Forfar Golf Club
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Website | forfargolfclub |
Forfar Golf Club is a golf club located at Cunninghill, on the outskirts of Forfar, Angus, Scotland. Founded in 1871, it is recognised as the first golf club in the world to have opened with an 18-hole course from inception.[1] The original layout was designed by four-time Open champion Old Tom Morris and subsequently revised in 1926 by five-time Open champion James Braid. The course plays to a par of 69 over 6,170 yards of heathland terrain.
History
Forfar Golf Club was established in 1871 when James Brodie, a graduate of St Andrews University who had recently become rector of Forfar Academy, persuaded Colonel Dempster of Dunnichen to permit golf over fifty acres of ground at Cunninghill. Old Tom Morris of St Andrews was engaged to lay out the course.[2] Brodie served as club secretary from 1871 until his death in 1899.
Early members used a room at Lochhead Farm as a clubhouse. In 1889, further land was acquired and a permanent clubhouse constructed. Ladies were admitted to the club in 1895, and in 1920 the membership purchased the course outright for £700.[2]
In 1926, James Braid was engaged to revise the layout. His principal alteration was the elimination of holes that had previously crossed one another. The letter containing Braid's recommendations is preserved in the clubhouse. The course has remained substantially unchanged since.[3]
In 2022, the club held delayed celebrations marking its 150th anniversary, which included a visit from the Earl of Forfar.[4]
Course
The course occupies an eighty-acre wooded estate and is classified as heathland. The fairways feature pronounced undulating ridges, attributed to the land's previous use for cultivating and drying flax in rows, a practice that created the characteristic rig and furrow pattern across the ground.[3] The layout places a premium on accuracy rather than length, with ten of the thirteen par fours measuring under 400 yards. Each fairway runs in isolation through avenues of Scots pine.[3]
The signature hole is the 15th, known as 'Braid's Best'. A par four of 412 yards, it features a rightward dogleg with a raised green protected by three bunkers and a steep slope to the left.[5]
Notable members
Sandy Saddler was club champion at Forfar seven times before representing Scotland 22 times and Great Britain 14 times in international competition between 1959 and 1967. He appeared in three Walker Cup matches and served as non-playing captain of the GB&I Walker Cup team in 1977.[3]
Stuart Wilson began playing as a junior at Forfar and went on to win the 2004 Amateur Championship at St Andrews, defeating Francesco Molinari en route to the final. He subsequently won the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at the 2004 Open Championship at Royal Troon, having opened with a 68 to sit two shots off the lead.[6] Wilson also competed in the 2005 Masters Tournament at Augusta National.[6] He played on the winning GB&I team at the 2003 Walker Cup at Ganton, and captained GB&I at the 2021 Walker Cup and 2023 Walker Cup.[7]
Championship history
Forfar has hosted several national events:[2][4]
| Tournament | Year |
|---|---|
| Scottish PGA Championship | 1932, 1966 |
| Scottish Boys Championship | 1976, 1980 |
| Girls Home Internationals | 1997 |
| Scottish Boys Under-16s Championship | 2011 |
References
- ↑ "Walker Cup captain Stuart Wilson is a captain without a ship to sail due to Covid". The Scotsman. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "1871 Forfar". Scottish Golf History. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Forfar Golf Club". Top 100 Golf Courses. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Former Walker Cup captain Sandy Saddler welcomes US guests to delayed 150th anniversary event at Forfar Golf Club". The Courier. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "The full guide to the work of Old Tom Morris". Bunkered. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Stuart Wilson on how his amateur dramatics 'fizzled out'". The Scotsman. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
- ↑ "Who is GB&I Walker Cup captain Stuart Wilson?". National Club Golfer. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
External links
- Official website
- Forfar Golf Club at Top 100 Golf Courses
Category:Golf clubs and courses in Angus
Category:Sports venues in Angus
Category:Forfar
Category:1871 establishments in Scotland
Category:Old Tom Morris golf courses
Category:James Braid golf courses
This article "Forfar Golf Club" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Forfar Golf Club. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
