This brief history of Came Down's origins starts with a private club situated at Broadway Farm locally know as 'Lorton Links'. When play there was terminated in 1895, negotiations began with the landowner Lord Portarlington for 180 acres on Came Down. Successful talks led to Tom Dunn of Bournemouth laying out the orignal nine-hole course of 3,620 yards complete with small pavilion. The 'Dorchester Golf Club' opened for play on the 2nd of March 1896.

With golf in Bournemouth proving such a successful attraction, Weymouth Town Council enlisted former Open Champion J.H. Taylor as their golf course architect in 1904, with a view to setting up a first-class 18 hole course. Taylor took the view that there was no land suitable for golf south of the Ridgeway and recommended the expansion of the Dorchester Club's course to 18 holes. The proposal was carried out and the course extended to 18 holes over 6,090 yards. In addition, a new clubhouse was contructed at the northern end of the course and the Great Western Railway were persuaded to build a 'halt' at Monkton to provide golfers with easier access to the course just a mile away. The new course opened under the revised name of the 'Weymouth, Dorchester and County Golf Club' on the 15th May 1906.

The old clubhouse in the 1930s

During 1910 the Club appointed Ernest Whitcombe to be the club Professional. Later his mother Bessie was appointed as the stewardess and brought her other two sons, Charles and Reg. The family stayed for 17 years and did much to put the club on the map. Read More about the Whitcombes. During the 1920's the brothers got to know Samuel Ryder, a county member who played at Came Down when on holiday Weymouth. Read about Came Down and the Ryder Cup.

During 1923 and 1924 the club was thriving, helped by the fame and popularity of the Whitcombe brothers. A resolution was passed to liquidate the origninal company known as 'Weymouth, Dorchester and County Golf Club Company' and alter the name to 'Came Down Golf Club'. It was also agreed to raise money for improvement to the course and clubhouse. It was not until 1927 however that the work started. Harry Shapland Colt was employed to undertake a major course reconstruction. Mr Colt was himself a fine player but even more famous world-wide as a golf course architect resoponsible for such courses as Sunningdale, Wentworth, Royal Portrush and the redesign of Broadstone.

Evolution of the J.H. Taylor course

Like may other British golf courses during the Second World War, golf had to take a back seat for the sake of the war effort. The clubhouse became the headquarters of a bomb disposal unit and then the divisional headquarters for General Templar prior to the D-Day landings. Meanwhile the top half of the course was transformed for argricultural use with potatoes and other vegtables grown.

In 1958, Lady Norah Christian Martin died. She had been the President and landlord to the club for 34 years. A lease with the new landlord, Major Martin, was eventually secured. With the securing of this lease, the club decided to build a new clubhouse at the middle of the course (its current position). It was opened on the 15th February 1964 in the presence of Charles Whitcombe.