Prior to this, men in the golfing industries and the players initially met in local Inns and in due course this gave rise to the formation of the golf clubs.
The Carnoustie Club was created by the artisans, such as the club makers. It was joined by the Dalhousie Club in 1868 whose members were largely gentry, land owners and mill owners and they employed the young Robert Simpson to run the club and maintain the greens. The responsibilities for maintaining the courses eventually became the function of the Carnoustie Links Management Committee, which was formed by all the golf clubs at the time.
Other Golf Clubs that were born in the 19th century and continue to operate in the 21st century include Carnoustie Ladies (1873) Caledonia Club (1886) which was instituted primarily for ‘gentlemen from banking and insurance’, and the Mercantile Club (1896) initially for the local shopkeepers.
You can watch the story of Trevor Williamson, Grandson of Robert Wilson and renowned club-maker and Carnoustie ambassador himself, here.