To stimulate interest in the game a number of exhibition matches have been played on the course over the years. In May 1921 the famous quartet of Vardon, Braid, Mitchell and Ray competed in a medal round before a large crowd on a fine day and a fast dry course. Vardon won with a 68 and so he should have on a course of his own design. One wonders what he thought of the finished layout. The other scores were Mitchell 69, Braid 71, Ray 73. Bogey was reck­oned at 74. In the afternoon they played a foursome; Vardon and Ray winning 2/1.

May 1921, The Famous quartet (bottom row), Harry Vardon (6 times open champion), Alec Mitchell, James Braid (5 times Open Champion) and Ted Ray.

On July 16 1967 a charity exhibition match took place between Dai Rees and Dave Thomas (Wales) and Bernard Hunt and John Lloyd the home professional substituting for Peter Allis (England). About 600 spectators turned up in fine weather. The club put up a prize of £25 for any of the players returning a score below the par of 66 and £50 for a hole in one on the 18th. Wales won 5 and 3. Dave Thomas was set to beat par when he came to the 16th needing a score of one under par for the last three holes. He ended up with a 68. Hunt returned 70, Rees 72 and Lloyd 74.

The two World Wars had quite an effect on the club. At the outbreak of the World War I, casting a pall of gloom over the hills. People had no heart for the game. Membership went down, a period of strict economy became necessary, the course suffered and by 1918 only what we call 'the short nine' were kept in play and but a few were playing them. Many members were serving in the forces and several lost their lives in the War as did Lewis the professional. During WWII play and competitions were not completely suspended however, the club's fortunes were adversely affected. By 1943 over fifty members were serving in the forces. Service men stationed locally made good use of the course; in gratitude, the Service Corps presented the R.A.S.C. Cup to the club in 1939. Three fairways were partly ploughed up to grow corn.

In 1947 the club came largely under the administration of W. J. Roberts and Meirion Kyffin. Many improvements were introduced: a new tractor and gang­mower were bought, gas was laid on in 1947, a bar was constructed in the clubhouse to replace the little hatch in the wall through which older members remember ordering their beers almost furtively. Also a shed was built to house the new fangled caddy cars!

In 1961 the Jubilee of the club was grandly celebrated with special competitions and social functions. Both the men's and ladies sections held their Jubilee dinners. The men's function, held at the Marine Hotel and attended by the Mayor, High Sheriff, friends from neighbouring clubs and some very distinguished Welsh golfers (including Henry Howell, John Llewelyn Morgan, Albert Evans and R. M. de Lloyd), was a memorable and fitting occasion.

In the early years the playing length of the course was some 5185 yards and par was 72 in 1912. The first green was then just on top of the hill 270 yards from the tee, the 4th green was adjacent to the 6th and the 16th was played as a par 4 from the old tees near the 15th green over the steep bank and across the 17th fairway to a green somewhere in the deep hollow below. Later a new 16th green was built in the present position making a par 3 hole which was altered in 1969 to its present line to make room for the car park. Otherwise the greens remain in the original positions but they have been much enlarged in the period after the war as have all the tees. The advent of the modern ball and matched steel shafted clubs improved playing standards, which partly accounted for the reduction of par to 66 in 1966. To counter this and stabilise par at about 68 the course was lengthened from 5303 yards to its present 6119 yards by pushing back the tiger tees as far as possible. In 1961 a system of watering the greens by the clubhouse (on the mains supply since 1957) was set up and this was extended to most of the other greens when the local mains water supply became accessible on the course in 1964-70. The bunkers were all grass bunkers until a progressive long-term programme for replacing them with sand traps was started about 1962, thus introducing a new variety of hazard to test the golfer's skill. In more recent years progress has been made with a plan to plant trees alongside many of the fairways to add yet another new feature to the course.

Adapted from: Dr. B. G. Charles 1986, in Aberystwyth Golf Club 75th Birthday Souvenir Magazine. (Designed & Edited by Nick Buckley, Printed by The Cambrian News, Aberystwyth, 1986)

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