Graphics JOE MCDONNELL
JamesMuir Dowie, who would become Royal Liverpool Golf Club’s first captain, wrote in a letter convening a meeting in 1869, ”It has been suggested that Hoylake offers a suitable and convenient ground for playing golf.”
That ground was leased by John Ball Sr and was known as The Warren – home to rabbits, sheep, and the Liverpool Hunt Club racecourse.
Robert Chambers and George Morris (brother of Old Tom) were brought from Scotland to lay out nine holes, avoiding the racecourse and rabbit scrapes where possible. This routing was located at the northern end of the current course, starting and finishing in front of the Royal Hotel, which served as a clubhouse until 1895. Within two years, the club’s rapid success and increased membership prompted a decision to expand the course, first to 12 holes, and then to 18.
The period from 1890 through
