About the CDGU
The Caernarfonshire & District Golf Union is the governing body for amateur men’s golf across three historic regions of North Wales — Caernarfonshire, Merionethshire and Anglesey. It exists to promote the game, support its member clubs, and create competitive opportunities for golfers of every ability across one of the most scenically outstanding corners of the golfing world.
Founded in 1915, the CDGU is one of the longest-established county golf unions in Wales, and everything it does — from its county championships to its junior development work — flows from a single purpose: growing and strengthening the game across this region for current and future generations.
Our story
Over a Century of County Golf
Golf has deep roots in this part of North Wales. Conwy Golf Club — originally founded as Caernarfonshire Golf Club — traces its origins to the 1860s, and was a founding member of the Welsh Golfing Union when it came into being in the 1890s. By the early twentieth century, the region had developed a thriving collection of clubs, from the celebrated links at Aberdyfi and the coastal course at Nefyn to the mountain-flanked fairways of Betws-y-Coed and the historic grounds at Royal St David’s in Harlech.
Against this backdrop, the Caernarfonshire & District Golf Union was formed in 1915, bringing together the region’s clubs under a single governing body to coordinate county competition, promote the game and represent the interests of golfers across the area. That founding impulse — clubs coming together for their collective benefit — remains the beating heart of the CDGU today.
Over the more than 110 years since its formation, the Union has grown in both membership and ambition. What began as a vehicle for organising county championship meetings has evolved into a comprehensive organisation running individual and team competitions, supporting junior development, administering the Wales Golf handicapping scheme, and contributing to golf at regional and national level through its connections with the North Wales Counties Golf Association and Wales Golf.
The Union’s recorded history of officers — presidents, captains and secretaries — stretches back to 1991, and the dedication those individuals have shown reflects a much longer tradition of voluntary service to the game in this part of Wales. Officers like R. Eric Jones, who served as Secretary for 25 years, and Teifi Rees, who held the position of Treasurer for a similar period, exemplify the commitment that has sustained the CDGU through every chapter of its history.
How We Are Organised
Governance & Structure
The Executive Committee
Day-to-day management of the CDGU is carried out by the Executive Committee, comprising the Union’s elected officers: the President, Chairman, Secretary/Treasurer, Competition Secretary, County Captains (Men’s and Seniors), Junior Organiser and Under 14s Development Officer. A minimum of five officers must be present to form a quorum, and decisions are carried by a simple majority.
All officers serve fixed terms and are elected at the Annual General Meeting held each January. The Union’s constitution, updated in 2025, sets out the full terms, responsibilities and powers of each officer and the committee as a whole.
Member Clubs & Delegates
Governance of the Union is ultimately vested in the officers, the Executive and the representatives of the member clubs together. Each of the 18 constituent clubs is entitled to nominate two delegates to attend County General Meetings, where they vote on resolutions on behalf of their club. This structure ensures that the CDGU reflects the wishes of all its clubs — not just its officers.
The Annual General Meeting is the principal opportunity for clubs to shape the Union’s direction, approve accounts, elect officers and propose or amend constitutional rules. At least two further general meetings are held each year.