The R&A World Golf Museum

The R&A World Golf Museum stands opposite the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, Fife. It occupies a single-storey building behind the clubhouse that was renovated and expanded to 580 square metres. A rooftop café was added during the work completed in June 2015. The museum opened in 1990 and reopened in June 2021 under its new name. It documents the history of golf from medieval times to the present day. The museum is worth the journey because it covers both men’s and women’s golf, amateur and professional, British and international. Exhibits include historic equipment, memorabilia, artwork and documentation. Part of the Women Golfers’ Museum collection is displayed here, while the rest is held in the University of St Andrews Library. The women’s collection was founded in 1939 with Issette Pearson as president and Mabel Stringer as chairman. Visitors find rooms filled with clubs, balls, shoes and trophies from famous players. The displays explain the rules and terminology of the game alongside the history of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Artworks and photographs show how golf has changed over centuries. The rooftop café offers views across the Old Course and the town of St Andrews.