Royal Musselburgh Golf Club - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club is a golf club at Prestongrange House

Prestongrange House

Prestongrange House is a historic house at Prestongrange near Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated near to two other historic houses, Hamilton House and Northfield House....

, Prestongrange

Prestongrange

Prestongrange is a place in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, situated between Musselburgh to the west, and Prestonpans in the east.The placename derives from "Preston", meaning "priest's town", and a grange which was worked by the Cistercian monks of Newbattle Abbey.In the 16th century the Morison...

near Prestonpans

Prestonpans

Prestonpans is a small town to the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. It has a population of 7,153 . It is the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans, and has a history dating back to the 11th century...

, East Lothian

East Lothian

East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, on the B1361.

Between 1774 and 1926, the club was based at Levenhall Links

Levenhall Links

Levenhall Links is a coastal, industrial, and recreational area at Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, UK; it is adjacent to Musselburgh Racecourse, Morrison's Haven and Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum....

, Musselburgh

Musselburgh

Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...

History

The first golf clubs were founded in the 18th century. The first was the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1744, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1754, followed by the Royal Blackheath Golf Club in 1766 and the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club in 1774. These clubs gradually accepted some responsibility for the links on which they played.

What is now the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club was established in 1774 as the Musselburgh Golf Club, and the Old Club Cup was played for the first time. It is the oldest golf trophy that has been played for continuously in the world, and it can be seen in the Clubhouse

Prestongrange House

Prestongrange House is a historic house at Prestongrange near Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated near to two other historic houses, Hamilton House and Northfield House....

.

In 1811 the first Lady Golfer competition took place, and in 1834 the club issued a new set of rules.

The course is the fifth oldest golf club in the world. It was originally played over the nine-hole course at Levenhall Links

Levenhall Links

, and in 1872 the first clubhouse was built at the Links.

In 1876 the club became the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club. The royal title was granted by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...

, godson of the Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...

. He remained as Patron of the club until his death in 1942.

In 1908 RMGC merged with the New Club, one of four golf clubs on the Links.

In 1922 the Club entered a new era through the move to Prestongrange House

Prestongrange House

Prestongrange House is a historic house at Prestongrange near Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is situated near to two other historic houses, Hamilton House and Northfield House....

and Estate, made possible through CISWO, the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation. The new clubhouse was a 12th century historic house

Historic house

A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house with an interesting history or architecture.- Background :...

, originally owned by the monk

Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

s of Newbattle Abbey

Newbattle Abbey

Newbattle Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Newbattle in Midlothian, Scotland, which has subsequently become a stately home and then an educational institution.-Monastery:...

. An 18-hole course was designed by renowned golf course architect James Braid

James Braid (golfer)

James Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times...

as a traditional parkland course, yet close to the sea. The yardage is 6237.

The club in the 21st century

Royal Musselburgh Golf Club is part of Lothian and Borders Police

Lothian and Borders Police

Lothian and Borders Police is the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian...

's "Golf Initiative" which enables school pupils to have free coaching and support.

In the Telegraph newspaper's search for the most characterful golf course in Scotland, RMGC won the accolade of "Most venerable" golf course.

History

The club in the 21st century

External links

See also