100 years of Royal Scots Golf Club

THE ROYAL Scots Golf Club (RSGC) celebrates its 100th anniversary this year with their centenary match at Glencorse Golf Club near Penicuik, the course which allowed the first event after the club was instituted on 17 March 1922.

The club welcomed 97 members in its inaugural year and was one of many organisations within the Royal Scots Club.

The first Captain’s gold medal was struck in 1924 and a Hole & Hole medal was presented by J K Graham in 1922 for a competition that is still played today for the same silver medal.

Members originally only came from Royal Scots regimental members of the Royal Scots Club in Abercromby Place, however, when the Institute of Directors (Scotland) and other organisations took office space at the club, in Edinburgh’s New Town, they were also allowed to join the society golf club.

The RSGC have a long history of competitive matches against another old Edinburgh golf society, The Corstorphine 8:30 Golf Club, which was instituted in 1924.

The “8:30” club took its name from the time of the train from Corstorphine to Waverley which carried the original 12 members to work each morning.

The matches are home and away, playing for the model of the train and the other is a model of a Royal Scots Pikeman. The train and the pikeman form the centre point at an annual dinner, cup and medal presentation held separately by both clubs.

The losing team’s representative who is in attendance has to make the long walk to hand over the relevant trophy to the winning club.