Coventry Hearsall Golf Club

Permission to lay out a new 9 hole golf course on Hearsall Common was granted by the City Council in June 1894 and Coventry Hearsall Golf Club was born. Building was not allowed on the Common so one of the founder members George Gilbert, who owned Chapel Fields House and surrounding farmland, built the first clubhouse on his land adjoining the Common in 1896.

Golf was by no means a private affair during this period - the common was still used for grazing animals, public walking and picnics, and the Royal Horse Artillery from Coventry Barracks could regularly be seen trotting across the course. Sunday was a day for religion, a tradition that was strictly adhered to, so quite a few eyebrows were raised in the City when on the 7th of July 1910, members voted to play golf on Sundays. There was however, two conditions - "no labour to be used and no refreshments supplied".