Golfing in Malta

In the heart of the Mediterranean and only two hours away from central Europe, a warm welcome awaits you on the sunny island of Malta - an island well known for its climate, clean seas, history and warm hospitality of the Maltese people. It is easily reached by air from most destinations in Europe. On this historic island one finds the Royal Malta Golf Club.

The course is set in a unique sports complex that encompasses seventeen tennis courts, five squash courts, minigolf, two billiard rooms, an open air swimming pool, a cricket oval, a polo field, a fitness centre, a restaurant and an airconditioned bar.

The Royal Malta Golf Club offers the holiday golfer a pleasant test of golf without being too unkind to the novice. It is truly an ideal club for the individual and society golfer.

Golfing in Malta

Man's passion for the game of golf has, over the years, prompted the construction of golf courses in many countries around the world. Over one hundred years ago, Malta too became such a country - despite its small size and the limited resources available at the time.

Golf in Malta dates back to the year 1888, when the Governor, Sir Henry Torrens, KCB, an avid golfer, decided to introduce the game to the island. Sir Henry had previously introduced the game to Cork, in Ireland and also founded the Royal Cape Club in South Africa.

Unfortunately, very little information and material is available which record the early days of golf in Malta. It is understood that most of these historical records disappeared among other documentation with the withdrawal of the British Forces from Malta during the seventies. However, the RMGC managed to obtain rare extracts from several golfing magazines such as the Golfing Annual of 1890/91, the Golf Illustrated of June 14, 1901, October 2, 1903 and September 2, 1904, where articles were written specifically about Golf in Malta by different authors.

The first so-called golf course, was situated at the St. Anne's Ditch, Floriana and the nine-hole course was located around the bastions (better known as the Hornworks). Not much of a golf course - with practically no turf and with 'greens' of puzzolana concrete, covered with sand to give the ball some stop. The so-called fairways were no more than 20 yards wide stone walls, in some cases 15O feet high, on both sides. The ball could either ricochet from one side to another or become lodged in the battlements. At least this form of golf satisfied the voracious appetite for golf of the servicemen stationed on the island.

The Club even received Royal Patronage from the then Duke of Edinburgh who was serving on the island at the time. Whether approval for the Royal prefix was ever received in writing from the Secretary of State is not known - still the Malta golf course has been recognised among many institutions as the Royal Malta Golf Club.

Golf continued in this eccentric setting for about seventeen years. In the first decade of the 20th century the game was also being played in the garrisons among the Scottish servicemen in Mosta and later at Marsa. The new location for the Royal Malta Golf Club was inside the race track at Marsa. Initially the course had only nine holes which were later expanded to eighteen holes.

Professionals

The first known professional to be associated with the Malta course was F. Dalton, who was appointed in 1909, but the length of his stay is not known; it seems that none of the several appointees stayed for long.

Our most renowned Pro was David Llewellyn who was here between 1978 and 1981; he was a confirmed 'islander' for he had first learned his golf in Singapore, then on Hayling Island before becoming a professional. He was Henry Cotton's 'Rookie of the Year' and his greatest feat after leaving Malta was to win, with Ian Woosnam, the World title for Wales in 1987. The Club nowadays employs a full-time resident Pro, who is primarily responsible to hold teaching classes to visiting tourists.

The New Image

After one hundred years of ups and downs the Club decided to upgrade the overall standard of the course. The investment was considered huge and the project was based on a duration of 4-5 years. The first part of the project started in early 1988 when the Club brought in consultants from the United Kingdom to re-do the 18 greens. The first project was considered a total success and boosted morale to continue further with the planned project. Unfortunately, there was a six-month suspension of this project when 70% of the golf course was completely destroyed after heavy floods in late 1988, which also caused a further disruption to the festivities commemorating the Centenary of the Club.

Despite this huge setback, works started again in May 1989 and have continued since. Up to now, the course has gone through various upgradings where all tees have been re-grassed, the fairways seeded with special Bermuda grass and a fully automated sprinkling system on all greens, tees and fairways installed. The Club can now boast that the course has reached an acceptable and respectable standard which has been further enhanced after the completion of the sand bunkers (some 50 in total) as designed by David Llewellyn.

The Royal Malta Golf Course is today a truly unique sports venue for the island of Malta and is now frequently used by visiting tourists mainly from the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia.

Interesting Holes to Play

Hole No. 3 Par 4 - 398m

Long and straight. That is the way to play this hole designed in the traditional fashion. A good drive is needed to avoid the trees clumped on the right hand side and the cinder path road on the left. Second shot is often a 3 wood or long iron to the long narrow green guarded by a greenside bunker to catch anything but a perfect shot

Hole No. 6 Par 3 - 141m

One of the few named holes - The Maid's Bedroom. Tee shot on this hole should be played over the remains of the house in which the club maids used to stay, thus the name. Depending on the wind conditions this hole may either be played with just an 8 iron if wind is behind or at times even with a 4 or 5 iron if the wind is against. The green is guarded with a bunker on the right hand side not seen from the teeing area and a row of bushes on the left side.

Hole No. 8 Par 5 - 470m

This picturesque par five played from an elevated tee is protected by fairways and greenside bunkers plus out of bounds down the left-hand side. However the fairway is generously wide allowing the golfer to attack the hole in a sensible manner. Avoid and beware of the left-hand side huge and deep bunker as this could be fatal to your score.

Hole No. 10 Par 4 - 342mKnown as Ta' Ceppuna. Wide fairway gives the golfer an excellent chance to attack this elevated two-tier green-sitting in the shade of the picturesque Ta' Ceppuna Chapel, one of the smallest chapels on the island situated only a few metres away from the green.

Hole No. 12 Par 4 - 345mPlay safe down the left or go for the carryover a water hazard; that is the decision to make on the tee of this hole. Second shot then varies from testing shot over an embankment or a straightforward approach.

Hole No. 14 Par 4 - 301m

In the past it used to be an easy par 4 267-metre hole. The new elevated green further down the fairway has now made the second shot most challenging - a bad shot could either end in one of the greenside bunkers or at the back of the green resting on an old horse racetrack. Not an easy par 4 - precision needed.

Hole No. 15 Par 5 - 472m

The second par 5 on the course requires a drive of some 170m to reach the upper fairway. The approach shot to the green could easily hit one of the four bunkers, two on either side of the fairway - thus needing a precise shot to the green. The prevailing winds from the West or Northwest normally make this hole a long and frustrating one.

Hole No. 17 Par 3 - 168m

Seeing the distance on the card gives you the impression that it could be an easy par 3. Well, for many it has been a daunting hole as just in front of the green runs a diagonal ditch (approximately some 7m in width) which often causes serious trouble.

Hole No. 18 Par 4 - 251m

Relatively speaking not a difficult par 4, provided tee shot lands on fairway and not in the trees on the right hand side or out of bounds on the left. The green is well guarded by three greenside bunkers. So if not careful the chance of a par may be lost easily.

SCORE CARD