The R&A World Golf Museum (previously known as the British Golf Museum) is located opposite the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, Scotland. The R&A owns and operates the museum.

The museum, which opened in 1990, documents the history of golf from Medieval times to the present, including the men's and women's games, British and international, both professional and amateur. Exhibits include historic equipment, memorabilia and art work, documentation, the history of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, and the rules and terminology of the game.

History

The museum was established in 1989 in an existing, single-storey building behind the Clubhouse. Later, the building was renovated and expanded, for a total area of , including a rooftop cafe. The WGM was opened in April 1939 at the Lady Golfers' Club in London, with Issette Pearson as president and Mabel Stringer as chairman. In 1961 the Lady Golfers Club merged with the Golfers Club but by 1968 the museum had to find a new home and was displayed in various London clubs and from 1977 to 1980 at Colgate-Palmolive's offices. It was shown in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh from 1982 to 1984, before moving to its current home. The collection "present[s] a comprehensive history of the ladies' game" and includes material such as Rhona Adair's golf-balls and Poppy Wingate's shoes.

Images of the R&A World Golf Museum

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File:British Golf Museum St. Andrews (3735752973).jpg|The British Golf Museum in 2009 before it was renovated

File:British Golf Museum- geograph-6577247-by-Graeme-Yuill.jpg|The museum during renovation in 2014

File:British Golf Museum-geograph-5617749-by-Graeme-Yuill.jpg|The British Golf Museum in 2017 after it was renovated

File:The rear of the British Golf Museum, St Andrews- geograph-6167400-by-Richard-Sutcliffe (cropped).jpg|The rear of the British Golf Museum in 2019

File:The R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews with a closer view of the building.jpg|The R&A World Golf Museum in 2022

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See also

  • History of golf
  • USGA Museum
  • World Golf Hall of Fame
  • Canadian Golf Hall of Fame
  • Jack Nicklaus Museum

References

  • Official site