A Title Bestowed, Not Adopted
There are currently 64 golf clubs worldwide that hold the official "Royal" title bestowed by the British Monarchy. While many courses around the world may use the word "Royal" in their name for marketing or local reasons (such as the Royal Spring Golf Course in India or Royal Links in Las Vegas), only 64 have the bona fide right to the title through a royal warrant.
The majority of these clubs are located within the United Kingdom and Ireland, though the tradition has spread across the former British Empire and beyond.
The First
The Royal Perth Golfing Society in Scotland was the first to receive the title in 1833 from King William IV.
The Most Famous
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) received its title shortly after in 1834.
Recent Additions
The title is rarely granted. One of the most recent additions was the Royal Homburger in Germany, granted status by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013.
Royal Status from Other Monarchies
While the 64 mentioned above are granted by the British Monarchy, other royal families have their own traditions. In **Spain**, the Royal Family has granted "Real" (Royal) status to approximately 24 clubs, such as Real Club Valderrama. **Belgium, Morocco, and Thailand** also have clubs granted royal status by their respective monarchs (e.g., Royal Zoute in Belgium or Royal Dar Es Salam in Morocco).
The Official Royal Directory
| Country / Region | Club Name | Status Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland (10) | ||
| Scotland | Royal Perth Golfing Society | 1833 |
| Scotland | Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews | 1834 |
| Scotland | Royal Montrose Mercantile | 1845 |
| Scotland | Royal Musselburgh | 1876 |
| Scotland | Royal Aberdeen | 1903 |
| Scotland | Royal Dornoch | 1906 |
| Scotland | Duff House Royal | 1925 |
| Scotland | Royal Tarlair | 1926 |
| Scotland | Royal Burgess Golfing Society | 1929 |
| Scotland | Royal Troon | 1978 |
| England (20) | ||
| England | Royal Blackheath | 1845 |
| England | Royal North Devon | 1867 |
| England | Royal Liverpool | 1871 |
| England | Royal Wimbledon | 1882 |
| England | Royal Ascot | 1887 |
| England | Royal Eastbourne | 1887 |
| England | Royal Cromer | 1888 |
| England | Royal Epping Forest | 1888 |
| England | Royal West Norfolk | 1892 |
| England | Royal Ashdown Forest | 1893 |
| England | Royal Norwich | 1893 |
| England | Royal Worlington & Newmarket | 1895 |
| England | Royal Household | 1901 |
| England | Royal St George’s | 1902 |
| England | Royal Cinque Ports | 1910 |
| England | Royal Winchester | 1913 |
| England | Royal Lytham & St Annes | 1926 |
| England | Royal Mid-Surrey | 1926 |
| England | Royal Birkdale | 1951 |
| England | Royal North Devon Ladies | 1867 |
| Australia (9) | ||
| Australia | Royal Melbourne | 1895 |
| Australia | Royal Sydney | 1897 |
| Australia | Royal Queensland | 1921 |
| Australia | Royal Adelaide | 1923 |
| Australia | Royal Hobart | 1925 |
| Australia | Royal Fremantle | 1930 |
| Australia | Royal Canberra | 1933 |
| Australia | Royal Perth | 1937 |
| Australia | Royal South Australia (Various) | Various |
| Canada (7) | ||
| Canada | Royal Montreal | 1884 |
| Canada | Royal Ottawa | 1912 |
| Canada | Royal Colwood | 1931 |
| Canada | Royal Quebec | 1934 |
| Canada | Royal Regina | 1999 |
| Canada | Royal Mayfair | 2005 |
| Canada | Royal St. George's (Canada) | 2024* |
| South Africa (5) | ||
| South Africa | Royal Cape | 1910 |
| South Africa | Royal Port Alfred | 1924 |
| South Africa | Royal Johannesburg & Kensington | 1931 |
| South Africa | Royal Durban | 1932 |
| South Africa | Royal East London | 1933 |
| Northern Ireland (3) | ||
| Northern Ireland | Royal Belfast | 1885 |
| Northern Ireland | Royal Portrush | 1892 |
| Northern Ireland | Royal County Down | 1908 |
| Ireland (2) | ||
| Ireland | Royal Dublin | 1891 |
| Ireland | Royal Curragh | 1910 |
| Wales (2) | ||
| Wales | Royal St David’s | 1908 |
| Wales | Royal Porthcawl | 1909 |
| New Zealand (2) | ||
| New Zealand | Royal Wellington | 2004 |
| New Zealand | Royal Auckland and Grange | 2010 |
| Channel Islands (2) | ||
| Channel Islands | Royal Jersey | 1879 |
| Channel Islands | Royal Guernsey | 1891 |
| International (7) | ||
| Malta | Royal Malta | 1888 |
| India | Royal Calcutta | 1911 |
| Sri Lanka | Royal Colombo | 1928 |
| Zimbabwe | Royal Harare | 1929 |
| Malaysia | Royal Selangor | 1953 |
| Czech Republic | Royal Marianske Lazne | 2003 |
| Germany | Royal Homburger | 2013 |
Note on "64": This number is the generally accepted figure for active clubs with a British Royal Warrant. Some historians debate the total (ranging from 63 to 69) because certain clubs have merged (like Royal Auckland and Grange) or because some older warrants were given to "Ladies' Branches" that have since integrated with the main club.