12 Royal Golf Clubs to Play in Great Britain & Ireland

There are currently 69 golf clubs around the world with the “Royal” title. Although the majority are located in Great Britain and Ireland, these royal golf clubs are not just found in His Majesty’s backyard. They’re located on four continents. They’re found as close as Canada and as far away as Australia and Singapore.

Here are 12 royal golf clubs in Scotland, Ireland, and England that belong on the list of every golf traveler.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews

Granted Royal Patronage in 1834 by King William IV

Although the R&A is the oldest club on this list, it was not the first golf club granted royal status. That distinction belongs to the Royal Perth Golfing Society, which was given the honor by King William IV in 1833. The Society of St. Andrews Golfers was granted royal patronage just one year later and became known as the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

The R&A enjoys a comfortable allocation of Old Course at St. Andrews tee times, but it does not own the course itself. Instead, The Old Course and six others are owned by the town and managed by the St. Andrews Links Trust.

Several members of the royal family have also served as Captain of the R&A, including three future kings.

Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1871 by Queen Victoria

Just two years after it was founded in 1869, the Liverpool Golf Club was granted royal status by Queen Victoria, thanks to the patronage of her 7th child, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.

In the years that followed, the newly christened Royal Liverpool Golf Club played an important role in the history of the game. The club hosted the first amateur golf competition in 1885, which the R&A saw fit to carry on as the Amateur Championship. Royal Liverpool also hosted the first competition between Great Britain and the United States in 1921. The event was held again in America the following year, with the teams competing for a trophy donated by George Herbert Walker. And thus, the Walker Cup is born.

Credit: Royal Liverpool

Royal Dublin Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1891 by Queen Victoria

Royal Dublin is one of just two golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland to carry the royal designation. That honor came by way of a letter from Queen Victoria dated May 11, 1891. Just two years prior, the club had moved to its present home on Bull Island. Royal Dublin has gone on to host a variety of prestigious events, including the Irish Open on six occasions. After the land was requisitioned by the military in World War I, Harry Colt was hired by Royal Dublin to restore the course to its former glory. The end result being one of the great links golf courses in Ireland and one that’s truly worthy of the royal moniker.

Credit: Royal Dublin

Royal Portrush Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1892 by Queen Victoria

In 1892, Queen Victoria’s son, the Duke of York became the patron of The County Club in Portrush, which subsequently became The Royal County Club. Just a few years later, he was succeeded as patron by the Prince of Wales - later Edward VII - and the Royal Portrush Golf Club was born. A fortunate turn of events, given another “Royal County” club would soon emerge nearby.

Royal Portrush was the first course outside of the island of Britain to host The Open Championship. It’s rightfully regarded as one of the best golf courses in the world, and reclaimed its place among The Open host courses in 2019. The Open is set to return for a 3rd time in 2025 and is sure to put on an event as grand as the Queen’s jubilee.

Royal St. George’s Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1902 by King Edward VII

Royal St. George’s was the first club in England to host The Open Championship and the fourth club on the current rota to earn royal patronage. It was the first club to receive the honor from King Edward VII, if you don’t count the family’s private 9-hole course at Windsor Castle. Royal St. George’s Golf Club is perhaps best known, however, for its connection to His Majesty’s Secret Service. James Bond creator Ian Fleming was a long-time member of the club and was elected captain the year he passed away.

Credit: Royal St. George's

Royal Aberdeen Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1903 by King Edward VII

The earliest recorded mention of a golf hole in Scotland is traced to 1625 and the Queens Links in Aberdeen. The Society of Aberdeen Golfers was eventually formed in 1780, making it the 6th oldest golf club in the world. The club received royal patronage in 1872, but it did not ask to use the royal distinction until 1903, when it was granted by King Edward VII. If the club had applied that same year, Royal Aberdeen would have been just the seventh golf club in the world to carry the royal banner. As it stands, 30 other clubs were granted the distinction before Royal Aberdeen.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1906 by King Edward VII

Golf in the town of Dornoch dates to 1616. A known fact thanks to an accounting log for golf equipment purchased by the Earl of Sutherland. In the centuries that followed, the game continued to evolve in Dornoch thanks to the likes of Old Tom Morris and Donald Ross.

It was another Sutherland who proved to be most instrumental in the development of the club. John Sutherland served as Club Secretary for over 50 years. During his tenure, Duchess Millicent lobbied her friend King Edward VII to grant royal patronage, and he was happy to oblige.

Today, Royal Dornoch Golf Club is closely linked to a bit of American royalty. Andrew Carnegie maintained a residence at nearby Skibo Castle and donated a silver shield to the club for an annual competition named in his honor.

Royal County Down

Granted Royal Patronage in 1908 by King Edward VII

Royal County Down became the 3rd golf club in Northern Ireland to gain royal status when the honor was granted in 1908 by King Edward VII. Around this same time, golf’s own royalty was shaping the course into one of the greatest on the globe. All three members of the Great Triumvirate - Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor, and James Braid - visited Royal County Down between 1900 and 1913 and suggested alterations. It wasn’t until Harry Colt arrived in 1925, however, that Royal County Down truly became the show-stopping links that it is today.

Royal Cinque Ports

Granted Royal Patronage in 1910 by King Edward VII

Throughout its history, the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club - commonly known as Deal - has enjoyed numerous ties to the royal family. Before becoming Edward VII, the Prince of Wales visited Deal on many occasions and even served as Club President. King George V granted the club its royal status in 1910 and was also a frequent visitor with another Prince of Wales, later known as Edward VIII. Fast forward to 1979, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother began a long association with the club and is the namesake of an annual mixed competition.

For all of this rich history, however, Royal Cinque Ports is perhaps best known for its short time on The Open rota. The club hosted the championship in 1909 and 1920, and would have held it twice more were it not for some untimely flooding.

Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s

Granted Royal Patronage in 1926 by King George V

King George V was a prolific grantor of the royal title to golf clubs and made the honor a truly global affair. Out of the 22 clubs granted the honor during his reign, just seven are located in Great Britain. One of those is Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The club was granted the royal moniker in 1926, the same year that it hosted its first Open Championship. That tournament, coincidentally, was won by a member of golf royalty… The great Bobby Jones.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1951 by King George VI

Since William IV granted the honor to the R&A, no monarch has presented the royal moniker to fewer golf clubs than King George VI. Understandable, given that he was preoccupied with more pressing matters, like the end of a global depression and World War II. The king presented the royal title to just three clubs during his 26 year reign, one of which was the Royal Birkdale Golf Club. A decade later, another king - Arnold Palmer - won his first Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Royal Troon Golf Club

Granted Royal Patronage in 1978 by Queen Elizabeth II

During the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II, just one club in the United Kingdom has been granted the royal moniker. The Royal Troon Golf Club became so in 1978, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of its founding. By that time, the club had hosted The Open Championship on four occasions and will do so again for the tenth time in 2024. Royal Troon was the last of the current Open Championship courses to receive the royal distinction.