Author: editor

Queen Adelaide Medal

This is the Captain’s symbol of office. It was presented in 1838 by the Dowager Queen Adelaide, with the request that it should be worn by the Captain on all public occasions.

Royal Medal

From 1806 until 1836, the Club Gold Medal was the only prize at the Autumn Meeting. In 1837, King William IV presented a medal with a green ribbon, the Royal Medal. Since 1840, it has been awarded for the lowest scratch score in the Autumn Medal, with the Gold Medal the second prize. The Club has two Royal Medals. A second one was purchased in 1838, most likely to correct the spelling of ‘golph’ in the one presented by the King.

Queen Elizabeth II Medal

Awarded for the lowest scratch score in the women’s competition of the Autumn Medal, the design was approved by Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. It was first competed for in 2015.

Princess Royal Medal

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who became an Honorary Member of the Club in 2015, approved the design for this Medal, which is for the lowest scratch score in the women’s competition of the Spring Medal. It was first played for in 2016.

The stained glass windows were specially commissioned by the Club in 1994 and were created by the glass artist, Douglas Hogg.

To the right of the fireplace, the left-hand window represents the Club’s connections with the town of St Andrews. It includes the coat of arms of the St Andrews Community Council at the top, below which, the panels illustrate the association with golfers and golf club makers. The right-hand window depicts the Club Crest and below that is the Claret Jug and the Challenge Belt, the original prize presented to the Champion Golfer of the Year.

Continuing a tradition dating back to King William IV in 1834, The Queen is Patron of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club.  Her acceptance of the role was announced to the General Committee on 12 December 1952.  The portrait was commissioned by the Club in 1972 and unveiled three years later.  When the Queen visited on 1 July 1982, she was able to see it ‘in situ’.  She wears the Order of the Thistle robes.  This is one of three official portraits of her by Sir Leonard Boden, another of which is on display in Stirling Castle.

The portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales was commissioned in 1922 by the Club to celebrate the Prince’s year as Captain.  It took five years to complete, one of the reasons being the difficulty in arranging sittings with the Prince.  The members had hoped he would wear his red captain’s coat; however, the Prince wished to dress less formally.  The Fair Isle pullover was considered somewhat daring by Vogue Magazine at the time.

This impressive collection of silverware was presented to two members of the Grace family, both of whom had served the R&A in the capacity of Secretary. Six generations of the Grace family held office at the Club between 1781 and 1967.

The silver kettle was presented by the members to Charles S. Grace (Honorary Secretary 1812-1837) during his last Spring Meeting dinner in 1837. The inscription on the kettle explains that it was given:

“…in testimony of the regard and esteem in which he is held by them, and as a mark of their gratitude for the zealous and conscientious manner in which he has discharged the duties of Secretary.”

The other pieces of silverware were presented to Stuart Grace by members of the Club at the 1886 Autumn Meeting to mark his retirement as Honorary Secretary. The inscription on the large silver bowl acknowledges the “…valuable services gratuitously rendered by him as Honorary Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews for forty-three years.”

This is the oldest known painting of golf being played on the links at St Andrews. It was presented to the R&A on 5 May 1847 and was described in the minutes as “a very old oil painting, executed at a time when our ancestors took to the field in red coats and cocked hats”.

It shows a foursomes match between one team of players in blue and the other in red. There is one caddie for each pair. To the right are two shepherds, with a dog, tending the sheep, behind which is a windmill. This is a prominent feature in the painting, sitting atop a grassy mound. Built c.1709, it was no longer in use in the 1760s and was demolished in 1775.

The Swilcan Bridge can be seen clearly on the far right. In the distance is the town of St Andrews, with its recognisable landmarks: the Cathedral, St Rule’s Tower, the castle and the tower of St Salvator’s.

Until 1764, the links comprised 22 holes; it is very possible that this golfing scene takes place at what was the tee for the 20th hole.

The large cabinet displays trophies and medals associated with the Spring and Autumn meetings. The crossed silver clubs with silver balls in the centre and the other silver club on the far right of the cabinet relate to the Club’s origins in 1754, when an annual challenge took place over the links of St Andrews. The winner was announced Captain for the year and he was obliged to attach a silver ball to the club to mark his year in office. The position of Captain later became elective; however, the incoming Captain to this day strikes a single ball from the 1st tee of the Old Course in a symbolic gesture of winning the silver club and still attaches a silver ball. Royal Captains, of which there have been six, attach a gold ball.

Over time, more medals were competed for and the Spring and Autumn medal competitions became popular fixtures in the Club’s calendar. With the introduction of women members, new medals were struck for competition. These include The Queen Elizabeth II Medal, which is awarded to the competitor with the lowest scratch score in the Autumn Medal; the medal and its design was approved by Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of the R&A. Another is The Princess Royal Medal, which is for the lowest scratch score in the Spring Medal. This medal and its design was approved by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, who became an Honorary Member of the Club in 2015.

The stained glass windows were specially commissioned by the Club in 1994 and were created by the glass artist, Douglas Hogg.

The window on the left represents the Club’s royal connections; at the top is Queen Elizabeth’s cipher, while the lower pane is dominated by the Queen Victoria Jubilee Vase and the crests of King William IV and Queen Adelaide.

The view from the balcony outside the office of the Secretary/Chief Executive is one of the most spectacular in St Andrews. It offers panoramic views of the 1st and 18th, the stunning West Sands beach and Eden Estuary, all the way across to the forest of Tentsmuir. To the left, running alongside the links is a row of historic buildings, whose history is inextricably linked with golf; from the corner of Pilmour Links and Golf Place where Allan Robertson lived, to Forgan House, once the largest club and ball-making factory in the world, to the small building which was formerly Tom Morris’ shop and is now The R&A’s Open retail outlet.