It's 100 years since the last Duke of Cambridge died. But, although he was the leading local figure of his day, many Kingston roads and buildings are named after him and he did much to improve amenities in the royal borough, the centenary has passed unnoticed.

However, another centenary is being observed with due honour that of Coombe Wood Golf Club, born in 1904 largely as a result of the Duke's death a few months previously.

In 1850, the Duke inherited Coombe Manor and Estate, comprising l,300 acres of woodland, heath, pasture and arable land. He began leasing out selected sites for building, and the Kingston Hill/Coombe area eventually became (and is still) one of the most sought-after addresses in Britain.

The Duke was something of a philanthropist, and gave several acres of his inheritance to worthy causes, such as the construction of Kingston's first purpose-built hospital, the Royal Cambridge Home for Soldiers' Widows, and the village hall at Kingston Vale. He also gave land and a large donation for the founding in 1867 of Coombe Warren Cricket Club "to produce a friendly intercourse between the servants of the families in the Warren".

As long as the Duke survived, the club was secure. But within months of his death, his sons and heirs, Admiral Sir Adolphus FitzGeorge and Col Sir Augustus Fitzgeorge, gave it notice to quit. The FitzGeorge brothers were the children of the Duke's marriage to Louisa Fairbrother, an actress who had captivated him from the stage of London's Lyceum Theatre.

The union was blissful. But as the Royal Marriages Act barred her from becoming duchess, or their sons succeeding to the dukedom, they took the surname FitzGeorge.

The brothers were harder-nosed than their father had been. The cricket club, with the Duke's blessing, had spent a large sum on long-term improvements and was about to start its 38th season when it was given two weeks to quit. In a letter it was explained that the land was needed for a new golf course, and that "the smaller sport must give way to the larger".

Thus the club vanished but not before sending the brothers a letter deploring their "very ungentlemanly" behaviour.

A few weeks earlier, the FitzGeorges had invited local residents to a meeting at Nuthall's luxurious new restaurant in Thames Street (the building that is now Milletts).

Sixty people turned up to meet the brothers and hear their proposals for building a golf club and links on the Coombe Estate, bounded by Coombe Lane, Gloucester Road, Kingston Hill, George Road and Warren Road.

After long discussion, the idea was adopted by 57 votes to three. A 15-strong committee, including the editor of the Surrey Comet, was appointed, and it was suggested that the annual subscription would be five guineas (£5.25) and ladies could play provided some days were kept only for men.

Six weeks later it was announced that the FitzGeorges had decided to make the club a proprietary one, over which they, as owners, would have sole control. So the elected committee was not required.

Thus Kingston's first golf club was born, with the Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour as captain, Vice-Admiral Lord Charles Beresford as president and Harold Bailey described as architect of the Coombe Estate, and the man who first recognised the land's natural golfing potential as secretary.

Its links, designed by Tom Williamson, took five months to complete, and had nine holes. Seven of them were on a spent gravel pit between George Road and Warren Road, while holes one and two (11 and 12 of the present course) were sited just below George Road.

Play began on May 27, 1905, and the Prime Minister, as captain, was the first to drive off. Since then the club has gone from strength to strength.

The FitzGeorges intended that, after starting with nine holes, the course would eventually be extended to 18. They saw their opportunity during the Great War, when the Kingston Hill Hockey and Cricket Club, which had long had two hockey pitches, a cricket square and a pavilion on the Coombe Estate, had to suspend activities because of military service.

The club wanted to restart after the war, but found its land repossessed for the creation of an 18-hole course.

Field Marshal Earl Haig, the heroic but much-maligned Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, made his post-war home in Kingston Hill. He became a keen member of the Coombe Wood club and, as its captain, opened the new 18-hole course in June 1922.

Admiral FitzGeorge died in 1922 and his trustees, together with his brother, set up the Coombe Wood Golf Club Ltd and granted it a lease of the course until 1934. In 1930 this was extended to 1938, at an annual rent of £200.

The reason became clear in 1931 when notice was given that the Coombe Wood course was to be sold for the building of 100 houses.

"The object of the colonel and his brother's trustees was to give the club security of tenure of the course for a few years after the sale, and a breathing space in which the members might contrive to keep the course for golf," writes John Weston in his book, The Story of Coombe Wood Golf Club: The First Century.

Mr Weston has been an active member for 42 years, and is donating all profits from his book, which costs £6, to the club. He tells how in 1932 Higgs and Hill bought 700 acres of the Coombe Estate for £207,000.

"So far as our course was concerned, Higgs and Hill then acquired the freehold, but would have to wait until 1938 to obtain possession from the then Coombe Wood Golf Club Ltd," he writes.

The links at Coombe Wood and neighbouring Coombe Hill were eventually saved from destruction by Malden and Coombe Urban District Council, which obtained an Act of Parliament in 1933 enabling it to buy the two courses for £72,000, then lease them to the existing clubs.

The land is now owned by Kingston Council, which in 1965 amalgamated with Malden and Coombe and Surbiton Councils. In 1993 Coombe Wood Club paid £5,370,000 for a new lease until 2119.

"The ground rent started at £500 per annum, and is adjusted every five years by reference to the retail prices index," writes Mr Weston. "The act purports to make the two courses open spaces indefinitely; but that act, like any other, can be revoked or amended by another act of Parliament."

Today the enforced sacrifice made by local cricketers a century ago seems infinitely worthwhile. For Coombe Wood is a truly beautiful course some say among the loveliest in Britain. It also offers seven of the most challenging par-three golf holes in the UK.

"Another outstanding feature is that we have fast, true greens all year round no temporary greens here which is quite rare on English golf courses," says the club's secretary and manager Marc Newey. "This is due to good natural drainage and the fact that David Holloway is a superb course manager, with an extensive knowledge of agronomy. He's been with us 11 years, and he and his team of four take tremendous pride in their work."

The course has been further enhanced this year, including the reconstruction of eight of the 50 bunkers. The clubhouse in George Road, with its magnificent views to the North Downs, has also been refurbished in honour of the centenary, and is increasingly popular as a hired venue for functions ranging from weddings and Christmas parties to corporate lunches and dinner dances.

The club is specially noted for its friendly atmosphere, fine cuisine, and for welcoming people new to the game qualities often found lacking in British golf circles! Currently there are 717 members, of which 250 play regularly; but Marc would like 25 more to reach his centenary target, and is offering a two-month trial membership to enable those interested to try before they buy.

Meanwhile the junior section is full, and there is a waiting list of hopeful entrants. Many are inspired by James Heath, who has been a member since he was 11. Now, at 21, he is Surrey Amateur Champion, a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup squad for 2004/5, and has just won the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham and St Anne's with the best score ever recorded (a four-round total of 266).

Several events have been planned to mark the club's 100th birthday. They include a centenary trophy competition on June 19, an interclub invitation event on June 23, with 20 clubs taking part, and a team fun competition on June 27. The major social event of the year will be a centenary ball at Sandown Park on June 26.

For more on membership and club activities, call 020 8942 0388, fax, 020 8942 5665, email cwoodgc@ukonline.co.uk or write to George Road, Kingston Hill, Kingston KT2 7NS.