Royal Perth Golf Club

Royal Perth Golf Club is the oldest golf club in metropolitan Western Australia. Its course lies on the banks of the Swan River in South Perth, just minutes from the Perth CBD. It is a private members' club on a compact site of less than 30 hectares, and its par-72 championship course has hosted state and national events for decades.

This is an old-style course on flat ground, and its defences are subtle rather than brutal. Fairways are narrow, so placement off the tee matters. The greens are small, firm and fast, and they become elusive targets when the afternoon sea breeze blows in off the river. There is little rough, but close to 80 bunkers punish loose shots. At just over 6,000 metres it is not long by modern standards, yet it still tests the best players.

The two nines play very differently. The outward nine is a par 37 with three par fives and, apart from the 6th and 9th, runs along the boundary, so out of bounds threatens shots that drift right to left. The inward nine stays inside the property and plays to a par of 35, with the 18th its only par five. It is generally the harder half, thanks to three tough par fours at the 10th, 13th and 16th.

The club has a well-stocked golf shop open seven days a week, a practice range, and a team of PGA professionals who give lessons to members and the public alike. The clubhouse is known for its dining and an extensive wine cellar.

The club began in 1895, when a group of men played social golf on abandoned farmland at Burswood Island and in August that year formed the Perth Golf Club, the state's first. Poor drainage and weeds led to a move to Grove Farm in Belmont, and then to reserve land in South Perth. Governor and club president Sir Frederick Bedford opened the new links on 22 August 1908. Designed by members, the course grew from nine holes to a permanent 18 in 1928, and the layout players know today took shape in 1938. In 1937 the club was granted its Royal charter and became Royal Perth.

After the Second World War, Royal Perth became a national tournament venue. It hosted the 1949 Australian PGA Championship, the WA Open many times and the Australian Senior Open from 2009 to 2012. On the amateur side it has staged women's national championships in 1953, 1959 and 1965, the men's Australian Amateur in 1967, 1979 and 1985, and the City of Perth Amateur Championship every year since 1958.