US golfer Patrick Reed during a past international championship at The London Golf Club in Kent, England. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
Stories are told about how Scottish herdsmen would hit pebbles along the beach with sticks in what would later evolve into the 18-hole game.
Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, with a worldwide membership base, is charged with governing the game of golf.
When you think about the origins of golf, Scotland comes to mind. Stories are told about how Scottish herdsmen would hit pebbles along the beach with sticks in what would later evolve into the 18-hole game we all recognise today.
And whilst the Dutch also lay claim to an early version of the game, Scotland is widely accepted as the ‘home of golf.’ The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, with a worldwide membership base, is charged with governing the game of golf.
Additionally, it is mandated with maintaining the position of St. Andrews as the home of golf.
On the other hand, the London is not exactly famous for golf, in fact, the guys who run the city, the City of London Corporation do not even mention golf as an attraction on their website.
Instead, they focus on museums, galleries, events, festivals, markets and even guided tours and walk make the list.
Under the list of their ‘green spaces’, forests, heaths, parks and even cemeteries make the list — but alas no golf.
I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised to find two unique things about golf in London. The first was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club. Established in 1608, this club has been in existence for more than 400 years and is considered by some quarters as the oldest golf club in the world.
In fact, Bernard Darwin, grandson to the British naturalist Charles Darwin, said “The Royal Blackheath Golf Club, as all the world knows, is the oldest golf club in the world.” The young Darwin was a golf writer, amateur golfer of note and captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1934.
A round at the Royal Blackheath GC costs £260 (Sh35,100) for a four-ball and they kindly throw in coffee and bacon rolls! To join the club as an adult would cost you £1,770 (Sh256,700) for gentlemen and Sh198,800 for the ladies.
The second thing that surprised me about golf in London was the concept of ‘crazy golf’ in former World War II bunkers beneath the City of London in Shoreditch.
The ‘crazy golf’ concept, a mix of two mini golf 9-hole courses, several bars and food stalls is the vision of two friends, Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds.
In 2015, the friends move to a venue in Central London and next to the Bank and Aldgate Tube Stations.
Another indoor golf attraction in London is the City Golf and Health Clubs where golfers can use golf simulators away from the often-unpredictable London weather.
So, now you know. Next time you are in London, include golf on your itinerary, alongside visits to the London Eye and Madame Tussauds and Harrods.
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