The club was founded by the surgeon Laidlaw Purves in 1887 in a setting of wild duneland. Laidlaw Purves and his brother, Alexander Pattison Purves WS, stood at the top of the tower of St Clement's Church to survey the surrounding countryside. "By George, what a place for a golf course' was exclaimed by Doctor Purves.[2] Whilst some believe the club's name was decided beforehand by the doctor's remark at St. Clement's, nevertheless, holding England's patron saint at the forefront of the club implicated 'a promise of national distinction'. [3] It was only in 1902 that St George's became Royal St Georges, becoming the 31st golf club granted royal status in the world. Doctor Purves was adamant to create and present the ethos and traditions of a proper club that are held at St. Andrews Golf Club, however in the South of England. Many holes feature blind or partially blind shots, although this element has been reduced somewhat, after several 20th century modifications. The course also possesses the deepest bunker in championship golf, located on its fourth hole.[4]
Author Ian Fleming used the Royal St George's course under the name "Royal St. Marks" in his 1959 novel Goldfinger. In 1964, Fleming was elected Captain by his predecessor Eric Pemberton. The following day, Fleming died of a heart attack at a hospital in Canterbury.
Competitions
Challenge Cup
The club's Challenge Cup dates from 1888 and is one of the oldest amateur events in golf. It has been contested annually over 36 holes except during the war years. A 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the tournament in 1959 shortly before going on to win the first of his two U.S. Amateur titles.[5]
Halford Hewitt
After being founded in 1924, The Halford Hewitt, a foursomes knockout match, was originally played at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club. In 1950, the competition, due to increased capacity, expanded it's first two out of ten rounds to The Royal St George's Golf Club, and has since then been the case.
The Open Championship
Royal St George's has hosted The Open Championship on 15 occasions since 1894. This was the first time the event had been held outside Scotland. Due to Sandwich's medieval styled architecture and roads, traffic became increasingly difficult to manage, and the club wouldn't see another Open Championship for more than 30 years after Bobby Locke's win in 1949. Along with traffic capabilities, Royal St George's was redeemed as inappropriate test for a modern professional. [6]
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