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Royal Blackheath Golf Club occupies an unusual position in English golf history: the club traces its tradition to 1608 and is recognised by the club as England's oldest, but its own historical account acknowledges that documentary evidence for the precise 1608 institution date has not survived. The present 18-hole parkland course at Eltham is much newer. Tom Dunn laid it out in 1892, James Braid substantially refined it in the 1920s, and Ken Moodie led a modern programme of enhancements beginning in 2014.
The current course plays to par 71 and approximately 6,278 yards from its longest published standard tee. Royal Blackheath is a private, member-owned club, although visitor arrangements are offered. Its clubhouse, Eltham Lodge, dates from 1664 and became the club's home in the 1920s.
The course is an 18-hole parkland golf course. It plays to par 71, 5,741m (6,278 yards). Designed by Tom Dunn, the course originally opened in 1892. It is a private members' club. On-site facilities include Pro Shop, Clubhouse, Restaurant, Practice Facilities.
Royal Blackheath traces its roots to the arrival of the Scottish court in England after James VI of Scotland became James I in 1603. Golf was played on Blackheath early in his reign, and club tradition assigns 1608 as the institution date. The club's own historical research is careful to state that the date cannot be proved from surviving records, although artefacts establish the organisation's existence by at least 1745.
The present course began with Tom Dunn's 1892 layout. James Braid's later work strengthened its strategic bunkering and is considered a major influence on the modern course. Ken Moodie's 21st-century renovation used Braid's design language as a reference when remodelling features.
The club moved from Blackheath to Eltham in the 1920s and made the Grade I-listed Eltham Lodge its clubhouse. In 2016 it purchased the freehold from the Crown Estate while continuing the Moodie-led course investment programme.
Royal Blackheath remains a private, member-owned club playing an 18-hole par-71 parkland course in Eltham.
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