Royal Fremantle Golf Club is a golf club in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. It was established in 1905. Multiple prominent golf tournaments have been hosted at the venue including the

Australian PGA Championship The Australian PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It is the home tournament of the Australian PGA. Since 2000 it has been held in the South East Queensland region. The tournament was part of the OneAsia Tour fro ...

and

Royal Fremantle Open The Royal Fremantle Open was an Australian golf tournament. The event was held at Royal Fremantle Golf Club in Fremantle, Western Australia. History Western Australian Terry Gale Terry R. Gale (born 7 June 1946) is an Australian profession ...

History

In 1904, roughly twenty people who lived in the

area met regularly at His Lordship’s Parlor, a local hotel, to talk about creating a golf course. On July 20, 1905 the club was formally created. For the site of the course, the members quickly decided to use 196 acres of government land that was currently being leased to cattle famers. In early August, the Fremantle Municipal Council approved a loan of £500 to assist with the development of the first nine holes. A month later, in September, the club was formally established with 60 members and, in November, formally incorporated. However, there were many problems converting the designated territory into a golf course. The terrain was rocky and had an inadequate water supply. Cattle, rabbits, and goats regularly trespassed into the land. The goats were especially problematic, as they would often eat "young tree plantings as fast as they were planted." The establishment of "pig" wire netting was originally recommended but, in efforts to save money, the club ultimately decided to construct warning signs "that goats trespassing on the Links Reserve will be shot." Despite the challenges, by 1906 the first nine holes "became playable." The following year the Governor of Western Australia officially opened the course. In 1909 the full 18 holes were completed. Fremantle became the first 18-hole course in the state. Two years later it hosted the state's inaugural amateur championship. It also hosted a club championship in 1909. Membership climbed the first decade of the club's history but abruptly dropped during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. By 1930, however, membership had returned to pre-war levels. In addition in 1930, the Crown certified the club's "Royal status." Royal Fremantle was then "the Premier Club in Western Australia." The course has hosted several significant golf tournaments over its history. In 1960 it hosted the

. In the late 1970s and early 80s it hosted the

. The club celebrated its centenary in 2005.

Other Information

The course is long. The course has Kikuyu fairways and Bentgrass greens. In the early 1980s the course record of 66 was established. It stood for 25 years until 2006 when Ric Kulacz, a local amateur player, shot a 64. This record was tied by Paul Fenton in 2009 at the course's club championship. Minjee Lee, currently one of the top female golfers in the world, honed her game at the club. Touring professionals

Craig Parry Craig David Parry (born 12 January 1966) 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 2 ...

and

Greg Chalmers Greg J. Chalmers (born 11 October 1973) is an Australian professional golfer. Chalmers has played primarily on the PGA Tour of Australasia and PGA Tour. He is a two-time winner of the Australian Open and late in his career eventually won a PGA T ...

both graduated from the club's junior program.

Tournaments hosted

* 2020

Western Australian Open The Western Australian Open, also known as the WA Open, is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. It had been a tour event every year since 2009 with the exception of 2019. History The first Western Australian Amateur Championship wa ...

*2015 Western Australia Open *2011 Western Australia Open *1982

* 1981 Royal Fremantle Open * 1980 Royal Fremantle Open * 1979 Royal Fremantle Open * 1978 Royal Fremantle Open * 1977 Royal Fremantle Open *1973 Western Australia State Open *1961 Western Australia junior championship * 1960

*1947 Western Australia PGA Championship *1937 Western Australia PGA Championship *1933 Western Australia PGA Championship

References

External links

* * {{coord , region:AU-WA_type:landmark_dim:1500 , name={{wikidata , property , P1448 , display=title , format=dms Golf clubs and courses in Western Australia Sports venues in Perth, Western Australia Sport in Fremantle 1905 establishments in Australia Sports venues completed in 1905 Organisations based in Australia with royal patronage Royal golf clubs

History

Other Information

Tournaments hosted

See also

References

External links