How Golf Courses Earn the “Royal” DistinctionHow Golf Courses Earn the “Royal” Distinction Royal Troon, the venue for the 152nd British Open Championship, holds the prestigious “Royal” label, bestowed upon only 69 golf clubs worldwide. Seven of these clubs are part of the respected Open rotation. The History of Royal Status The tradition of bestowing royal status began in 1833 when the Perth Golfing Society sought patronage from King William IV. The King granted their request, giving birth to the Royal Perth Golfing Society. A year later, the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, with its royal connections, adopted the name Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Gaining Royal Approval Earning royal status has become more formalized over time. The reigning monarch has final approval, and the designation is typically granted to “institutions of eminence, long standing, and secure financial standing” involved in national, charitable, or scientific pursuits. Beyond the British Isles While the award initially focused on clubs in the British colonies, over time, courses in Canada, Australia, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, and mainland Europe have also received the honor. Restrictions and Rejection There is no official record of rejected royal status applications, but evidence suggests that not all aspirations have been fulfilled. The Rise and Fall of Royal Designations The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed a surge in royal status grants, with over 40 clubs receiving the designation. Queen Elizabeth II’s reign saw nine new additions to the Royal List. Royal Courses in the Open Rotation Seven courses on the Open rotation hold the royal distinction: Liverpool, Portrush, Saint George, Lytham and St. Annes, Birkdale, Throne, and the Old Course at St. Andrews (managed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews).
By definition, the title is authoritatively regal. Royal Troon, host of this week’s 152nd British Open Championship, is one of 69 clubs around the world—and seven in the Open rotation—that can claim the “Royal” label, a distinction fraught with pomp and circumstance and, in most cases, import.
Holding the distinction does indeed carry an extra level of authority. But it also begs the question: how does a course earn the right to call itself Royal?
According to Scott Macpherson’s definitive 2013 book, The Royal Clubs of Golfit began in 1833. The captain of the Perth Golfing Society, Lord Kinnaird, travelled to London to address King William IV, who had recently taken up the game. There Kinnaird asked the King if he would be a patron of the Society and if the club could in turn call itself the Royal Perth Golfing Society. William agreed and a movement was born.
A year later, the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, whose members were from royal families, renamed itself the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
Gaining royal status hasn’t been as easy as having royalty in your club. Royal Aberdeen in Scotland, for example, added the label in the 1870s, but was rejected by the crown when they applied for the official designation (it wasn’t until 1903 that they were finally approved).
As interest in the award grew in the late 1800s, a formal application process ensued, with the reigning monarch having final approval. According to Macpherson, the title was officially restricted to “institutions of eminence, of long standing and secure financial standing, and devoted to national, charitable and scientific purposes.” This was particularly relevant to clubs in British colonies that also sought the designation.
However, six courses in Canada have been granted royal status (the first was Royal Montreal in 1884), eight in Australia (the first was Royal Melbourne in 1895), six in Africa, three in Asia, two in New Zealand and two on the European mainland.
There is no real record of how many courses have applied for royal status and been rejected. Sir Peter Allen in his book, The Sunley Book by Royal Golfnoted: “At the end of our research we must admit that no pattern could be found. Those who aspired to the title seem to have obtained it frequently, especially in the Dominons and Empire.”
The largest series of courses to be granted royal status occurred around the turn of the 20th century. From 1882 to 1897, 19 clubs were given the honour, with a further 21 being named between 1902 and 1937. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1952 until her death in 2022, nine new courses were added to the Royal List, the last three in 2010 (Auckland, the second royal course in New Zealand), 2012 (Moresby in Papua New Guinea) and 2013 (Homburger in Germany, the second in continental Europe).
It was also during her reign, 1978, that Troon was granted its Royal status, the most recent of the Open rota courses to receive this honour. It was the year of the club’s 100th anniversary, and 55 years after it hosted the first of its nine previous Opens.
ROYAL COURSES IN THE OPEN ROTA
Liverpool (gained status in 1871)
Portrush (1892)
Saint George (1902)
Lytham and St. Annes (1926)
Birkdale (1951)
Throne (1978)
*The Old Course is managed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which of course was granted “royal” status in 1934.
