Royal Palm / History
Sixty-eight years on the lagoon
From six holes laid out with borrowed mowers to one of the oldest members’ clubs on the Mainland. This is our story, one year at a time.
The years
Moments that made the club
Twelve founders
Twelve golfers, including two railway engineers and a schoolmaster, lease reclaimed land by the lagoon and lay out six holes with borrowed mowers.
Eighteen holes
The course grows to eighteen holes. The silk cotton tree on the 17th is kept by a vote of the members.
The bell
A ship’s bell is hung by the 18th green. It is rung for every club champion to this day.
The clubhouse
The clubhouse, Long Room and Verandah open, built by local craftsmen with timber from the Mainland.
First woman captain
Mrs Olufunke Bankole becomes the first woman captain of the club.
Junior academy
The junior academy begins with fourteen children from Yaba schools. Three later turn professional.
New greens
All eighteen greens are rebuilt with heat-tolerant grass and new drainage for the rainy season.
Sixty years
A year of celebrations, including the first Palm Cup with teams from Ghana and Senegal.
Floodlit range
The 24-bay floodlit driving range opens, so members can practise after work.
Online tee times
Members and guests can book tee times and see the course hole by hole online.
Swipe or scroll sideways
1958
Twelve golfers and a lease
The founders met every Sunday after church to cut grass, dig bunkers and argue about the rules. The first clubhouse was a corrugated iron shed with a kerosene fridge.
Their rule book, written by hand, still sits in a glass case in the Long Room. Rule one: play the ball as it lies. Rule two: always thank your caddie.
Still kept
Club traditions
The bell
The ship’s bell by the 18th is rung once for a club champion, twice for a hole in one and never in anger.
Captain’s drive
Each new captain hits a drive off the first tee at 6:30 on New Year’s Day. The caddie who finds the ball wins a year’s fees.
The Palm Cup
Our invitational every December, played since 1958, with a trophy carved from a palm that fell on the 2nd.
Leadership
Recent captains
The captain is elected by the members each year at the annual general meeting and leads the committee, the competitions and the welcome for new members.
| Term | Captain |
|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | Mr Babatunde Coker |
| 2023 to 2025 | Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Eze |
| 2021 to 2023 | Engr. Musa Abdullahi |
| 2019 to 2021 | Mr Femi Lawal |
| 2017 to 2019 | Chief Adewale Ogundipe |
From the archive
Things we have kept
The founders’ irons
A set of hickory-shafted irons donated by the first captain’s family.
The old 18th
The green was moved 40 yards in 1977 to make room for the Verandah.
The 1985 ball
The ball from the first hole in one on the 14th, framed above the bar.
Your round
Become part of the next chapter
New members join at the start of each month after a short chat with the committee.