Royal North Devon Golf Club
Royal North Devon Golf Club was founded in 1864, and is the oldest golf course in England. The course was designed by Scottish golfer Old Tom Morris. The course was famously host to Day 3 of the fiercely contested Nailsea Open, won by Mr J Summers, with a fine short game on the back nine to seal the victory. Geography. Royal North Devon, R.N.D., Golf Club is located on Northam Burrows between Northam and Westward Ho! Northam Burrows is common land and was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1988. Golfers share  the environment with sheep, ponies and walkers. In January 2018 part of the seventh green was washed away during Storm Eleanor and there is disagreement between the golf club and Natural England on the management of the coast. There are no plans by Natural England to build coast defences here and point out that the golf club can build two new greens elsewhere and relinquish two existing greens. History. Three leading British golfers of the late 19th and early 20th were known as the Great Triumvirate. One of them, J.H. Taylor, learned his golf at the Royal North Devon Golf  Club and was invested Honorary President of the Club in 1957. Royal North Devon was also the home course for the noted amateur golfer Horace Hutchinson, who won the British Amateur in 1886 and 1887. The course has hosted The Amateur Championship on three occasions, in 1912, 1925, and 1931. The Club provides facilities for one of the largest Junior Sections in the country. Conservation. The club was the first to ban plastic tees over fears that they were being eaten by wildlife.