mitchell, who returned a score of 71.
Cowglen Golf Club remained virtually unchanged until 1990 when the Club acquired an additional 47.5 acres and created new and challenging holes in addition to forming practice facilities, which are second to none in the Glasgow area, adjacent to the Clubhouse.
As modern technology has improved so has the condition of the Course whose greens have an enviable reputation in the West of Scotland.
Cowglen is not a long course by modern standards, but it calls for more accuracy than for hard hitting and several holes call for the golfer to make a decision “do I lay up or do I go for it”?
In addition to a challenging Golf Course, Cowglen offers outstanding panoramic views from the South across Glasgow and to the Trossachs in the North.
