The Australian Golf Club
Encyclopedia
The Australian Golf Club is a golf
club located in Rosebery
, a suburb of Sydney
, Australia
. Although it survived numerous course location changes, it is arguably the oldest golf club in Australia
. To date the course has held 17 Australian Open
s, the most recent being from 13–16 December 2007, which was won by Craig Parry
. The course has been rated the 9th best in the country.
(founded 1893). However, The Australian did not have a golf course between the years of 1888 and 1895, which has led to debate as to which golf club is the oldest.
The club's first golf course
was situated in Moore Park
, a suburb of Sydney, but due to a new road the course had to be abandoned six years later in 1888. In 1895 a second, eleven-hole course was built in Waverley
, which was used until 1898, when the club's lease expired. The course then moved to Botany, Sydney
. It was this course that hosted the 1901 Australian Amateur Championship, and the first Australian Open in 1904.
and Gilbert Martin. In 1926 Alister MacKenzie
, designer of courses such as Royal Melbourne Golf Club
and Augusta National Golf Club
, was asked to update holes on the course. Due to the popularity of the course, members approved a new layout in 1949 which supplied the club with two starting holes. In 1967 the proposal of a new road threatened the land on which the course was laid out on. As a result, a redesign by Sloane Morpeth was needed, which was completed in 1973. Between 1977 and 1980 Jack Nicklaus
made significant alterations to the course, which included adding length and water hazards, which transformed the course into what it is today.
with a score of 11 under par. The various winners of Australian Opens at The Australian are as follows:
The Australian has also hosted 12 Australian Amateur Championships – the first in 1901, and the most recent in 1999.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
club located in Rosebery
Rosebery, New South Wales
Rosebery is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rosebery is located 6 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney....
, a suburb of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Although it survived numerous course location changes, it is arguably the oldest golf club in Australia
Golf in Australia
Golf in Australia refers to the sport of golf played in Australia.-Tournaments:The PGA Tour of Australasia is the main men's tour in Australia. it was founded in 1973 as the PGA Tour of Australia, and changed to its current name in 1991. The tour is one of the five charter members of the...
. To date the course has held 17 Australian Open
Australian Open (golf)
The Australian Open is one of the principal annual golf tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia, and also the OneAsia Tour since its formation in 2009. The event was first played in 1904 and takes place toward the end of each year...
s, the most recent being from 13–16 December 2007, which was won by Craig Parry
Craig Parry
Craig David Parry is an Australian professional golfer. He has been one of Australia's premier golfers since turning professional in 1985, and has 23 career victories, two of those wins being events on the PGA Tour; the 2002 WGC-NEC Invitational and the 2004 Ford Championship at Doral.Parry was...
. The course has been rated the 9th best in the country.
Early history
The Australian Golf Club was founded in 1882, which makes it the oldest golf club in Australia followed by Royal Melbourne Golf ClubRoyal Melbourne Golf Club
Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a golf club located in Black Rock, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia with two courses. Royal Melbourne has hosted numerous national and international events, including the 1959 Canada Cup , and the 1970 World Cup...
(founded 1893). However, The Australian did not have a golf course between the years of 1888 and 1895, which has led to debate as to which golf club is the oldest.
The club's first golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
was situated in Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
, a suburb of Sydney, but due to a new road the course had to be abandoned six years later in 1888. In 1895 a second, eleven-hole course was built in Waverley
Waverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
, which was used until 1898, when the club's lease expired. The course then moved to Botany, Sydney
Botany, New South Wales
Botany is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Botany is located 10 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the City of Botany Bay....
. It was this course that hosted the 1901 Australian Amateur Championship, and the first Australian Open in 1904.
Present day course
The present day location of the course was inspected in 1903, while a year later plans were put forward for the new course by Carnegie Clark, Jock HutchisonJock Hutchison
Jack Fowler "Jock" Hutchison was a Scottish-American professional golfer.Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland but later moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 1920. He won two major championships, the 1920 PGA Championship and the 1921 Open Championship at the St Andrews...
and Gilbert Martin. In 1926 Alister MacKenzie
Alister MacKenzie
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was an internationally renowned, British golf course architect whose course designs, on three different continents, are consistently ranked among the finest golf courses in the world...
