ROYAL MONTROSE GOLF CLUB HISTORICAL TIMELINE

1562  Golf recorded as being played in Montrose when six year old James Melvill recorded in his diary that he was “teached to use the glub for goff” by the Rev William Gray, making Montrose links the 5^th oldest golf course in the world.

1628  The first paid caddy in golf history may have been “the boy who carried my clubs”, from a diary entry of the future Marquis of Montrose on his golf round at Montrose.

1810  Royal Montrose Golf Club, founded as Montrose Golf Club, is the 9th oldest club in continuous existence. Up to 1863, it played all its competitions over 17 holes. For its first 80 years, the club took responsibility for funding “the green”: the improvements to and redesigns of the golf course which they made available free of charge to generations of local golfers in that period.

1818  The club acquired its first Gold Medal. From 1820 until 1830, the club honoured the medal winner by automatically making him Club Captain until the medal was competed for again.

1830   The club produced one of the earliest set of written rules; almost 60 years before a unified set of rules were laid down by the R & A. Two of these rules were innovative– “the definition of a stroke” and the rule “limiting to a partner or caddy the advice given to a player” – and helped to shape the present rules of the game.

1845   With the assistance of "future" four-time Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, who had local connections, the club secured the Royal Patronage of Prince Albert to become Montrose Royal Albert Golf Club, only the 3rd club in the history of golf to be so honoured.

1857  The club was one of eleven clubs that took part in the Grand National Golf Club Tournament in St Andrews, the first-ever event of its kind that preceded the first Open at Prestwick in 1860.

1862  The club’s first professional, Robert Dow had regular challenge matches against close friend Tom Morris Snr both at St Andrews and Montrose, and were reported in no less than The Times in London in 1893 when both players were in their sixties. He taught the game to a whole generation who took their golfing skills to America and Australia including the famous Charles (Chay) Burgess and the Findlay brothers.

1864  On 4^th October 1864 nine gentlemen met in the Crown Hotel to form a new golf club; Montrose Victoria Golf club. A silver medal was ordered and first competed for on 13^th October.

1866  The Royal Albert club made further golf history by organising the only 25 Hole Open tournament ever held. The winner was W Doleman (Glasgow) on 112 against a strong field that included James Anderson, (St Andrews - 3 Opens), Andrew Strath (Prestwick - 1 Open), Willie Park (Musselburgh - 4 Opens), and Tom Morris Snr. (St Andrews - 4 Opens).

1886  Royal Albert Golf club was one of the 24 original sponsors of the British Amateur Championship Trophy and were involved in the management of the event until it was taken over by the R & A in 1921.

1887 Montrosian, Alex Findlay, who was taught the game by Robert Dow and caddied for Royal Albert members in his youth emigrated to Nebraska and became “the father of golf in USA” after creating its first golf course consisting of 6 holes and promoted golf widely. He went on to be affiliated with over 210 clubs world wide and was an honorary member of almost every golf club in the USA.

1908  Alex Findlay persuaded Charles (Chay) Burgess who succeeded Robert Dow as Royal Albert professional to emigrate to USA where he became the professional at the Woodland Golf Club Newton, Massachusetts for over 30 years and coached celebrity members including Babe Ruth, Al Jolson, and Bing Crosby.  He most famously coached Woodland member Francis Ouimet to be the first amateur to win the US Open in 1913 at Brookline beating Ted Ray and Harry Vardon in an 18 hole  playoff. This ex caddie’s victory did more than any other factor to establish golf in USA.  He went on to become the first American to be Captain of the R & A and his story was depicted in the book and film “The Greatest Game Ever Played”

1927  On 16^th June 1927 a new ladies golf club was founded to play on the North Links the North Links Ladies Golf Club, distinct from the Montrose Ladies golf Club who played mainly on the nine hole South links. Originally meeting in the former Royal Albert clubhouse, by 1929 they has raised sufficient funds to build their own clubhouse and by 1935 had an impressive seventy six members and thirty juniors.

1986  The Royal Albert Golf Club and the Montrose Victoria Golf Club merged and also welcomed the North Links Ladies Golf Club to form the Royal Montrose Golf Club we have today.

2010   Royal Montrose Golf Club is delighted to celebrate its Bicentenary in 2010. With the honour of HRH Prince Andrew Duke of York being the Patron of the club