1800s

The Heriot's FP Golf Club was formed in 1890 due to the efforts of various prominent members of the Heriot community and to several golfers on the School staff. Messrs. Robert Forrest, D.L. Turnbull and James Boyd of the School Staff were instrumental in the formation of the Golf Club.

1890 /1891

Office Bearers: Honorary President: John Clapperton: Hon. Vice Presidents: D.F. Lowe, M.A., F.R.S.E., Headmaster, Heriot's Hospital School, John Tawse, W.S. and John Linton, M.D., F.R.C.P.E.
Captain: Robert Forrest, Secretary: David Sime, Public Library, Edinburgh: Treasurer: W.F. Forrester.
Committee: Robert Bowie, John Craig, William Croft Gray and Sydney P. Latimer.

The first outing of the Club was over Mrs. Hamilton Ogilvy's private course at Archerfield. It is reported in "Golf" Magazine dated 30 October 1891 that "an outing for a monthly gold charm was played on the Braids on Saturday 24 October 1891 and that Mr. T. A. Clark proved the winner with a net score of 87". This is the first mention of a prize winner in the Club. It should also be noted that the Braid Hills course had only recently been opened. The first match was played on the Braids against the Comiston Club. Two matches were played, the Club winning the first match by five holes, and the second match by ten holes, making an overall victory of fifteen holes. The annual subscription was five shillings and the Club had fifty members. The Club's home courses or greens were the Braid Hills and Musselburgh.

Unfortunately, the Club's original minute book was lost many years ago and there is little record of the early years of   the Club.
Membership is confined to former pupils and staff of George Heriot's Hospital School. The bulk of the above information has been obtained from copies of "The Golfing Annual" 1891/ 1892 and Volume 2 of "Golf” Magazine dated July 1891.

1892 / 1893

Office Bearers: Honorary President: John Clapperton: Hon. Vice Presidents: D.F. Lowe, J. Tawse and J. Linton.
Captain: John Craig: Secretary: David Sime: Treasurer: W.F. Forrester.
Committee: R. Forrest, S.P. Latimer, J. Boyd and W.J. Cullen.

The Tawse Gold Medal was presented by John Tawse on 16 January 1892 and was awarded for the best scratch score. The first competition for the Tawse (scratch) Medal, charm and Club prizes was held at Musselburgh and resulted in a tie between T.A. Clark and James Stenhouse with scratch scores of 88. It is recorded that another six competitions were held in season 1892/1893 over the Braid Hills course.

The results were:
Handicap charm: J. Falconer (36) 77: handicap charm: W.A. Collier net 85. Tawse Medal (scratch) R. Forrest: handicap: J. B. Clark: Tawse Medal (scratch): J. Boyd: Captain's Aggregate prize: D. Orr Smith: handicap charm T. Purves (24) 90: handicap charm: A. Murray Marr 86: Silver Medal, charm and Club prizes resulted in a tie between R. Hogg and J. Richardson with a scratch 86.

John Tawse
W.S., the donor of the Tawse Medal, was the Clerk and Law Agent to the Heriot Trust. He unfortunately passed away in October 1892. He was an Honorary Vice President of the Club. The Club had fortyfive members. Much of the above information was obtained from "The Golfing Annual" 1892/1893 and volumes 3, 4 and 5 of "Golf Magazine" 1892.

1894 / 1895

Office Bearers: Honorary President: Lord Provost Sir Andrew Mc Donald: Hon. Vice Presidents: D.F. Lowe and J. Linton.
Captain: J.B. Clark: Secretary: D. Sime: Treasurer: H.B. Forrester.
Committee: S.P. Latimer, J. Boyd, J. W. Butters, G.W. Thom and J. Hogg.

Competitions
Gullane: Messrs. R. Forrest and G.R. Turner tied for the scratch prize with a score of 88. The handicap prize of a silver medal and charm was won by J. Stenhouse with a net 80.

Musselburgh: The Tawse Gold Medal (scratch) was won by William McKenzie and the handicap prize by J. Rankin. A special prize for the lowest aggregate was awarded to W. Duncan.

The Club had fortyfive members. There were other outings held in Season 1894 /1895 but no records appear to exist for these. The above information was obtained from the "Golfing Annual" 1894/1895 and volumes 6 and 7 of "Golf Magazine" 1894.

1896/1897

No written records exist for 1896/1897. It has (as recently as 2011) been established that the Captain in 1896/97 was T.A. Clark who was the first recorded prize winner in the Club, in winning a monthly gold charm at a Club competition on the Braids in 1891. Further research has revealed that Mr. Clark was Head of Handicrafts and Technical Subjects in the School and he had been poached from Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen in 1886.
The Secretary was still David Sime. 
The Club Scratch Medal was presented in 1897 and the first winner was J.A. Marshall.

1898/1899

Office Bearers: Honorary President: Lord Provost Sir Mitchell Thomson: Hon. Vice Presidents: D.F. Lowe and J. Linton.
Captain: George H. Chisholm: Secretary: David Sime: Treasurer: Sydney P. Latimer.
Committee: T.A. Clark, J.A. Marshall, W. Duncan, R. Falconer and James Rankin Jnr.

Competitions
Ten monthly medals/charms: at Braids (6), Musselburgh (2), Kinghorn and Gullane.
The Monthly Gold Charm will be competed for under handicap and the winners will play off for possession at the end of the Season. The Tawse Gold Medal (scratch) and the Linton Medal (handicap) will be competed for at the Spring and Autumn Quarterlies: and the Club Scratch Medal at all the Quarterlies.
Captain's prize: Winner of the Hole and Hole competition.
Aggregate scratch prize: three Quarterlies.
Aggregate handicap prize: three quarterlies (excluding bogey competitions).
The Club Scratch Medal was won by G. J. Pockney.

Note
Dr. John Linton presented the Silver (handicap) Medal in 1898.