Very Good English Paperback. Illustrated front and back covers. 12mo. (16,5 x 12 cm). In English and Turkish. 52 p. 1-28 pp. text in Turkish; 29-52 pp. text in English. "Contrary to popular belief, the oldest sports club in Turkey is Istanbul Golf Club. It was established in 1895 as the 'Constantinople Golf Club'; at a time, when Constitutional Monarchy was declared during the reign of Abdulhamit the 2 while the Balkans and Eastern Anatolia was occupied by the Russians, Cyprus by Great Britain and Tunisia by the French as the Ottoman Empire started disintegrating. Its founders were the British and American citizens ;living in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire at that time. Sir Henry Felix Woods (Woods Pasa), who arrived in Istanbul in1869 with a military mission and then rose to the rank of Admiral in Ottoman Navy, and Ernest Thompson, a Scottish national, who introduced golf to Istanbul, are just two of the prominent founders. The club changed its name to 'The Bosphorus Golf Club' with the declaration of 2. Constitutional Monarchy in 1909, an ensuing new Associations Law in 1911. There is another reorganization to the club as the new Republic is declared. After the proclamation of the Republic in 1923. The British Ambassador Mr Waugh and US Ambassador Mr. Randal along with the 60 founding members, change the name to 'Istanbul Golf Club' according to the laws of the new Republic of Turkey's laws The bylaws are changed at the same time to allow Turkish Citizens membership along with foreigners and minorities, who were the only members to that date. At a meeting in December 17, 1925 Nusret Bey was admitted as a member and became the first Turkish member of the Club. Due to changes in the legal system, the bylaws were changed one more time to this current form in 1947. At this time the founding members were recorded as British Ambassador Sir Hugh to Knatcbull, US Ambassador MacMurray, New York Times, Turkey representative John Wilson Kernick, general manager Henry Arlond and Resat Kemal, a Turkish citizen. The golf courses that the club utilized in the past have a common thread. Even though the locations differ, throughout the entire history, their neighbors were always military outfits in the form of Cavalry, Camp or Academy. The Archery's practice range, Arrow Square" was the club's first 12 hole course. However, the double duty that the course had to carry was problematic. US Ambassador Joseph Grew describes a bad day, when Ottoman Cavalry Regiment seized half the course. During a round with 1. Katib Belin an Ottoman officer came to the golf course and informed us that the government had allocated half the playing area for Cavalry training and that henceforth we could not play golf here. In fact, the cavalry was always training freely in the area, especially on the grass we had nurtured. However, the fact that the club had spent a considerable amount of money and effort on the course and had started to fence the legally rented area with barbed wire, without a doubt angered the Cavalry and caused the decision to be made. Following this, the efforts, which lasted till 1914, to take back the seized course remain fruitless and the club moves to a new 9 hole course in the hills of Bebek. In 1920, an empty lot, this time in a very remote area of town in those days, next to a military camp is located. A new golf course with nine holes is built and the club moves once again. In 1922, with financial help from the British Embassy, the course is expanded to 18 holes and the first clubhouse is built. This area is now called Maslak-Levent would be the location for IGK for the next 92 years...". (Source: Official website of Istanbul Golf Club). This is regulation booklet of first rooted golf club of Turkey including a history of golf in Turkey and world, club's conditions and description, rules of game and membership to club, periodic tournaments. Not in OCLC.; Not in TO-KAT. Not in National Library of Turkey. Extremely rare.
