| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1905 |
| Type | private |
| Website | www |
Royal Fremantle Golf Club is a golf club in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was established in 1905. Multiple prominent golf tournaments have been hosted at the venue including the Australian PGA Championship and Royal Fremantle Open.
In 1904, roughly twenty people who lived in the Fremantle area met regularly at His Lordship's Larder (later known as His Majety's Hotel, [1] on the corner of Phillimore and Mouat Streets), to talk about creating a golf course. On July 20, 1905 the club was formally created. For the site of the course, the members quickly decided to use 196 acres of government land that was currently being leased to cattle famers. In early August, the Fremantle Municipal Council approved a loan of £500 to assist with the development of the first nine holes. A month later, in September, the club was formally established with 60 members and, in November, formally incorporated. [2]
However, there were many problems converting the designated territory into a golf course. The terrain was rocky and had an inadequate water supply. Cattle, rabbits, and goats regularly trespassed into the land. The goats were especially problematic, as they would often eat "young tree plantings as fast as they were planted." The establishment of "pig" wire netting was originally recommended but, in efforts to save money, the club ultimately decided to construct warning signs "that goats trespassing on the Links Reserve will be shot." [2]
Despite the challenges, by 1906 the first nine holes "became playable." The following year the Governor of Western Australia officially opened the course. In 1909 the full 18 holes were completed. Fremantle became the first 18-hole course in the state. Two years later it hosted the state's inaugural amateur championship. [2] It also hosted a club championship in 1909. [3]
Membership climbed the first decade of the club's history but abruptly dropped during World War I. By 1930, however, membership had returned to pre-war levels. In addition in 1930, the Crown certified the club's "Royal status." Royal Fremantle was then "the Premier Club in Western Australia." [2]
The course has hosted several significant golf tournaments over its history. In 1960 it hosted the Australian PGA Championship. [4] In the late 1970s and early 80s it hosted the Royal Fremantle Open. [5] [6]
The course is 6,175 metres (20,259 ft) long. The course has Kikuyu fairways and Bentgrass greens. [2]
In the early 1980s the course record of 66 was established. It stood for 25 years until 2006 when Ric Kulacz, a local amateur player, shot a 64. This record was tied by Paul Fenton in 2009 at the course's club championship. [2]
Minjee Lee, currently one of the top female golfers in the world, honed her game at the club. Touring professionals Craig Parry and Greg Chalmers both graduated from the club's junior program. [2]
Gary James Player is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the Champions Tour. At the age of 29, Player won the 1965 U.S. Open and became the only non-American to win all four majors in a career, known as the career Grand Slam. At the time, he was the youngest player to do this, though Jack Nicklaus (26) and Tiger Woods (24) subsequently broke this record. Player became only the third golfer in history to win the Career Grand Slam, following Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen, and only Nicklaus and Woods have performed the feat since. He won over 160 professional tournaments on six continents over seven decades and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
The Australian Open, owned and run by Golf Australia, is the oldest and most prestigious golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The Open was first played in 1904 and takes place toward the end of each year.
Graham Vivian Marsh MBE is an Australian golfer. In 1968, Marsh turned pro and won several tournaments on the Australasian circuits early in his career. He joined the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s and won the 1977 Heritage Classic. However, he elected to focus the remainder of his career overseas, ultimately winning ten times on the European Tour and twenty times on the Japan Golf Tour. As a senior, he continued with much success on the Champions Tour, winning two senior majors, including the U.S. Senior Open.
Anthony David Graham, AM is an Australian golfer. Graham turned pro as a teenager and had much success on the Australasian circuits in his youth, winning several tournaments. In 1972, he joined the PGA Tour where he continued with success, winning several tournaments. This culminated with major tournament wins at the 1979 PGA Championship and 1981 U.S. Open. As a senior, Graham continued with success, winning five times on the Senior PGA Tour.
Jack Newton OAM was an Australian professional golfer. Newton had early success in Australia, winning the 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic. He soon moved on to the British PGA where he won three times in the mid-1970s and finished runner-up at the 1975 Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, Newton started playing on the PGA Tour where he won the 1978 Buick-Goodwrench Open. During this era, Newton also played significantly in Australia where he won a number events including the 1979 Australian Open. Four years later, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of an airplane, losing his right arm and right eye. However, he survived and managed to work a number of golf-related jobs the remainder of his life.
Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a 36-hole golf club in Australia, located in Black Rock, Victoria, a suburb in southeastern Melbourne. Its West and East courses are respectively ranked number 1 and 6 in Australia. The West course is ranked in the top-five courses in the world. Founded 133 years ago in 1891, it is Australia's oldest extant and continually existing golf club. Unlike many metropolitan golf venues, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club has a capacity for 15,000 spectators.
The Australian PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It is the home tournament of the Australian PGA. Since 2000 it has been held in the South East Queensland region. The tournament was part of the OneAsia Tour from 2009 to 2014, and it has been co-sanctioned with the European Tour from 2015 to 2019 and again in 2022.
The Australian Amateur is the national amateur golf championship of Australia. It has been played annually since 1894, except for the war years, and is organised by Golf Australia. Having traditionally been a match play event, from 2021 it has been a 72-hole stroke play event, having last been played as a stroke play event in 1907.
The Western Australian Open, also known as the WA Open, is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It had been a tour event every year since 2009 with the exception of 2019.
The Victorian PGA Championship is a golf tournament played in Victoria, Australia. It has been part of the PGA Tour of Australasia each season since 2009. It is the oldest of the state professional championships, having been first held in 1922.
The Queensland PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The tournament is currently held at Nudgee Golf Club in Nudgee.
The Queensland Open is a golf tournament held in Queensland, Australia as part of the PGA Tour of Australasia. It was founded in 1925. The event was not held from 2008 to 2012 but returned as a PGA Tour of Australasia event in 2013.
Ross Metherell is an Australian professional golfer and golf coach. As a touring professional Metherell largely played in his home state of Western Australia, winning dozens of events including the Western Australian Open twice. Starting in the early 1980s Metherell began working as a golf coach which he would do for most of the remainder of his career. Late in his career, however, he had a brief rebirth as a touring professional, winning two events on the European Senior Tour in August 1999.
The New South Wales Amateur Championship is the state amateur golf championship of New South Wales, Australia. It was first played in 1898.
Thomas Ewington Howard was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Australian Open in 1923.
Arthur Robert Ham was an English professional golfer. He was a professional in England and New Zealand, before settling in the United States where he was a professional at a number of clubs. He won the 1922 New Zealand Professional Championship and was runner-up in the 1923 Australian Open.
Barry Vivian is a New Zealand professional golfer. In the 1970s, he recorded a number of wins in minor events in the Pacific Islands but was unsuccessful on the more competitive circuits. He was thinking about quitting golf but a shock win at the 1979 Australian Masters gave him the confidence to continue his career. Vivian did not have many more highlights for the remainder of his regular career but as a senior he had much success. He posted a number of top finishes on the European Senior Tour while also recording victories at the New Zealand Senior PGA Championship and Australian PGA Seniors Championship.
Harry Williamson Berwick was an Australian golfer. He won the Australian Amateur twice, in 1950 and 1956, and won the 1952 New Zealand Amateur. He won two open titles in 1956, the Lakes Open and the New Zealand Open. He was part of the Australian teams that won the 1954 Commonwealth Tournament at St Andrews and the 1966 Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico City. He turned professional at the age of 52.
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The Australian PGA Seniors Championship is a golf tournament in Australia.
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