1901 to 2001 and Beyond
- Pre 1901 Golf was played on the Waratah common.
- 1901 Waratah Golf Club formed an affiliation with a tennis club to form Newcastle's First Golf Club
- 1905 Club became autonomous with small club house at Dangar Park
- 1911 Waratah Golf Club Ltd was formed and Kerr Street Course was opened - Membership was
sixty three
- 1915 Negotiations with neighbours to assist with flood mitigation
- 1918 Enquiries re another site commenced. BHP seeking expansion along the Hunter River.
- 1920 BHP purchased Kerr Street Course and one hundred and four acres was bought at Cockle Creek with easy access to the railway station. Club paid Newcastle Wallsend Coal 25 per acre.
- 1921 Course and Club House opened 3/12/21.
Lake Macquarie's First Club
Tom Heard appointed first professional.
Course opened for inspection and membership increased to two hundred and fifty.
- 1924 Plaque on memorial portico dedicated to Hudson Berkeley for service to the new course. Course had become a sanctuary.
- 1927 First record of tree planting - fifty wattles, the ancestors of our present trees.
- 1937 Additions to the 1921 Club House.
- 1939-1945 Restricted activities during World War II.
- 1954 Additions and changes to Club House opened June 1954.
- 1956 Disastrous Club House fire.
- 1968 Town supply watering system for ten holes. Cost and water restrictions were problems.
- 1981 Ten hole watering system connected to Edgeworth pondings by member volunteers - then extended to eighteen holes.
- 1989 Severe earthquake damage to the Club House. Major course drainage programme undertaken.
- 1991 Automated watering system and replacement of town supply reticulation.
- 2001 A milestone with salute to the past, special programmes for the year and thoughts for the future of our renowned club.
- 2007 New Master Course Plan drawn up for taking the course into the 21st Century. Plan displayed in foyer of Club House with work beginning on new 2nd and 4th tees and new 1st green.
NOTE: 1930’s - 1940’s period was stable with a strong representative membership prior to the growth of eighteen hole courses in the Newcastle - Lake Macquarie areas.
Waratah then hosted many overseas players and visitors from Sydney Clubs.
Prior to nineteen forty nine Newcastle and Steelworks were the only two eighteen hole courses serving the Newcastle District.
The period from the forties to the eighties showed a rapid growth in the number of eighteen hole courses. This provided golf nearer to home for many golfers who elected to travel less distance when work and domestic circumstances became an issue.
The following list of Newcastle Clubs and the dates of their becoming eighteen hole courses are of significance for the character and residence of the majority of Waratah's membership.
