Name: The Royal Sydney Golf Club
Where: Kent Road, Rose Bay 2029 New South Wales, Australia
Email: administration@rsgc.com.au
The Royal Sydney Golf Club, not only home to the 2008 Australian Open is one of Australia's most exclusive sporting and social institutions.
Opening in Concord in 1893, but shortly moving to Bondi, it is New South Wales second oldest golf club. The present clubhouse dates from 1922, following the destruction by fire of the previous clubhouse which opened in April 1905
The original membership of twenty men grew to 500 by 1910 and 2,000 by 1926. In 1985, women were admitted as members. In 1993, membership stood at 5,800, making The Royal Sydney Golf Club one of the largest sporting clubs in the western world.
There are over 2,000 members of Royal Sydney Golf Club play on the two courses; the world famous Championship Course and the less challenging, 9-hole Centenary Course. The long and short practice facilities are amazing and the practice putting course is one of the best in the world.
The Royal Sydney is a situated on the Pacific Ocean. It's heavily bunkered and especially demanding in any wind.
Dr Alistair Mackenzie was a Scottish golf course architect who had designed over 400 golf courses across the world, including Cypress Point and Augusta National (alongside Bobby Jones) noted this on his visit to Royal Sydney in 1926. "At first sight the land on which Royal Sydney Golf Course is situated appears flat, but in reality this is by no means the case, as it is full of minor undulations and excellent golfing features similar to those of the best sea side courses. Undulating ground of this kind with a complete absence of hilliness is exceptionally adaptable to the construction of holes which should compare favorably with the best Championship courses in Britain.
The greens are excellent and I do not know of any fairways which are superior. The course, however, suffers from similar defects to those which are almost universal in Australia and these are due to the fact that the design and construction has been done from a penal standpoint instead of a strategic. Few bunkers are of any interest which do not influence the line of play to the hole and bunkers on the sides of the fairway are not only of little interest but actually create bad players owing to their cramping effect. Fully three quarters of the bunkers at Rose Bay should be converted into grassy hollows. I am suggesting a completely new scheme of bunkering which will have the effect of giving alternative routes to every class of player and thus providing enjoyable golf to everyone and moreover stimulating the scratch man to improve his game."
The Championship Course has hosted the Australian Open Championships (11 times), the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Men's and Ladies Amateur Championships. Royal Sydney provides professional and efficiently run tournaments, not to mention it's incredible location. Golfing legends Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Greg Norman and Peter Thomson have all been tested at Australian major championships at Royal Sydney.
Holes: 18
Par: 72
Men's: 6,054m
Ladies: 5,258m
Bunkers: 121
Fairways: Wintergreen Couch
Tee areas: Wintergreen Couch/Santa Anna Couch
Greens: Penn G2
The Centenary Course, is a short 9-hole at Royal Sydney. Course architect, Thomson Wolveridge Perrett designed the 1997 rebuild to utilize every golf club in the bag. Water comes into play on six of the nine holes, complementing undulating terrain, tight fairways and small contoured greens. The Centenary Course caters perfectly to beginners and older golfers, while still presenting a challenging round.
Holes: 9
Length: 3,276m
Bunkers: 14
Fairways: Wintergreen Couch
Tee areas: Wintergreen Couch
Greens: SR1019
The Royal Sydney Golf Club is a private golf course. Guests must be accompanied by a member.
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