ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – I still can’t decide what was the coolest piece of memorabilia on display at the R&A Clubhouse.
Was it the original oil paintings hanging on the walls? The prized silver Claret Jug that will be awarded to the Champion Golfer of the Year? Or the original Alister MacKenzie sketch of The Old Course surveyed and depicted in 1924? All spectacular and part of the rich history of the game, but then you see the original Challenge Belt that was awarded to the winner of the Open Championship from 1860-1870 until Young Tom Morris won the belt outright by winning the event three times in succession — that’s next level.
Welcome to The Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, situated behind the first tee of the famed Old Course, and an iconic building whose exterior is known instantly to golfers around the world. Arnold Palmer once described it as “being admitted to the Hall of the Gods,” and thanks to Golfweek rater and club member Derek Dobbs, I received a grand tour of the facility, which was originally built in 1854 in the Georgian style of the day.
Dobbs joined the private club, with approximately 2,500 members worldwide, in 1989, or as he put it, “long enough ago to know my way around.” He usually comes over and plays once a year. (He’s also a member at Royal Dornoch #Jealous.)
Jacket and tie are required for entrance and sadly no photos or video are allowed. In the main lobby is a cabinet that houses many of the most prized trophies in golf – from the Amateur and Ladies Amateur Trophy to the Claret Jug itself. There are two versions – the one awarded custody for a year to the Champion Golfer of the Year and the one I studied intently, which never leaves the grounds and was last given to Bobby Jones when he won in 1927, and didn’t want to risk taking it home to America.
On to the Trophy Room, where my eyes were drawn to the silver balls and led to Derek sharing the back story of an infamous club tradition. Every year since 1754, the new captain hits the ceremonial drive from the first tee and the local caddie who retrieves it is awarded a prize. A silver casing of the ball is then attached to the cluster hanging from a silver putter like grapes on a vine. (Captains of royal birth — there have been four — have gold balls.) Later that evening, at a dinner, new members are required to touch this ornament to their lips and kiss the captains’ balls.
The Big Room, the main social room on the ground floor, presents…
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