History of North Inch Golf Course
Last updated | 07/01/2011
The Scottish town of Perth has played an important part in the
history of golf. Whether or not it can claim to be the home
of the first recognisable course - "Beasley’s World
Atlas of Golf" asserts this of 6 holes on the North Inch – it
can undoubtedly claim to have been amongst the first locations at
which the games was played. This is confirmed by royal
enactments in 1450; King Robert II forbade the playing of golf on
the Inches, urging people instead to practice archery in
preparation for an invasion from south of the border!
The North Inch course itself has had a long and steady
evolution. In 1803 it had only six holes on the southern
part, ironically on the only portion of the Inch which today is not
part of the golf course. In the early 1860’s the course
was then extended to 12 holes.
Not until 1892, however, were there 18 holes with the first tee
in the south-west corner of Atholl Street and Rose Terrace, and the
home green close by. The extension of six holes was made
possible by the acquisition of the "Muirton Field" from Lord
Mansfield. This was courtesy of funds put up by James F
Pullar, a keen golfer and frequent contributor to the cause of
local golf as detailed in the minute books of the Perth Artisans
Golf Club. The additional holes were laid out by the
legendary Tom Morris of St Andrews, who himself had played the
course in competition. Unfortunately problems in the late
1890s resulted in a further curtailment of the course in 1897, and
it was not until 1927, after a gift of land from John Dewar, that
it became an 18 hole course again. In the interim there was a
basic course of 6 holes, with an additional six coming into play on
the "peninsula" each summer on the authority of the Town
Council. "Rounds" very often consisted of two series of 12
holes.
In 1935 Reverend T.D. Miller recorded of the North Inch:
"In respect of the putting greens and the course iteself, the mower
and roller are continually in operation, and the greens are made to
look like billiard tables, most of them without slope or
undulation. It is very different from 50 years ago, when even
the scythe and the spade were seldom used on them."
Hopefully today’s visiting golfers will agree that the
current standards resemble more the course of 1935 than that of
1885!
