Balmoral Golf Club has received the royal seal of approval – the only surprise is it hasn’t happened before now.
If there is one course which merits the status, it is surely Balmoral, given the large number of royal family members who have walked the fairways over the years.
As you are escorted through the gates of the Balmoral Estates, you quickly realise this is not going to be anything like your normal golfing experience as you get ready to sample a golf club where members were once only drawn from those who worked on the estate and their families.
It made me think of what it must be like for those lucky golfers who get the chance to drive down Magnolia Lane when the iconic Augusta National opens the doors for the Masters every year.
Balmoral men’s captain George Davidson and the ladies’ captain Mandy Cruickshank provide a warm welcome and they have reason to celebrate as the club has recently been granted permission to become Royal Balmoral Golf Club.
An article by golf publication Bunkered says more than 70 golf courses have had the “Royal” title bestowed upon them by the British monarchy – with Royal Troon the most recent Scottish club to obtain royal designation in 1978 before Balmoral’s upgrade this year.
How ‘Royal’ status was granted by The King
Mandy has been the driving force for getting the club royal status and she was thrilled to receive a letter a few weeks ago from the Scottish Government confirming The King had given approval to the name Royal Balmoral Golf Club.
She said: “We have had a course here since the 1920s, but the golf club was formed in 1973 and we started playing competitions.
“As 2023 was going to be our 50th anniversary and the King’s coronation, I thought how lovely it would be to get royal in the name.
“I took it upon myself to find out how you would go about doing that and I wrote to one of the King’s private secretaries.
“That was in October 2023, and I didn’t get a reply until April 2024 when I was told it was actually the Scottish Government you have to write to.
“I wrote to the Scottish Government, but as our anniversary year had passed, I left that bit out.
“Sadly we were rejected, but they said it wasn’t a reflection on the club, it was just that it was very rare these titles were handed out – but they said we could reapply if we were celebrating an anniversary.
“So I wrote back and put in a copy of my letter from 2023 about the club’s 50th anniversary and we then got a letter back saying it was approved.
“We found out at the end of February, but we kept it secret until our AGM in March and we told the members then.”
A new badge has already been designed to mark the club’s royal status, while the signs around the club and the estate are also in the process of being updated.
George added: “Everyone seems to be delighted. It is a great honour for the club.”
The walls of the wooden clubhouse – or The Queen’s Pavilion to give it the official title – are adorned with fascinating pictures and items, including the putter from long-time member Bill Thow, who played the nine-hole course from 1931 to 1996 and was the holder of the competition course record of 29.
It is a nine-holer – but there are 18 tees, so the second nine provides a different challenge.
The 18 holes make up a short 4,825 yards and a par 67 for men. For women, the course is 4,459 yards and par 68.
The opening hole is a 272-yard par 4 named Victoria and Albert.
To the right of the fairway is a statue of Prince Albert, commissioned by Queen Victoria six years after his death. Looking directly across is the statue of Queen Victoria, erected to commemorate 50 years of her reign.
It is a fairly forgiving opening tee shot. You shouldn’t need to drive like Rory McIlroy to keep your ball in between the two statues and on the fairway.
There is no chance pitchmarks will be left unrepaired, not with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert keeping a close eye on the first green.
George tells me some of the golfers who have been known to frequent the course over the years.
“William and Harry, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward have all played. Mike Tindall is quite often here, Zara Phillips as well,” he tells me.
There is a sundial just in front of the statue of Prince Albert – this was presented by the people of Caithness to the then Princess Elizabeth on the occasion of her marriage in 1947.
Balmoral Golf Club’s history
The Balmoral course is rich in history and there are some notable prizes on offer for the club’s 168 members.
The trophy given to the winner of the annual ladies’ club championship was originally awarded to a golfer who made a hole-in-one at the course in the 1920s, but has been passed down the years to become the prize for the club’s top female player.
The Queen Mary Cup is the reward for the winner of the men’s match-play.
It was presented by Queen Mary and the name of the first winner etched on the trophy dates back to 1936.
Queen Elizabeth II presented two trophies in the 1990s, one for the men’s club championship and one for the men’s handicap club championship.
You can see Crathie Kirk in the distance as you tee off at the second – a downhill 128-yard par-3 but, from the elevated tee, you can’t quite see all of the bunkers that guard the green so it might be an apt time for a wee prayer as you float a 9-iron into the air.
The back of the scorecard says golf is not permitted until 1pm on a Sunday, presumably to not upset any parishioners.
Those teeing off have to watch out for any traffic before hitting their tee shots as you are playing over the South Deeside Road on to the second green.
I notice an unusually high handle on the gate as we cross the quiet road towards the green.
“The Queen had that installed for when she went out for walks on her horses,” Mandy tells me.
Holes on and off the estate
The second green, the third and fourth holes, which are both par fours, and the tee box for the short uphill fifth are all actually off the estate.
If you manage to hit your tee shot over the road towards the fifth green, you re-enter the estate through another gate.
Two nice holes are to follow – the par-4 sixth which is flanked by a smattering of homes for estate workers down the left side.
“This was where I grew up,” George tells me. “We used to come here and play football on the fairway every night.
“I worked on the estate in the gardens for five years after I left school and then moved elsewhere.
“My mum and dad and my wife’s mum and dad stayed on the estate so I grew up on the golf course.”
Mandy was also born and brought up on the estate.
“When I was a girl my father used to take me out on the course with a cut-down 5-iron,” she added.
“The golf course has always been very much a part of the estate – even in the winter, it would be where people would go sledging.”
Craig Gowan House, the private residence often used by members of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II, is the backdrop to the sixth green and seventh tee.
The seventh is the one par-five of the nine holes – 482 yards, but mostly downhill.
There are a few blind shots across the closing stretch which makes life trickier for those playing the course for the first time.
The par-four eighth – The Dairy Dip – is the toughest hole on the course.
The closing hole, named The King’s Fountain, is a 213-yard par-three of the ninth tee box, but only 159 yards when played off the more generous 18th tee.
This would clearly be a fun place to play your golf, and on this occasion we pretty much had the course to ourselves aside from one other two-ball.
‘We are unique’
The club’s membership has widened in recent years, as George explained: “Prior to 2023, it used to be estate workers, second generation family members and if you lived in the parish of Crathie.
“Now membership is open to those who live in the AB35 postcode.
“Balmoral Estate still have a number of corporate days every year and the money raised there goes back to the estate.”
Mandy added: “Our committee is made up of either children or grandchildren of people who were estate workers. We are unique.”
The course certainly is unique – there can be few places more intriguing to play a round of golf across the country.
If you get the chance to play Royal Balmoral Golf Club don’t let it pass you by – it is a golfing experience like no other.
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