The club itself dates to 1926 and was founded near Acton - a site that is now underwater as part of Lake Burley Griffin, which was created in 1962. The club then moved to this site in the Westbourne Woods, on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. Royal Canberra is usually regarded as the best course in the ACT and ranked among the top ten in all of Australia. Three layouts have their own names:

•  Westbourne (Holes 1-18)
•  Yarralumla (Holes 10-27)
•  Brindabella (Holes 19-27, 1-9)

The club hosted the 2013 Women's Australian Open, which was won by Jiyai Shin and made news in part because of a "kangaroo delay" during the first round of the championship.

This is a private members' club; only very limited playing opportunities exist for visiting golfers, who must have a letrer of introduction forwarded to the club in advance.