Dr. Duncan McCuaig

Golf has been played at Seaton Carew for 150 years, with the club’s first written records dating back to 1874. The club’s existence is due mainly to one man, Dr. Duncan McCuaig, a surgeon from Edinburgh who moved down to Teesside shortly after qualifying at Edinburgh University. The young doctor was no mean golfer, winning the Gold Medal at St Andrews on two occasions in 1867 and 1869. However, he was dismayed to find there was nowhere throughout County Durham or North Yorkshire to exercise his talent, so he set about finding a suitable place to play. As luck would have it he came across a strip of pasture land, known locally as The Snooks, where local people grazed their livestock. It was close to the mouth of the River Tees, running between the north shore and the village of Seaton Carew, and was owned by Lord Eldon. With his permission, and after some resistance from the stint holders whose sheep and cattle roamed the area, Dr. McCuaig and a few like-minded colleagues were able to rent a piece of land on which they established the Durham & Yorkshire Golf Club. However, by the start of the 20th century more clubs were being formed both in North Yorkshire and County Durham, and it was decided the old title was no longer apt and the name of Seaton Carew Golf Club was adopted, although the Club still uses the old name on its flags.