Wallacetown Golf Club Blog

Wallacetown Golf Club

Wallacetown Engineering Company Limited was a Scottish company founded in 1918 by Mr W M Ritchie and established in the Wallacetown district of Ayr.

Wallacetown Engineering Company Limited used “WECOL” as its logo for many years, and many customers often knew and referred to the company as "WECOL".

Initially the company was set up as a mechanical engineering company repairing equipment for Ayrshire collieries and expanded quickly into Lanarkshire and other coal mining areas of Scotland. Such equipment included haulages and shaft winding equipment.

As the mining industry developed it required more electrical power underground to drive haulages, conveyors and coal cutting equipment.

Wallacetown Engineering diversified into the manufacture of flameproof switchgear designed to contain methane explosions, should they occur inside the switch housing due to ingress of methane and arcing caused by switching of electricity. The construction of the enclosure prevent flame being emitted from the enclosure which was capable of igniting methane gas. The equipment was at the fore front of mining electrical control and switchgear technology. It was used extensively throughout UK coal fields and exported to the worlds major under ground coal mining operators in all continents.

To meet the growing demands of the coal mining industry, and to continue diversification into the manufacture of industrial motor control and fuse switchgear, Wallacetown built a new factory in Heathfield Road, Ayr and later expanded it to transfer men and machinery from its factory in Viewfield Road, Ayr.

At this time the industrial section of Wallacetown was very strong and as well as equipping many of NCB’s coal preparation plants and Scotland’s distilleries, the company installed industrial starters and fuse switchgear in public utilities such as Water Boards and Steel Works, and also exported to overseas territories such as Chile and Russia, both as direct exports and indirect through main contractors.

Unfortunately due to changes of ownership resulting in the transfer of industrial products to other companies and the demise of the coal mining industry in the UK, Wallacetown Engineering Company Limited eventually ceased to exist, except through its descendant Allenwest Wallacetown Limited now based in Irvine.

It is against this back drop that a number of golfing employees came together in 1955 to organise golfing competitions and outings amongst themselves. No records of this society which called themselves "WECOL Golf Club" are known to exist. It is believed that its membership and activities fluctuated for several years until, with the support of the directors, an inaugural meeting was held on 26 August 1961 to formally establish the "Wecol Golf Club".

WECOL Golf Club was initially established for employees of Wallacetown Engineering Company Limited, and as such enjoyed support and subsidies for golf outings. Due to the events mentioned above a significant reduction in workforce the "Wallacetown Golf Club", as it had now been re-named, was unable to remain viable with employee members alone, and the club opened its membership to golfers from other disciplines. Whilst many members of the club are "ex-Wallacetown employees" and there is still representation from Allenwest Wallacetown Limited, members from various other pursuits of life enrich the club.

"Wallacetown Golf Club" charges a nominal membership fee to cover administration costs, affiliation to Ayrshire Golf Association and Scottish Golf Union.

The Club's home course is Dalmilling, Ayr and a full program of events and competitions is held mainly on South Ayrshire Municipal Courses, with usually two outings a year organised at other courses within reasonable travelling distance of Ayr.

Membership applications are welcome.