A Royal in the States?

[Eric Smith]

Would She?
Could She?
Here or there?

Would She?
Could She?
Anywhere?

Why not a Royal Golf Club in the States?

FYI - Here's a list of the Royals I found on the net, 65 in all (please + or -, correct, etc.)

01            Royal Adelaide
Australia   1923

02   Royal Canberra
Australia   1934

03   Royal Fremantle (RFGC)
Australia   1930

04   Royal Hobart
Australia   1925

05   Royal Melbourne
Australia   1895

06   Royal Perth (RPGC)
Australia   1937

07   Royal Queensland
Australia   1921

08   Royal Sydney (RSGC)
Australia   1897

09   Royal Colwood
Canada   1931

10   Royal Montreal
Canada   1884

11   Royal Ottawa
Canada   1912

12   Royal Quebec
Canada   1933

13   Royal Regina
Canada   1999

14   Royal Guernsey
Channel Islands   1891

15   Royal Jersey
Channel Islands   1879

16   Royal Hong Kong GC
China   1897

17   Royal Ascot
England   1887

18   Royal Ashdown Forest
England   1893

19   Royal Birkdale
England   1951

20   Royal Blackheath
England   1857

21   Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
England   1910

22   Royal Cromer
England   1887

23   Royal Eastbourne
England   1887

24   Royal Epping Forest
England   1888

25   Royal Household, Windsor   
England   ?

26   Royal Liverpool, Hoylake
England   1871

27   Royal Lytham St Annes
England   1926

28   Royal Mid-Surrey
England   1926

29   Royal North Devon
England   1867

30   Royal Norwich
England   1936

31   Royal St George's (Sandwich)
England   1902

32   Royal West Norfolk
England   1891

33   Royal Wimbledon
England   1882

34   Royal Winchester
England   1913

35   Royal Worlington & Newmarket
England   1895

36   Royal Calcutta
India   1911

37   Royal Belfast (RBGC)
Ireland   1885

38   Royal County Down
Ireland   1908

39   Royal Dublin
Ireland   1891

40   Royal Portrush
Ireland   1892

41   The Curragh
Ireland   1910

42   Royal Mayfair (Edmonton)
Canada   2007

43   Royal Malta
Malta   1888

44   Royal Wellington
New Zealand   2004

45   Royal Montrose
Scotland   1845

46   Duff House Royal
Scotland   1923

47   Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
Scotland   1834

48   Royal Aberdeen
Scotland   1903

49   Royal Burgess G.S of Edinburgh
Scotland   1929

50   Royal Dornoch
Scotland   1906

51   Royal Musselburgh
Scotland   1876

52   Royal Perth Golfing Society
Scotland   1833

53   Royal Tarlair
Scotland   1826

54   Royal Troon
Scotland   1978

55   Singapore Island Country Club (ex Royal)
Singapore   ?

56   Royal Cape
South Africa   1910

57   Royal Durban
South Africa   1932

58   Royal Johannesburg
South Africa   1931

59   Royal Port Alfred
South Africa   1924

60   Royal Colombo
Sri Lanka   1928

61   Royal Porthcawl
Wales   1909

62   Royal St David's
Wales   1901

63   Royal Harare (no site: google)
Zimbabwe   1929

64   Royal Nairobi Golf Club
Kenya   1935

65   Royal Marianske Lazne
Czech Republic   2003

[Sam Morrow]

You have obviously never been to a little place called Royal Links.

[Tom Yost]

No royals in the USA.  There was a revolution or something... 

[Rory Connaughton]

Would the US not need to be a member of the Commonwealth?

[jonathan_becker]

Eric,

A nice, cheap public course I know of north of Columbus is "Royal American Golf Links."  It's not exactly in the same company as those in your list, but it's a hilarious name imo.  

[Thomas McQuillan]

Is the curragh a royal course? You missed Royal Tara which to the best of my knowledge was one of onlly two royals in the Republic, it and Royal Dublin.

[Carl Johnson]

Royal Links in Las Vegas.  Make sure your speakers are on: http://www.royallinksgolfclub.com/

[Tyler Kearns]

Eric,

A recently anointed royal is Royal Mayfair in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I do believe you need to be a member of the Commonwealth for the Queen to grant royal status upon your club.

TK

[Chris_Blakely]

Virginia has two that I know of:

Royal New Kent

Royal Virginia

Chris

[Eric Smith]

Ok, so we're not of the Commonwealth.  But it seems to me some really smart and/or savvy people could figure out how to have a really cool golf club over here with the Queen's designation. Heck, we have airbases over yonder, no?  Then again, maybe it's not that important to ponder this. 

[Bruce Katona]

Good Idea; then put a gc on a US airbase in the UK and have it designated as the land would certainly lie in the commonwealth.  There could be a one day deed back and forth the transfer the land back to the commonwealth for his/her Majesty to grant the designation, then have the land revert back to the US Armed Forces. Some diplomat could spend years negotiating this and make his career.....brilliant !!

[Scott Warren]

Good list.

Is the year you've listed the year they were awarded Royal status?

[Mark Chaplin]

Czech Republic isn't part of the Commonwealth but I recall the club have a link with early 20th century Royalty.

