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HARLECH is a fascinating combination of history, mountain views, bracing see breezes and the home of Royal St. David's Gold Club. The youngest of what might be called Britain's senior clubs, Royal St. David's was founded in 1894 at the very end of the first great golfing boom, when the sport at last ceased to be an almost exclusively Scottish pastime.
Having heard of the pre-eminence of St. Andrews in Scotland, and conscious that the English had a St. George's at Sandwich, founding fathers, The Hon. Harold Finch-Hatton, fourth son of the Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham and William Henry More, then Crown Agent for Wales, the name of St. David's seemed logical and appropriate for this new Welsh initiative. It turned out to be an inspired piece of what would today be known as 'branding', and helped enormously to launch Harlech upon the golfing world at large.
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Plucking up courage, the founders contemplated launching their modest creation upon the world with an open competition of some kind, and somehow persuaded emissaries from the Royal & Ancient, St George's and most notably, The Royal Liverpool, to attend. So, in the autumn of 1894, three of the most distinguished golfers in the world found themselves on the Cambrian Railways, heading towards this small seaside town where, rumour had it, a links of unusual quality was in the making. Within 18 months golf at Harlech assumed a basic rhythm that it has enjoyed ever since, periods of relative tranquillity interspersed by two or three important meetings and events each year.
Royal St. David's is indeed royal, Edward VII gave the club his patronage and the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) , while he was Prince of Wales, captained the club in 1934.
Under the stern gaze of Harlech's mighty castle, Royal St. David's links course occupies the dune land between the rugged hillside and the Irish Sea with the majestic Snowdonian Mountains adding a dramatic backdrop. The view seaward from the 16th tee, affords magnificent vistas of the Llyn peninsular across Tremadog Bay.
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The course is noted for a succession of long testing par fours plus five short holes, which vary in length and direction, with large, true greens a feature.
Close scrutiny of the club's honours-board reveals the names of four Open and five Amateur Champions, plus an American Amateur winner, a Canadian Ladies' Champion and a winner of The Masters, together with many more English and Welsh Champions of both sexes.
Royal St. David's has, over the years, played host to many exciting events, including five Ladies' Championships, nine series of Home International Matches (ladies, men and boys). Eleven Welsh Amateur Championships and Welsh Ladies Championships, the Seniors' Amateur Championship and the Youths and Boys Amateur Championships as well as the first five Wales Seniors Opens on the PGA European Seniors Tour and two Club Professional's Championships.
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MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS & MATCHES
Year Championship (Winner)
1903 Professional Tournament (James Braid)
1922 Welsh Open Amateur Championship (Capt E Carter)
1926 Ladies' British Amateur Championship (C Leitch)
1926 Welsh Professional Championship (BS Weastell)
1928 Welsh Amateur Championship (CC Marston)
1928 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (M Duncan)
1934 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (I Reiben)
1939 Welsh Professional Championship(C Grabham)
1947 Welsh Amateur Championship (SB Roberts)
1949 Ladies' British Amateur Championship (F Stephens)
1949 Women's Home International Matches (Scotland)
1950 Home International Matches (Ireland)
1951 Welsh Amateur Championship (JL Morgan)
1951 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (I Bromley-Davenport)
1955 Welsh Amateur Championship (TJ Davies)
1957 Welsh Amateur Championship (ES Mills)
1957 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (M Barron)
1960 Ladies' British Amateur Championship (B McIntyre)
1962 Welsh Amateur Championship (J Povall)
1962 Welsh Boys Championship (RC Waddilove)
1963 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (P Roberts)
1964 Welsh Amateur Championship (HC Squirrell)
1967 Ladies' British Amateur Championship (E Chadwick)
1967 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (M Wright)
1967 Welsh Amateur Stroke Play Championship (EN Davies)
1968 Welsh Amateur Stroke Play Championship (JA Buckley)
1970 Welsh Amateur Championship (EN Davies)
1971 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (A Briggs)
1971 Welsh Amateur Stroke Play Championship (EN Davies)
1973 Women's Home International Matches (England)
1974 Home International Matches (England)
1976 Welsh Amateur Championship (MPD Adams)
1978 Welsh Boys Championship (J Morrow)
1979 Women's Home International Matches (Scotland/Ireland)
1979 British Seniors' Open Amateur Championship (RJ White)
1979 Oxford v Cambridge (Oxford)
1981 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (M Rawlings)
1982 Welsh Amateur Championship (D Wood)
1985 Welsh Amateur Stroke Play Championship (MA Macara)
1986 Home International Matches (Scotland)
1987 Ladies' British Amateur Championship (J Collingham)
1988 Welsh Amateur Championship (K Jones)
1988 PGA Club Professionals' Championship (R Weir)
1991 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (V Thomas)
1992 Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship (AJ Barnett)
1994 British Youths Open Amateur Championship (F Jacobsen)
1995 Welsh Amateur Championship (G Houston)
1998 PGA Club Professionals' Championship (M Jones)
1999 The Boys Amateur Championship (A Gutierrez)
2000 Women's Home International Matches (England)
2000 Welsh Amateur Championship (J Jermine)
2001 Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship (RD Brewerton)
2001 Wales Seniors Open (Denis Durnian)
2001 PGA Mastercard Tour Event (Matthew Cox)
2002 Wales Seniors Open (Seiji Ebihara)
2002 Home International Matches (Wales)
2003 Boys Home International Matches (England)
2003 Wales Seniors Open (Bill Longmuir)
2004 Wales Seniors Open (Ray Carrasco)
2004 Wales Schools v England Schools (England)
2005 Wales Seniors Open (Carl Mason)
2005 Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship (R Dinwiddie)
2007 Welsh Ladies' Close Championship
2007 Welsh Amateur Championship
2008 British Mid-Amateur Championship
2009 Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship
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