The Clubhouse, built in 1911, was of a wooden construction painted green with a terracotta galvanised metal roof. It afforded the basic needs of the golfer as a place to hang a jacket, enjoy a light refreshment in addition to a simple wash and brush up facility. Significantly only full members were provided with a key to open the gate to the course and access to the Clubhouse. Other members were denied the Clubhouse facility.

The importance of the Clubhouse was reflected by the appointment of a Mrs. Moffat, on 13th July, as Clubhouse Keeper at a salary of £30 per annum plus any profit on the provision of luncheons and teas. Conditions of employment included dress all black with white collar and cuffs and a requirement to attend the Clubhouse during such hours and perform such duties as the committee prescribed.

Linen, crockery, cutlery and crystal were all purchased and the failure of Perth Skating Rink provided the opportunity to purchase 8 small tables 7 large tables, 20 small chairs and a wall clock at a reasonable cost. With the purchase of 12 smoking chairs made of black birch, stained walnut, at a cost of 12/9 each from Messrs. Love & Sons, the furnishings were complete.

Before the year was out, the Club was licensed,for the sale of liquor and tobacco and a telephone installed at an annual rental of £5. Outward calls cost 1d to be paid to the clubhouse keeper.

The first extension to the clubhouse taking the form of a cycle and tool shed was made in 1912.

As early as 1914 a suggestion was made by the then secretary that an application should be made to the Superior for an extension of terms within which the clubhouse could be erected on the feu untied for that purpose from Sir Robert Moncreiffe.

With the outbreak of the World War this proposal and others to re-site and increase the accommodation within the clubhouse were not progressed.

At a meeting on 13th January 1920 with a view to extending the Clubhouse, Mr. H.J. Bell was authorised to proceed to Wormit, Fife, to purchase an Army Hut and succeeded in doing so at a cost of £102.15.0d. Plans of the proposed alterations were approved and the Secretary was instructed to seek the statutory approval of the Dean of Guild Court. An objection to the proposed expenditure, prior to the assurance of the essential funding, was overcome when Mr. F. Norie-Miller purchased a further 100 shares on behalf of himself and his son. It is not clear whether the Army Hut replaced the original Clubhouse or extended it. What is crystal clear however, as can be seen from an original photograph, is that the cramped conditions within the Clubhouse and the emergence of a clothing conscious golfing fraternity would ultimately force the Club to divorce the locker rooms from the lounge and bar facility. An interesting feature reflecting the honesty of the members concerns the lockers on view which could be opened at any time by any person using master keys which hung at all times within the Clubhouse. Unhappily this Utopian situation was ultimately overtaken by the stark reality of human frailty and possibly the increasing cost of golf equipment because slowly but surely individual locks appeared on lockers. Another sign of the times, with the increase in the use of the telephone, was the introduction in 1928 of a more sophisticated multi coin box to ensure that all calls were paid for.

The intervening years up to the outbreak of war in 1939, while Miss Chisholm, who replaced Mrs. Moffat as Stewardess, were comparatively uneventful and were marked mainly by the installation of a gas supplied hot water system, the extension of opening hours to accommodate Sunday golfers and a need to carry larger stocks of liquor, minerals, tobacco, and coal in keeping with government wartime recommendations.

A word about Miss Chisholm who was a commanding figure held in awe, reverence and sometimes terror by all youthful members. She communicated with a piercing eye and like the sergeant major was respected at all times.

During the war years dominoes and darts, games not normally associated with Golf Clubs, were played, although it should be noted that as a result of friction caused, they were relegated to the tea-room.

Sadly and probably because of the prevailing deprivation, the Clubhouse was broken into in June 1945 and a large amount of stock and members effects and cash was stolen. Subsequent burglaries necessitated the purchase in 1950 of a ship's strong room and the protection of heavy mesh wire for the side windows and roof lights.

In 1948 Miss Chisholm retired to be replaced in a joint capacity by Mr.& Mrs. R. Brown. Mr. Brown was formerly Head Greenkeeper. The committee at this time felt the need to improve the Clubhouse facilities but appeared reluctant to proceed until 1956 when a definite proposal was made to the members to offer interest free loans to the Club to provide the necessary funding. The poor response to this appeal, together with a direct refusal by Messrs. McDonald Fraser & Company either to sell or lease ground south of the Seventh Fairway frustrated the proposal and the project was shelved for the tine being.

It was not all negative however and between 1948-56 the Nineteenth Hole was given positive treatment clearly seen in the photographs. The layout of the bar was changed to accommodate larger supplies of liquor and to improve the service over the counter, while the quality of the beer was improved by the installation of new piping to the taps at the expense of the brewer.

Electricity was installed in 1948 at a cost of £80 and a full installation of both lighting and heating followed in 1952 at a further cost of £87.

In 1949 the controversial decision to open the Clubhouse on Sunday was taken resulting in the resignation of a number of members. In hindsight the decision proved without doubt to be the right one.

About this time the 1950s plans were being considered by Perth Town Council which might have had far reaching consequences for Craigie Hill and its Clubhouse. It was proposed to build a ring road to link the Glasgow Road with the Edinburgh Road and the Dundee Road. The road would run directly through the Clubhouse and follow the line of the First Fairway to the East.

Naturally it was assumed that adequate compensation would be offered the Club to build a new clubhouse. Unfortunately an alternative plan which ruled out any involvement with Craigie Hill was accepted by the Local Authority and it became obvious that a new clubhouse could only become a reality by dint of effort by the members of the Club. Major decisions had to be made to fund, plan and locate the new clubhouse and it speaks volumes for the committee of the 1960s who arranged to borrow from GAFLAC the sum of £15000 at 6% interest repayable over a period of 30 years in equal instalments of £500 per annum and a further £5000 from other sources. Plans were adopted on 9th April 1964 and on 13th May 1965 Messrs. Graham, Bankfoot, were awarded the contract to erect the building at a cost of £15524.17.2d, all of which culminated with the opening of the new Clubhouse on its new location on 23rd July 1966 by Sir Stanley Norie-Miller whose father Sir Francis Norie-Miller opened the course on llth July 1911.

The social life of the Club blossomed with the introduction of club dances, bingo, darts and carpet bowls, to such an extent that a restriction was placed on the number of social members.

Success can create problems and within two years, proposals to extend the Clubhouse were approved which resulted in the opening in 1976 of an extension by Mrs. R.G. Clark, wife of Dr. Clark, the then Captain of the Club.

All this time the old Clubhouse which had been leased to Boy Scouts was slowly but surely falling apart. In 1969 after a lifespan in excess of 50 years it was finally demolished.

It is not inconceivable to imagine that the original members responsible for the building which served the Club so well would give the nod of approval to its replacement which ranks among the best in the County.

see more photos in the photo gallery