James Melville (aka Melvill) (1556-1614) was a notable student at St Andrew’s University 1569-1574. He was the son of the Minister of Maryton, near Melrose and the nephew of Andrew Melville, the eminent theologian. He became Moderator of the Church of Scotland in 1589 and he died a prisoner in Berwick in 1614 opposing the re-introduction of bishops to Scotland by King Charles I.  He is, however, more esteemed in his home town for the fact that he is recorded as being taught from the age of six years ‘to use the glubb for goff’, by Reverend William Gray, thus putting Montrose on the map of early golf at about 1562.

In 1628, Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonston recorded the existence of the links ‘off Montrois’, when he compared them unfavourably to Dornoch.

Montrose Medal Course Hole 18

Montrose is also the site of the first recorded 'golf widow'. She was ‘sweet Mistress Magdalene Carnegie’ who married the son of the 4th Earl of Montrose, James Graham. His diaries record that he played golf with his future brother-in-law, the Laird of Lusse, on the 9th November 1629, the day before his wedding, and then a few days later he sent to St Andrews for new clubs and repairs to his old ones as well as playing more golf. However his controversial lifestyle caught up with him in 1650, after he had become 5th Earl himself, when he was hung, drawn and quartered in Edinburgh at the Grassmarket as a traitor, when he backed the wrong side in the English Civil War.
 

In 1785, the Montrose golfers organised successfully to prevent the Town Council ploughing part of the links up to build a school. However it was another 25 years, on 1st January 1810, before they formed an official club. Originally called the Montrose Golf Club, it became "Montrose Royal Albert Golf Club" in 1845. Finally, in February 1986, it became the Royal Montrose Golf Club after amalgamation with the Victoria Club.

Montrose can claim to have had the golf course with the greatest number of holes at one point during the development of its many golf courses. Montrose is undoubtedly the most redeveloped golf links in the world. No fewer than four golfing areas on the Montrose links (Mid-Links, South Links, East Links and North Links) have variously been developed and redeveloped, separately and together, and then abandoned or redeveloped.

By about 1810 there were 7 holes on Montrose, played in competitions as a round of 17 holes, as detailed in Montrose Club notes of 1818.  The course started in the middle of the town on the Mid Links, just north of St Peter's Episcopal Church. It went north to the Powdery (town armoury), curved west and then south to the Bleaching Green on the South Links. At this point the golfers turned round and played 5 holes in reverse, back to the Brander (drain cover)  before turning again to play back to the Bleaching Green. This made 17 holes in total.

By 1825 Montrose had 14 separate holes.  By 1849, it had 11 holes also played as a round of 17 holes whose names and lengths are recorded on the scorecard of 1849 for the Montrose Royal Albert Golf club.

Later there were 25 holes, including some holes on the South Links. Although they were not all played on every occasion they were used in 1866, for an event that attracted Willie Park and Andrew Strath, two past Open Champions, and Jamie Anderson who would become Open Champion. The winner was a Glaswegian called T Doleman with a score of 112 for 25 holes.

Then in 1871 the Town Council proposed alterations to the land use, which reduced the playing area , though these developments were not fully implemented until years later. The recompense they offered was a new golf course, referred to as the New Circular Course which was officially opened on Saturday 29th September 1888, but may have been available earlier. The first map, made in 1903, is of the 18 hole course of 1896.  There have been significant further developments to the layout and location of the course since, but it should be noted that several of the opening holes of the present day Medal course are played over the same ground as holes which have been played for centuries.

Besides Royal Montrose, other clubs based here are the Montrose Mercantile founded in 1879 and the Montrose Caledonia founded in 1896. They play on the Medal Course, shown on the map above, which was redesigned by Willie Park in 1903 and which is administered by a Links Trust. The Trust also runs the Broomfield Course, originally laid out as a 9-hole course, but extended to 18 holes in 1915.

More details of the history of Royal Montrose Golf Club is available here.

More details of history and courses are available on the website of Montrose Links Trust.

More details of the history of Montrose Mercantile Golf Club are available on their website.

More details of the history of Montrose Caledonia Golf Club are available on their website.

Local accommodation and attractions available on the Angus and Dundee Tourist Board website