New Kent and Virginia are no more Royal than I am. The title can be used with impunity outside of the Commonwealth but other Kings or Queens around the world have bestowed the title on clubs in their own Kingdoms.

[Eric Smith]

Good list.

Is the year you've listed the year they were awarded Royal status?

I have no idea Scott, just copied and pasted from another website.  I did notice Troon was listed as 1978?

[Scott Macpherson]

New Zealand just gained a second 'Royal' course. There is now Royal Auckland GC (2009 or 2010?), to join Royal Wellington.

[Scott Warren]

Good list.

Is the year you've listed the year they were awarded Royal status?

I have no idea Scott, just copied and pasted from another website.  I did notice Troon was listed as 1978?

Must be? Because Deal is listed at 1910, and it opened in 1892.


EDIT - it is. From our website:

"King George V accepted the patronage in 1910 and this continued until his death in 1935. Coinciding with this the club assumed the Royal Title on the 24th September 1910."

[Scott Warren]

The title can be used with impunity outside of the Commonwealth but other Kings or Queens around the world have bestowed the title on clubs in their own Kingdoms.

Indeed. Belgium has quite a few Royal courses.

[Eric Smith]

Good list.

Is the year you've listed the year they were awarded Royal status?

I have no idea Scott, just copied and pasted from another website.  I did notice Troon was listed as 1978?

Must be? Because Deal is listed at 1910, and it opened in 1892.


EDIT - it is. From our website:

"King George V accepted the patronage in 1910 and this continued until his death in 1935. Coinciding with this the club assumed the Royal Title on the 24th September 1910."

Good work newsman!  Also, upon further inspection, Troon was designated 'Royal' upon its 100th anniversary of the club being founded in 1878.

[Scott Warren]

Good work newsman!  Also, upon further inspection, Troon was designated 'Royal' upon its 100th anniversary of the club being founded in 1878.

Thanks. Now I just have to sit back and wait for someone to get stuck into me for reproducing RCPGC's website content without permission!

[Eric Smith]

I think if you copied it from a PDF you should be fine.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Good list.

Is the year you've listed the year they were awarded Royal status?
I have no idea Scott, just copied and pasted from another website.  I did notice Troon was listed as 1978?  

No is the answer but to help here are the dates of the first 16 clubs, you will have to check out the rest.
01  Royal Adelaide Australia   1923
02   Royal Canberra (1923)
03   Royal Fremantle (RFGC) (1930)
04   Royal Hobart (1925)
05   Royal Melbourne (1895)
06   Royal Perth (RPGC) (1937)
07   Royal Queensland (1921)
08   Royal Sydney (RSGC) (1897)
09   Royal Colwood (1931)
10   Royal Montreal (1884)
11   Royal Ottawa (1912)
12   Royal Quebec (1934)
13   Royal Regina (1999)
14   Royal Guernsey (1891)
15   Royal Jersey (1879)
16   Royal Hong Kong GC (1889)
      no longer a 'Royal '

[Anthony Butler]

Royal Harare, I think, was the course shut down after the Mugabe government came to power, because it was within mortar attack distance of Mugabe's residence. I heard a story from a Qantas pilot who flew to Harare regularly they were planning to continue playing the course despite the fact Mugabe's soldiers has banned people from the property. Their plans came to shuddering stop when a local was shot dead attempting to play a few holes on a dare.

Different versions on whether he was shot walking to the first tee or after he had teed off.

P.S. Played all the Aussie Royals except those in WA. Four in UK. RQ was the weakest of the bunch, although that was pre-Clayton reno. They mostly seem like a pretty strong bunch of tracks, so someone in the know was giving these courses the nod. There have only been two golfers of note in the British Royal Family-Edward VIII and Prince Andrew. Phil the Greek and Charles wouldn't even know to get off the horse before hitting the ball.

[Rory Connaughton]

I don't think Royal Tara came by its name via the patronage of a member of the Royal Family.  I suspect that it has to do with Tara being the seat of the High Kings of Ireland and Meath being the Royal County.

[Mark Chaplin]

Please excuse me for copying from the Royal Marianske Lazne website, it clearly shows how a club in the Czech Republic became a Royal Club. Hong Hong Golf Club is still a Royal club but the Royal designation was dropped when the Chinese took over Hong Kong.

http://www.golfml.cz/data/web/dopis-royal/dopis-royal.pdf

The opening of Marianske Lazne golf course was conducted by His Majesty King Edward VII on August 21st, 1905. He solemnly cut the inaugural ribbon, opening the new golf course after which he signed his name in the memorial book of the course with a gold pen to become the first foundation member of the Marianske Lazne Golf Club. The golf club at Marianske Lazne is the only golf course in Central Europe with such a distinguished past. The King of England loved visiting Marianske Lazne and made a total of 10 trips to the golf course, the last was in 1909.

The greatest moment in our history came in 2003, when HM Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, has granted the Golf Club in Marianske Lazne the right to use the title Royal Golf Club. In 2005, it has been a great honour for us that the Royal Golf Club Marianske Lazne could welcome the visit of HRH The Prince Edward.

[Mike Hendren]

Eric, I once heard a northern American refer to a Confederate Civil War monument as a second place trophy.  Along those same lines, why denigrate an American golf course with the "royal" designation?

Bogey