The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world. It is a private members-only club based in St Andrews in Scotland. It was previously also known as The R&A,[2] but since 2004 The R&A has been a separate organisation.[3] Until 2004 it was one of the governing authorities of the game, but the new organisation, The R&A, was spun off with this function.

Not to be confused with The R&A or St Andrews Golf Club.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club clubhouse
AbbreviationSt Andrews, the R&A
Formation1754, 267 years ago
HeadquartersSt Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
Secretary
Martin Slumbers
AffiliationsThe R&A
Websitetheroyalandancientgolfclub.org
Listed Building – Category A
Official nameRoyal and Ancient Golf Club House, The Scores, Golf Place[1]
Designated8 June 1978 (1978-06-08)[1]
Reference no.LB40820[1]

The club does not own any of the St Andrews Links courses, including the Old Course, which are golf courses owned by the local authority through the St Andrews Links Trust, and open to the general public.

History

The organisation was founded in 1754 as the Society of St Andrews Golfers, a local golf club playing at St Andrews Links, but quickly grew in importance. In 1834, King William IV became its patron and the club became known under its present name. In 1897, the Society codified the rules of golf, and, gradually over the next 30 years, was invited to take control of the running of golf tournaments at other courses.

Membership policy

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (but not The R&A) had a male-only membership policy; in 2012, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called on the club to abandon this in favour of a non-discriminatory policy,[4] as did Louise Richardson; the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews.[5]

On 18 September 2014, the club voted in favour of admitting female members.[6] In February 2015 the club's first female honorary members were announced – Anne, Princess Royal; Laura Davies; Renee Powell; Belle Robertson; Lally Segard; Annika Sörenstam; and Louise Suggs.[7] At that time the club also announced, "In addition to the honorary members, a number of women have been admitted as members of the club with more set to follow in the coming months."[7] Also in 2015, Lady Bonallack became the first woman to take part in a match as a member of the club; specifically, she was the first woman to play in the club's annual match against the Links Trust.[8]

Championships

Until 2004, when the R&A took over responsibility from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the club had organised 21 championships and international matches including.

  • The Open Championship: one of the four major championships in men's golf.
  • The Amateur Championship: which was one of the four major championships before the professional game became dominant and is still one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in the world.
  • Boys Amateur Championship: for boys under the age of 18 at midnight on 1 January of the relevant year.
  • Boys Home Internationals: a team competition for boys from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with the Irish team selected on an All-Ireland basis.
  • Coronation Foursomes: a team competition for women's club golfers in Great Britain & Ireland, open to any (female) member of an affiliated golf club with an official handicap of 36 or under.
  • Seniors Open Amateur Championship: for male amateurs aged 55 or over on the first day of competition.
  • Senior Open Championship: for men aged 50 and above. A major championship on PGA Tour Champions and the European Senior Tour.
  • Walker Cup: a biennial men's amateur team competition contested by Great Britain & Ireland and the United States (co-organised with the United States Golf Association).
  • Curtis Cup: a biennial women's amateur team competition contested by Great Britain & Ireland and the United States (also co-organised with the United States Golf Association).
  • Junior Open Championship: for boys and girls under the age of 16 at 00.00 hours on 1 January of the relevant year.
  • St Andrews Trophy: a biennial men's amateur team competition contested by Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe.
  • Vagliano Trophy: a biennial women's amateur team competition contested by Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe.
  • Jacques Léglise Trophy: an annual boys' amateur team competition contested by Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. In years when the St Andrews Trophy is held, the Léglise Trophy is held in conjunction with it at the same venue.

Golf club

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews itself is now simply a golf club although membership is by invitation only. It has 2,400 members from all over the world. Although the clubhouse is situated just behind the first tee of the Old Course, the club does not own any of the St Andrews courses. St Andrews Links are public golf courses, and must share the tee times with members of other local clubs, residents and visitors alike. Responsibility for the management of the courses is undertaken by the St Andrews Links Trust, a charitable organisation that owns and runs seven golf courses at St Andrews.

See also

References
  1. "Royal and Ancient Golf Club House, The Scores, Golf Place". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  2. "Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. Tim Breitbarth; Sebastian Kaiser-Jovy; Geoff Dickson (20 July 2017). Golf Business and Management: A Global Introduction. Taylor & Francis. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-317-35158-0.
  4. "Gordon Brown calls on R&A golf club to admit female members". The Guardian. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  5. Crouse, Karen (11 July 2014). "In St. Andrews, a Heavy Knock on a Neighbor's Door". The New York Times.
  6. "Royal and Ancient Golf Club votes to accept women members". BBC News. 18 September 2014.
  7. "BBC Sport - Princess Royal among first women to join St Andrews". BBC Sport.
  8. Donnelly, Brian (12 May 2015). "First female takes part in golf match as R&A member". The Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2015.

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