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The Championship Course
Unlike most famous courses, there is no single architect such as Dr. Alister Mackenzie or Robert Trent Jones attributed to the design of Royal Sydney's Championship golf course. In reference books on architecture the designer's name is given, or simply listed as "unknown". Under St Andrews, the word "evolution" appears. Royal Sydney has also evolved. It developed, changed, adapted, accommodated in detail, but a concept remained. It has always been an "old-fashioned", traditional, heavily bunkered, tough test of golf, especially in any wind. There are no gimmicks, no tricks, chasms or watery caverns.  The course was born out of a desire by the founding fathers to have "a seaside course" or "links course". Irving Kent and C.C. Bethune found an area in the Bondi sandhills between Old South Head Road and the ocean, and in 1893 a 9-hole course was laid out in the area bounded by Old South Head Road on the left and by what is now Glenayr Avenue (Sophia street) on the right, and between Curlewis Street and Warners Avenue.
Blair Street, which was Sewer Road, was the "centre" of the course and it was there that Mrs Ebsworth's cottage became the first clubhouse. The original notion was to extend the links towards the ocean, but sandhill encroachment made that too difficult. Later expansion was not to the sea but westward - to the western side of Old South Head Road. Play on this course began in 1893 and lasted until April, 1897.
Course number 2 was opened for play in 1897 as an 18-hole layout. The "Bondi" course had now moved at least seven streets further north and had taken in such inevitably but aptly named streets as Brassie and Niblick. The course reached Chaleyer Street. Importantly, part of the play now moved westward across the big road, Old South Head, and abutted the Chinese Gardens.
Course number 3 was not significantly different from number 2, both being 4,531 yards in length. It operated from August, 1897 to 1904. The important change was the building of what in effect was clubhouse number 2, on a triangular block bounded by O'Sullivan and Birriga Roads. At this point in time, the Chinese Gardens were still intact.
Course number 4, operating from 1904 to 1909, saw some dramatic changes. Only the 5th, 6th and 7th remained in North Bondi; the 147-yard 4th required a drive across Old South Head Road. Length was 5,091 yards. Clubhouse number 3 was in place on the present site.
Course number 5, at 5,884 yards, was in play from 1909 to 1911, and number 6, at 6,045 yards, was the layout until 1922. That year saw extensive changes to the short and long courses, with the latter allocated a "bogey" of 78.
Dr. Alistair Mackenzie noted on his visit to Royal Sydney in 1926:
"At first sight the land on which Royal Sydney Golf Course is situated appears flat, but in reality this is by no means the case, as it is full of minor undulations and excellent golfing features similar to those of the best sea side courses. Undulating ground of this kind with a complete absence of hilliness is exceptionally adaptable to the construction of holes which should compare favourably with the best Championship courses in Britain. The greens are excellent and I do not know of any fairways which are superior.
The course, however, suffers from similar defects to those which are almost universal in Australia and these are due to the fact that the design and construction has been done from a penal standpoint instead of a strategic. Few bunkers are of any interest which do not influence the line of play to the hole and bunkers on the sides of the fairway are not only of little interest but actually create bad players owing to their cramping effect. Fully three quarters of the bunkers at Rose Bay should be converted into grassy hollows.
I am suggesting a completely new scheme of bunkering which will have the effect of giving alternative routes to every class of player and thus providing enjoyable golf to everyone and moreover stimulating the scratch man to improve his game"
 In 1974 the Committee decided that all greens should be reconstructed over time. Age, compaction and overuse of heavy material for top dressing and faulty drainage had led to serious deterioration of condition and playing quality. In September, 1978 the General Committee approved the notion of having two loops of nine holes, and the Associates followed suit at an Annual Meeting in November. This was ultimately discarded. It is worth noting that much of what was stated by Mackenzie in 1926 was emerging in the proposals presented by the course architects.
The decision was taken to go ahead with changes to all greens and Thomson Wolveridge & Associates were appointed to undertake a major refurbishment of the course. This eventually included altering the 2nd hole to a par 5 and the 15th hole to a par 4. Work began in September, 1980 and was completed in July, 1986.
In 2001, Royal Sydney decided to embark on a process to rebuild the greens, many of which suffered from poor drainage and inferior turf quality. Ross Watson was engaged as course architect to advise on this process and as a result of his input, changes were made to many of the holes and most greens. The project was completed in 2003. | 
