Royal North Devon Golf Club
Interactive map of Royal North Devon Golf Club | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°2′45.6″N 4°13′33.6″W / 51.046000°N 4.226000°W |
| Location | Golf Links Road, Westward Ho!, Devon, EX39 1HD |
| Established | 4 April 1864 |
| Type | Private links course |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Events hosted | The Amateur Championship (1912, 1925, 1931) |
| Greens | Agrostis |
| Fairways | Festuca |
| Website | www |
| Championship Course | |
| Designed by | Old Tom Morris |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,085 yards (6,479 m) |
| Course rating | 74.2 |
| Slope rating | 135 |
| Course record | 64; Jon White (2007) |
| Northam Burrows | |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| Location | Devon |
| Grid reference | SS441309 |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 421.9 ha (1.629 mi2) |
| Notification | 29 June 1988 |
| Natural England website | |
The Royal North Devon Golf Club (RND) is a private golf club in Westward Ho!, Devon, England. Founded in 1864 as the North Devon and West of England Golf Club, RND operates the oldest golf course in England. It was granted royal status by King Edward VII—then Prince of Wales—in 1867.
Located on the Northam Burrows SSSI, the links course was designed by Scottish golfer Old Tom Morris. It hosted the Amateur Championship in 1912, 1925, and 1931. Notable former members include five-time Open champion John Henry Taylor and two-time British Amateur champion Horace Hutchinson.
History
Establishment and royal status (1864–1867)
The North Devon and West of England Golf Club was founded in 1864,[1] making it the oldest existing golf course in England.[2] The links course was designed by Scottish golfer Old Tom Morris.[3] It was granted royal status by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1867, affixing the "Royal" prefix to the club name.
First century, J.H. Taylor, and the Amateur (1868–1963)
Three leading British golfers of the late 19th and early 20th were known as the Great Triumvirate. One of them, J.H. Taylor, learned his golf at RND[4] and was invested Honorary President of the Club in 1957.[5] RND was also the home course for the noted amateur golfer Horace Hutchinson,[6] who won the British Amateur in 1886 and 1887. The course has hosted The Amateur Championship on three occasions, in 1912, 1925, and 1931.[7] The Club provides facilities for one of the largest Junior Sections in the country.
Geography
Flora and fauna
RND is located on Northam Burrows between Northam and Westward Ho! Northam Burrows is common land and was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1988. Golfers share the environment with sheep, ponies and walkers.[8]
Climate
In January 2018 part of the seventh green was washed away during Storm Eleanor and there is disagreement between the golf club and Natural England on the management of the coast. There are no plans by Natural England to build coast defences here and point out that the golf club can build two new greens elsewhere and relinquish two existing greens.[9]
Conservation
The club was the first to ban plastic tees over fears that they were being eaten by wildlife.[10]
See also
- List of golf clubs granted royal status
- List of golf courses designed by Old Tom Morris
- List of golf courses in the United Kingdom
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Devon
References
- ^ Telegraph – Golfing holidays in the West Country The Telegraph, 15 December 2010, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ Dowell, Phil, The English Golf Coast, Melrose Books, 2006, ISBN 1-905226-43-8.
- ^ Old Tom Morris Golf Course Architecture, 1 July 2006, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ MacWood, Thomas, A Round of Golf Courses: Bernard Darwin – Inward Nine, Golf Club Atlas, August, 2007, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ The oldest Links in England – RND History, Royal North Devon Golf Club, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ Stevens, Mike. "The Father of Golf Instruction". usgtf.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ Amateur Championship History The R&A, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ The Draft North Devon AONB Landscape Assessment, The Countryside Agency, May 1999, retrieved 30 January 2012.
- ^ "Royal North Devon Golf Club course at risk from erosion". BBC. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "England's oldest golf course first to ban plastic tees over fears they are being eaten by wildlife". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 November 2019. p. 15.
External links
Media related to Royal North Devon Golf Club at Wikimedia Commons