Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Golf course in Black Rock, Australia
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Black Rock has two 18-hole courses, the West and East. Alister MacKenzie set the West course standards on the Melbourne Sandbelt in 1926; Alex Russell and greenkeeper Mick Morcom oversaw its building, completed in 1931. Russell designed the East course, finished in 1932.
The club was founded in 1891 and moved to its current location from Caulfield during the 1920s as the city grew outward. This relocation allowed the course to maintain its operations away from increasing urban pressures.
The "Royal" prefix was granted in 1895, four years after the club was founded as the Melbourne Golf Club. Its founding captain was John Munro Bruce, father of Australian prime minister Stanley Bruce, and the founding president was politician Sir James MacBain. The Composite Course, drawn from holes on both layouts, has used 21 different holes between 1959 and 2011 depending on the event.
The club sits in Black Rock on the Melbourne Sandbelt, south of the city centre, and is bounded by existing property lines, so the West course holes cannot be lengthened much. Access for non-members depends on membership affiliation, so confirm arrangements before travelling. The Composite course uses 18 holes drawn from the East and West layouts within the main paddock.
The Composite Course draws its 18 holes from both the East and West layouts, restricted to the main property known as the paddock. Between 1959 and 2011, 21 different holes were used in it depending on the event. It was the stage for the 1959 Canada Cup and the 1972 World Cup.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,470 contributors worldwide.
