The World's Oldest Golf Club Debate: 1735 vs 1744

In the polite world of golf, there's an impolite argument that's been simmering for centuries: which club can legitimately claim the title of "world's oldest"? Two Edinburgh institutions have been trading this honor back and forth like a ceremonial trophy, and the answer isn't as straightforward as you might think.

The Royal Burgess Golfing Society stakes its claim to 1735, making it nine years older than its rival. The society's foundation date was first recorded in the 1834 Edinburgh Almanac, and the club proudly maintains it's the oldest golf club in continuous existence. There's just one wrinkle: their earliest surviving written record dates from April 8, 1773—a full 38 years after their stated founding.

The Paper Trail Changes Everything

Enter The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, founded in 1744 at Leith Links. Unlike Royal Burgess, this club has something their competitor lacks: unbroken documentation from day one. Their records stretch back continuously to 1744, when they produced the world's first known written "Rules of Golf" for their inaugural competition.

That first tournament, played for the Silver Club, was won by John Rattray, who signed those original thirteen rules and became the club's first captain. This wasn't just golf—it was the birth of organized competitive golf as we know it.

So Who Wins?

It depends on what you're measuring:

• Oldest by founding date: Royal Burgess (1735), if you take their word for it
• Oldest with proof: Honourable Company (1744), with receipts to back it up
• Most historically significant: Honourable Company created golf's first rulebook

Think of it like two people claiming to be the oldest person alive. One says they're 120 but their birth certificate was lost in a fire. The other is 115 with perfect documentation. Who gets the Guinness World Record?

Both clubs have remarkable histories. Royal Burgess originally played on Bruntsfield Links before moving to Musselburgh in 1874 (where they shared the course with their rival, awkwardly enough), and finally settling at their current Barnton location in 1894. They received their "Royal" designation from King George V in 1929.

The Honourable Company also moved around, leaving Leith for Musselburgh, then relocating to Muirfield in 1891, where it remains one of golf's most prestigious venues and a regular Open Championship host.

The Verdict

Most golf historians split the difference: Royal Burgess is likely older, but the Honourable Company is the oldest verifiable organized golf club. Both claims are valid depending on your definition. It's a very Scottish solution to a very Scottish problem—two answers, both technically correct, and everyone remains too polite to settle it definitively.

The real winner? Edinburgh, which can claim both clubs and cement its status as the birthplace of organized golf, regardless of which gets the trophy.