History of the Order
Uncovering the ancient origins of golf and the timeless wisdom hidden within the game and why they matter in an age where the 19th hole is disappearing.
The True Origins
To some, the exact origins of golf remain unclear. The most widely accepted theory places its birth in Scotland during the High Middle Ages. But at the Order of the 19th, we know a deeper truth.
Chuiwan: The Ancient Game
Chuiwan ("chui" means striking and "wan" means small ball), a Chinese game played between the eighth and fourteenth centuries. A Ming Dynasty scroll dating back to 1368 entitled "The Autumn Banquet" shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole.
The game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages via the Silk Road travellers. The club, ball, course and rules of Chui Wan were almost the same as those of modern golf. In Europe, the game of golf was first seen in paintings of the 14th and 15th centuries, but that was several hundred years after the Chinese games of chui wan.
The Birth of the Order: Golf Banned
Golf in Scotland was first recorded in the 15th century, and the modern game was first developed and established in the country. Legend holds that when King James II banned golf in 1457, a secret brotherhood was born: The Order of the 19th. While official records claim the ban preserved archery skills, the truth runs deeper.
The ban was rooted in control of the people and fear of free will. The life skills taught through golf, the independent thinking it fostered, went against the ruling kings and traditional churches.
The proceeding bans by King James III (1470) and King James IV (1491) prove the threat this 'game' posed. This fear persisted even 200 years later when golf was banned from the streets of Albany, New York in 1658, marking the first reference to golf in America.
The Ancient Links & St Andrews
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, and coping with the varied terrains encountered on different courses is a key part of the game. This enables The Order to carry on its traditions on an ancient links course dating to before 1574.
When the ban on golf was lifted in 1502 many people were scared to openly say they participated in the sport. It was another 50 years before the first records showed any mention of St Andrews in 1552. It was Archbishop John Hamilton that gave the townspeople of St. Andrews the right to play on the links, and with it, the sacred tradition of the 19th hole was born.
Whispers Over Whisky
In Scotland's bitter winters, golf was more than sport. It was a meeting ground for confidential discourse. The Order of the 19th emerged from tavern conversations at St Andrews, where noblemen realised golf's unique power: hours alone on isolated links, followed by the ritual of the 19th hole, where whisky loosened tongues and influence flowed freely.
By 1608, the Order's first victory: financing golf ball makers, transforming the game from folk pastime to refined craft. When Royal and Ancient Golf Club was formally established in 1754, Order members were among the founders, quietly embedding their philosophy into its charter.
By the late 1800s, the tradition had become so embedded that Old Tom Morris, the legendary four-time Open Champion, was known to reference "the brethren of the Nineteenth" in toasts at St Andrews. Whether Morris fully understood what he was invoking remains a matter of historical curiosity.
Codifying the Sacred Laws
The Order shaped golf's destiny not through force, but through patient influence. When the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith codified the first rules in 1744, Order members guided the committee, ensuring structure without destroying the game's essential spirit. A decade later, they repeated the pattern at St Andrews (1754), understanding that whoever controlled golf's institutions controlled golf's future.
The formula proved successful: Royal Blackheath (1766), Royal Aberdeen (1780), Crail (1786). Each new club expanded the network, each charter reflecting Order values. Most importantly, each established the sacred tradition of the 19th hole, where the real business happened over post-round drinks.
Following Empire's Shadow
As British influence spread globally, Order members travelled with colonial administrators and merchants. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club (est. 1829) became a centre of colonial power where treaties were discussed over afternoon rounds and fortunes changed in the clubhouse bar. By the 1880s, club diaries reveal members adjourning to a space reserved for "matters befitting the nineteenth", a curious phrasing that would later resonate with Order historians, suggesting the traditions of the Order had already woven themselves into the fabric of imperial club culture.
Royal Bombay (1851) followed, opening its doors to Order members and merchants alike. In France, Pau (1856) opened as Europe's first continental club after years of Order persuasion, extending the network across the Channel.
The New World tested the Order's reach, but they adapted. A single Order member among Montreal's Scottish immigrants (1873) worked tirelessly to establish the club. By 1895, the Order orchestrated a remarkable feat: clubs opened simultaneously in Shanghai, Valparaíso, and Cairo. This wasn't coincidence. It was centuries of patient network building activated at once.
Golden Age & Crisis
The new century brought unprecedented opportunity. Order members guided Alister MacKenzie to Royal Melbourne (1901) and later Augusta National. When Bobby Jones embodied everything they valued, amateur spirit, perfect etiquette, and gracious victory, Order members shaped his career from shadows. Augusta National (1933) became their cathedral, where the Masters was invitation-only and traditions carefully constructed around the principle of post-round fellowship.
But crisis loomed. Shanghai's courses thrived until Japanese occupation (1932) forced the Order underground. When Mao's revolution closed every Chinese course in 1949, members burned their records before fleeing. The Order had learned a bitter lesson: in cultures where alcohol wasn't central to social bonding, their model of influence through the 19th hole struggled to take root.
Adapting to Television
Arnold Palmer's televised charge at Cherry Hills (1960) threatened centuries of exclusive influence. But the Order adapted brilliantly. If golf must be public, they would control the narrative, guiding television contracts and ensuring coverage emphasised tradition and etiquette over mere competition.
Decolonisation brought new challenges. African independence movements (1965) saw Order members fleeing Kenya with little more than their membership pins. The Middle East offered unexpected opportunity: when Sheikh Rashid planned Emirates Golf Club (1961), Order advisors guided the project. Tiger Woods' 1997 Masters victory represented everything they'd built toward: merit-based excellence, global reach, tradition honoured whilst evolving.
Shadows in the Light
China's reopening caught the Order unprepared. Thirty years without presence meant starting from scratch. When Arnold Palmer designed Chung Shan (1984), Order members worked frantically to rebuild connections. The 1987 backlash ("spiritual pollution") proved they'd moved too fast. In China, tea ceremony culture never embraced the alcohol-fueled golf tradition the way the West had.
Dubai's developments (2006) created a new model: golf as an economic tool. Yet even here, the Order faced challenges in cultures where alcohol was restricted. Japan flourished with over 2,300 courses by 2020, fully embracing both golf and its social traditions.
The Order's 2025 formal establishment marked a turning point: after centuries in the shadows, we now openly champion what we've always protected. From St Andrews to 38,000 courses worldwide, the Order had been there, whispering in the right ear, always present at the 19th hole. Now, we invite all who value these traditions to join us.