THE INFO
Name: Royal & Ancient Hackers
Founder: Tom Carey
Based: Newport Beach
Play: Arrowood GC, Goose Creek GC, Journey at Pechanga, Classic Club, Mile Square GC
Website: RoyalAncientHackers.com
Social: @royal_ancient_hackers
FORE Magazine: How did your club start?
Tom Carey: After reading up on how to form your own club, I reached out to people I thought might share some common interests. I already had a decent network of people I played with, and I was determined to build something I could be proud of. I’ve met so many awesome people through golf.
What is the mission of your club?
It started as an avenue to introduce competitive play to likeminded players, travel to some great courses in and out of California and grow the game. But it seems like the game doesn’t need any more growth in our area. My main mission now is to teach golfers how to play fast. You can be bad at golf. You can be slow at golf. But you can’t be both. Slow play is an epidemic where we live.
What made you want to start a club with the SCGA?
The SCGA offers a lot of benefits to golfers in our area. Every avid golfer should get a handicap, whether it’s with a men’s league or any other avenue. The SCGA also offers a lot of outings and tournaments at private venues and some great places like Pebble and Bandon. I even saw a Scotland trip!
What makes your club unique?
I think our emphasis on playing great courses, a knowledge of how to run money games and chances to travel as a group is what sets us apart. We’ve taken members to Scotland, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Nevada, to name a few.
On a scale of super casual to Sunday at the Masters, how competitive does your club get?
I’d say we are more of a LIV tournament. Lots of money flying around so it can get competitive. Everyone is trying to play well but it’s pretty laid back at the end of the day. It’s all smiles afterwards.
What can your members expect being a part of the Hackers?
An emphasis on fast play, great camaraderie, golf course architecture (if you want it) and a sense of community. But at the same time, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed. The people who put the most in seem to get the most out of the club.
Anything else you’d like to add?
PLAY FAST!!!! It’s everyone’s job to enforce it and talk about it. Courses need to do a better job at spreading tee times out and enforcing times. Goose Creek is a great example of how to do it.
