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This list of the ten
oldest golf societies is based on the criteria of
Click name for early golf history of society
Some would argue that applying
these rules rigidly would knock most, if not all, of the clubs off the list,
but a commonsense, logical and consistent
application of the
criteria givens
rise to a list which will stand the test of time.
The origin of each golf club is subtly different, though virtually all the early golf clubs began as groups of golfers meeting socially before they formed golf societies or clubs. For some, organising an annual golf competition became the stimulus for the formation of a formal society. Others formed a society many years before they held their first 'club' competitions, though individual matches with money stakes are recorded from 1503 onwards when King James IV apparently lost to the Earl of Bothwell in Edinburgh. Thus if holding a golf competition is the main criteria, then these two aristocrats become not only the world's first two named golfers, but also the first two golf club members.
Royal Blackheath Golf Club
is not shown
on the maps as it is in south-east London in Eltham.
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