, designer of courses such as Royal Melbourne Golf Club
Royal Melbourne Golf Club
Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a golf club located in Black Rock, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia with two courses. Royal Melbourne has hosted numerous national and international events, including the 1959 Canada Cup , and the 1970 World Cup...
and Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual...
, was asked to update holes on the course. Due to the popularity of the course, members approved a new layout in 1949 which supplied the club with two starting holes. In 1967 the proposal of a new road threatened the land on which the course was laid out on. As a result, a redesign by Sloane Morpeth was needed, which was completed in 1973. Between 1977 and 1980 Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
made significant alterations to the course, which included adding length and water hazards, which transformed the course into what it is today.
Course scorecard
SourceTournaments
The Australian Golf Club has held 17 Australian Opens, with the most recent being from the 13–16 December 2007, which was won by Craig ParryCraig Parry
Craig David Parry is an Australian professional golfer. He has been one of Australia's premier golfers since turning professional in 1985, and has 23 career victories, two of those wins being events on the PGA Tour; the 2002 WGC-NEC Invitational and the 2004 Ford Championship at Doral.Parry was...
with a score of 11 under par. The various winners of Australian Opens at The Australian are as follows:
| | Year | | Winner | | Year | | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 |  Michael ScottMichael Scott (golfer) The Hon. Michael Scott OBE was an English amateur golfer, most famous for being the oldest winner of The Amateur Championship.... (a) |
1976 |  Jack NicklausJack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
| 1908 |  Clyde Pearce |
1977 | David Graham David Graham (golfer) Anthony David Graham is a former professional golfer from Australia.Born in Windsor, Australia, Graham turned professional in 1962 at age 16 and spent much of his career in the United States, playing on the PGA Tour. Turning age 50 in 1996, he joined the Senior PGA Tour, later known as the... |
| 1920 | Joe Kirkwood, Sr. Joe Kirkwood, Sr. Joseph Henry Kirkwood, Sr. was a professional golfer who is acknowledged as having put Australian golf on the world map.... |
1978 | Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
| 1925 | Fred Popplewell |
1982 | Bob Shearer Bob Shearer Robert A. Shearer is an Australian professional golfer and golf course architect.Shearer was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He won the 1969 Australian Amateur and turned pro in 1970.... |
| 1931 | Ivo Whitton Ivo Whitton Ivo Harrington Whitton was an Australian amateur golfer, who is the only Australian to have won the Australian Open five times .Whitton was born in Moonee Ponds, Victoria... (a) |
1990 | John Morse John Morse John Paul Morse is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the Champions Tour.-Amateur career:Morse was born in Marshall, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan and was an All-American member of the golf team and Big-10 Champion in 1980. He won the 1978 Michigan Amateur... |
| 1937 | George Naismith |
1996 | Greg Norman Greg Norman Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s... |
| 1949 | Eric Cremin Eric Cremin Eric James Cremin was an Australian golfer who, later in his career, was instrumental in the establishment of the Asian golf circuit.Cremin was born in Mascot, New South Wales... |
2004 | Peter Lonard Peter Lonard Peter Lawrence Lonard is an Australian professional golfer who plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour. He credits fellow Australian Greg Norman as his inspiration.... |
| 1959 | Kel Nagle Kel Nagle Kelvin David George Nagle is an Australian professional golfer best known for winning The Open Championship in 1960. He won at least one tournament each year from 1949 to 1975.Nagle was born in North Sydney... |
2007 | Craig Parry Craig Parry Craig David Parry is an Australian professional golfer. He has been one of Australia's premier golfers since turning professional in 1985, and has 23 career victories, two of those wins being events on the PGA Tour; the 2002 WGC-NEC Invitational and the 2004 Ford Championship at Doral.Parry was... |
| 1975 | Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
The Australian has also hosted 12 Australian Amateur Championships – the first in 1901, and the most recent in 1999.