Golf has a long and royal history in Perth. King James II sought to ban golf by Act of Parliament from here in 1457 to encourage the lieges to practice their archery instead. As gunpowder came in, bows and arrows were in less demand and so the bowmaker of Perth ('the bowar of Sanct Johnestoun') turned his hand to making golf clubs. Instead of trying to ban the game, James IV went so far as to buy clubs from him. The exchequer records of 1502 show, 'Item: the xxi Sept - to the bowar of Sanct Johnestoun, for golf clubs, xiiii s'
King James VI is said to have learned his golf as a child in Perth before moving south in 1603 to ascend the English throne also and we know golf was played on the South Inch at the beginning of the 17th century from Henry Adamson, a Perth poet whose Muses' Threnodie of 1620 contains the lines,
'And ye, my clubs must no more prepare
To make your balls flee whistling through the air'
175 years after 'the bowar' received thirteen shillings for the royal clubs, the same sum would presumably have bought four golf balls as there is an account of a purchase from Methven Castle '1675 Account, David Smyth, to Mathven - 2 gouffe balls, 6s 8d'
By the 18th century, golf was being played on both the North and South Inches (parks) of Perth and the Perth Golfing Society began playing over six holes on the South Inch. A few years later they moved to the North Inch and a course which grew to 18 holes, was reduced to 13 holes around the turn of the twentieth century, expanded again and then reduced to 9 holes in 1998 as the course became integrated in the Tay flood barrier. Once the flood defences are complete in 2001, the course will again have 18 holes.
The club was the first to receive royal patronage, from William IV in 1833, a year ahead of the arriviste Royal and Ancient on the other side of the Tay.
The bowar of Sanct Johnestoun bequeathed a great clubmaking tradition to the town. John Jackson, in the North Port, was renowned for his apple tree headed clubs from around 1825 and the featherie balls he made. From 1900, Joe Anderson's clubs were much in demand. Several clubmakers primarily associated with other towns Jamie Anderson (St Andrews), Andrew Forgan (Glasgow) and Robert Simpson (Carnoustie) had shops in Perth but the clubmakers of Perth will have to wait for another article.
The Royal Perth Golfing Society's club collection is now largely dispersed. The illustration is of an early iron putter ca. 1860 which was sold at Christie's. An even earlier iron putter, perhaps as early as 1795, was sold to Valderrama Golf Club for $174,900 at the same auction.
(Sources include:Peter Baxter, Golf in Perth and Perthshire, (1899))
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