Golf has a long history in the Adelaide park lands, stretching back to 1870, 34 years after the European settlement of Adelaide. Before 1870, there is no known record of golf having been played in South Australia.
Sir James Fergusson was appointed as
governor of South Australia in 1868, and upon his arrival in Adelaide in 1869 set about establishing Adelaide's first golf club with
David Murray and several other men. This golf club played its inaugural game of golf on 15 May 1870, with two rounds of a seven-hole course in what is now
Park 16 (Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi) of the Adelaide park lands. A nine-hole course was briefly established, but ultimately this early golf club was to be short lived, becoming defunct around 1876 following the departure of Governor Fergusson in 1873. The North Adelaide Golf Club was formed in 1890 by William Pope and a group of professional men who lived in
North Adelaide and the surrounding areas. This club played on a nine-hole course established at
Montefiore Hill in modern-day
Park 27 (Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli) of the Adelaide park lands. Cows, which had the run of the park lands at the time, were a frequent hazard on this early course. Fences were erected around the greens to prevent damage from grazing cattle, and local rules allowed golfers to take a
mulligan if the fencing interfered with a shot. Players were also permitted to lift their ball from cow pats without incurring a penalty stroke. == Features ==