A public golf course in N Central Perth, the North Inch Golf Course is a candidate for one of the oldest golf courses in the world. It is located on the North Inch, alongside the River Tay, and can be played either as nine or eighteen holes; extending to either 2924 yards (par 70) or 5442 yards (par 68). The course begins opposite Bell's Sports Centre and is run by Perth and Kinross Council.
The game has been played here for more than 500 years; King James II banned golf here c.1450, demanding that the people of Perth practice archery instead. James IV may have played golf here in 1502 - he is known to have played in Perth, becoming the world's first recorded player of the game. In 1599, four men were chastised by the Kirk Session for playing golf on the Sabbath. James VI is also thought to have played here. The course was just six holes in 1803, but extended to twelve in the 1860s and eighteen in 1892. This last extension was possible due to the purchase of 'Muirton Field' from William Murray, the 4th Earl of Mansfield (1806-98), and the holes were laid out by Old Tom Morris (1821 - 1908). The course was shortened in 1897 and not extended again until 1927 following a gift of land by John Dewar, Lord Forteviot (1856 - 1929). The course was further impacted when flood protection measures were build alongside the Tay in 2005, but was soon operating once again with eighteen holes.
Founded in 1824, the Perth Golfing Society first played on the South Inch, but soon moved here and were granted royal patronage by King William IV in 1833, the first golf club in the world to be given this distinction. The now lumberously-named Royal Perth Golfing Society and County and City Club has broadened its interests to become Perth's 'gentleman's club', with premises on Atholl Crescent overlooking the North Inch. The Perth Artisans, Perth Ladies, Perth Merchants, Ormonds and Perth Railway Golf Clubs all also play on the North Inch.
