AS members of Ross-on-Wye Golf Club celebrate their centenary year in the beautiful surroundings of the Two Park course, they should pause and reflect on the vision and determination of their predecessors.

Two Park is their third home in an eventful 100 years, which saw the club almost fold on a number of occasions, to be rescued only by the dedication and commitment of members.

The official opening of the club, then known as Ross Golf Club, took place on September 17, 1903, at a site on the Alton Court estate.

Golfers vied with marksmen on the adjacent military range and a busy railway line, which ran through the middle of their course.

After the First World War times were particularly hard and the club was on the brink of closing down until Montague Maclean took over the reins. With his business acumen and drive, he pulled the club round and at an 'enthusiastic general meeting' was instrumental in persuading members to take up a lease option on ground at Rudhall.

John Henry Taylor, part of the famous British 'triumvirate of golf' with James Braid and Harry Vardon, was invited to lay out a new course.

Work started in May 1925 and the course was opened for play in the following summer.

There were still problems for the golfers because the conditions of the lease allowed six cows and an unlimited number of sheep to graze.

All sporting clubs produce outstanding characters and Ross was no exception. In 1929 18-year-old Tom Gurney joined the staff as an assistant greenkeeper. During the following 46 years he endeared himself to generations of members as the club professional, head greenkeeper and steward.

It was no surprise that on his retirement the clubhouse was overflowing with members wishing to pay tribute to his loyal and devoted service.

At the ceremony the club captain Bob Beavis announced the inauguration of the Tom Gurney Shotgun Foursomes, still one of the premier competitions on the club's calendar.

The well-drained land at Rudhall developed nicely and deservedly earned the reputation as one of the best nine-hole courses in the country.

An old water mill served as a temporary clubhouse but literally overflowed in wet weather. The problem was solved with the purchase of the now defunct Leominster Golf Club pavilion, which was dismantled and re-erected free of charge by the then captain Freddie Kemp.

A significant moment in the development of the club came with the arrival of Albert David Evans, or 'AD' as he became affectionately known by golfers throughout the land.

Born at Newton Farm, in the middle of the Old Brecon Golf Club, Evans studied at Christ College, Brecon, and Aberystwyth University before moving as a newly married 24-year-old to farm at Dymock.

Having already established himself as a member of the Wales amateur team, he started a long association with the club and greatly helped to improve the playing standards with his modest and astute help to the young golfers.

He represented Wales for 30 years and twice won their Amateur Championship, the second time at the age of 50. He was an outstanding competitor and won numerous Breconshire and Herefordshire championships, as well as playing in three Walker Cup trials.

His immense contribution to Ross golf is difficult to quantify but he captained the club three times, was president from 1976 to 1987, and played a large part in the development of the present course.

With the lease at Rudhall coming to an end, Frank Gardner, the club captain in 1960-61, started what the present oldest playing member and club doyen, Bill Bishop, called: "One man's dream to build a new course owned by the club."

At a meeting on June 6, 1962, it was agreed to purchase wooded land at Two Park Wood and a course construction committee was elected to carry the project forward.

It was chaired by Frank Gardner and included the club president, Col Maclean, AD Evans, Bill Bishop, George Lane, Gowan Grubb and Harold Bradley.

In the true pioneering spirit of the time, the committee met regularly with their enthusiasm overcoming many obstacles along the way.

Golf architect CK Cotton was persuaded by Evans to survey the site, but unfortunately his November visit to the sloping and heavily wooded site coincided with torrential rain.

His initial reaction was that to construct a course on that site would be virtually impossible. However, swayed by the infectious enthusiasm of the group, he agreed to set out a nine-hole course.

The rest is history as they say, and after clearing thousands of trees and preparing greens and fairways, Ross-on-Wye Golf Club, as it was then christened, was opened for play in 1964.

John Gabb, still an active club member, was co-opted to design the clubhouse, which was completed in 1965, and the second nine holes, also designed by Cotton, came into play in May, 1967.

Despite many difficulties along the way, thanks to the resolve and dedication of many former members, Ross-on-Wye is now flourishing and is regarded as one of the finest courses in the Midlands and West.