The Centenary launches to modernise reciprocity for century-old golf clubs, with golfers in mind.
Utrecht — A new non-profit initiative, The Centenary, has officially launched to bring legacy golf clubs into the digital era by putting golfers at the heart of reciprocal play.
For over a century, reciprocal agreements have been set up by clubs, for clubs: ad-hoc deals that require letters of introduction, secretary-to-secretary emails, and little visibility of who actually benefits. While well-intentioned, these arrangements were never designed around the golfer's experience, leaving many members unaware of them or unable to make use of them.
Reciprocals designed for the golfer
The Centenary is created to make the use of reciprocals easy, fun and straightforward. Founded by golf industry veterans Jeroen Korving (Founder of Leading Courses) and Leonard van Nunen (Brand Evangelist at Leading Courses and apprentice to golf course architect Alan Rijks), The Centenary unites 100-year-old clubs on a central, digital platform so golfers can discover and book reciprocal rounds more easily:
- Both members and club secretaries receive access to The Centenary website.
- Golfers can use an interactive map to discover courses and plan trips.
- A tee-time request triggers a digital introduction letter with the golfer's home-club logo.
- The home club instantly verifies the request, which is then sent to the receiving club.
- The host club approves the request — fully digital.
- Each visit is tracked to ensure balance and fairness between clubs.
"This initiative is built from the golfer's perspective. Reciprocals should be easy, spontaneous and enjoyable. Right now the system is not very user friendly. We give golfers the access they deserve, while golf clubs retain full control over when and how they host."
Several prestigious clubs have already signed letters of intent to become part of the founding network.
A reference hub for historic clubs
Beyond simplifying reciprocals, The Centenary is establishing itself as a leading reference for historic golf clubs. The organisation has already identified 1,800+ clubs worldwide that are 100 years or older — a dataset not collected by any other organisation. Through its website and blog, The Centenary shares stories, animations and research on golf's oldest clubs. Participating clubs also receive a digital "Centenary Verified" badge, displaying their founding date as an independent mark of authenticity and pride.
"We are honouring tradition, but we are focusing on making it work for the modern golfer. More value, more fun, more friendship. That's what The Centenary stands for."
For more information, visit www.thecentenary.co.uk or read about the Centenary Verified badge.