The Royal Melbourne is a golf club that is located in Black Rock, Victoria. It consists of two 18-hole golf courses that make a total of 36 holes in the club. These two courses are the West and the East course.
The club was established over 100 years ago in 1891, and because of that, it is Australia’s oldest golf club. Additionally, this golf club has been a host to a large number of respectable international events and is well known in the world of golf.
The West Course
The West Corse is one of the top-rated golf courses in Australia. It was established 94 years ago in 1926 and designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie – the architect behind this marvellous golf course. He was born on the 30th of August 1870 and died on the 6th of January 1934.
Alister MacKenzie is considered among the best golf architects out there, while his work is present on four continents. He has over 50 courses worldwide with his name on them, and three of them were ranked among the top 10 golf courses back in 2016.
Besides that, he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Alister MacKenzie started being a member of different golf clubs from the 1890s and had many club memberships in his career.
The East Course
The course of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club was established in 1931, exactly 90 years ago. To point out, the East Course was placed as the 6th golf course in Australia, while the architect who primarily worked on this project was none other than Alex Russell.
Alex Russell was born on the 4th of June 1892 and died on the 22 of November 1961. He graduated from Geelong Grammar School back in 1911, after which he continued his studies in England the very next year at Cambridge University.
He had to serve in the war but fortunately came back eventually and started living in Sandringham with his wife. Their residence was close to Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Alex Russell began playing golf and won the Australian Open in 1924 and a couple of other tournaments. After that, he started designing golf courses all around the globe.
The Founding President
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club was founded in 1891, and the president and founder was the well-known politician, Sir James MacBain. Sir James MacBain was born on the 19th of April 1828 and died on the 4th of November 1892. He was the son of Smith MacBain and was born in Kinrives, Scotland. He got married when he was 25 years old to Jessie Smith.
Tournaments That Royal Melbourne Hosted
The Royal Melbourne has been home to a lot of respectable events over the years. Some of the most known events are the 16 Australian Opens. But not only that, the Royal Melbourne has been home to the 1959 Canada Cup, including the 1972 World Cup. For the 1st time ever, the club hosted the Presidents Cup in 1998, typically held in the US; however, this time, the event took place in Australia. The following time that Royal Melbourne was selected to host the Presidents Cup again was in 2011.
More Stories
Reasons to Visit Grand XIV Naruto Golf & Spa Resort
Thailand Finest: Black Mountain Golf Resort Hua Hin
Tara Iti: a Must-Visit Golf Oasis in New Zealand