Robert Maxwell, born 1876 at 127 George Street, Edinburgh, son of Francis Maxwell of Gribton, Dumfries, a landowner and his wife Adelaide Hay. At the age of four Robert moved with his parents, two brothers and a sister to North Berwick and was living in Balgone House and later The Lodge in Quality Street. Maxwell was educated at Eton and was described as an energetic boy who had some success at rowing and playing football. It was in the Eton Society where Maxwell acquired his short and concise style of oratory. His father Francis Maxwell joined North Berwick Golf Club on the 1st September 1880.

In 1883, Robert Maxwell and his brothers Frank and James played in the under-10s Elco Medal over two rounds of the Children's Course at North Berwick. Robert was six years old and scored 74 less 18=56. He was a pupil of golf instructor Ben Sayers Snr. before joining Tantallon Golf Club in North Berwick. In 1897, Bobbie Maxwell won the handicap prize at the Tantallon Spring Meeting and was awarded the Aitchison Medal. At the same meeting in 1900, he won both the scratch and handicap prizes. He also won the Club Medal three successive years from 1902.

Robert Maxwell was a gentleman golfer, living on independent means, he was able to play golf on the West Links every day and was often to be seen walking the course in the evening. He had talent, but could also afford to hone his golfing skills to the level of a full time sportsman like the blue-blooded fraternity he competed against.

Maxwell played 13 times in the Amateur Championship from 1897-1914 and won the event twice in 1903 and 1909. At Prestwick in 1905, Maxwell defeated fellow Tantallon member John R. Gairdner in the fifth round. In the semi-final Maxwell was beaten at the first extra hole by the eventual winner Gordon Barry, the match was followed by 4,000 spectators.

Maxwell played in seven Open Championships between 1900-1909 and was leading amateur four times. His best finish was fourth in 1902 at Hoylake. He represented Scotland in the Home International's on eight occasions from 1902-10, before retiring from major competitions at the age of 34 years.

Maxwell was twenty-one years old when he played in his first Amateur Championship in 1897. This was the first Amateur Championship to be held at Muirfield and Maxwell playing off plus-four with Sayers as his caddie, defeated John Ball, thirteen years his senior and four times Amateur Champion at the twenty-third hole. Maxwell won through the third round, and caused another sensation by beating Harold Hilton who won the Open Championship that year. It was reported that Maxwell laid his opponent three stymies in the first eight holes and eventually beat him by six and four. Maxwell was defeated in the fifth round by one hole by James Robb, who was beaten in the final by Jack Allan.

By all accounts Dr. A. J. Travis Allan was an amazing character, he travelled each day to the championship by train to Drem and then by bicycle to Muirfield and he played without a nail in his boots.

In those days even the configuration of the nails in their shoes was open to experimentation. Harry Vardon for instance had fourteen nails in each heel and twenty-five in each sole. Vardon had an outer row of thirteen and an inner row of eleven, with one extra nail inside both rows at the toe end. Robert Maxwell's shoes were nailed in much the same way, but with fewer and larger nails wider apart. In 1897 Robert Maxwell visited his brother Francis in Western Australia and returned to Scotland in May 1898.

At Hoylake in the 1902 Open, Maxwell was the only player to keep his four rounds under 80 and he came within two strokes of winning the championship using the new rubber-cored ball, but had to settle for fourth place.

He won the St. George's Vase at Sandwich and complied a stunning collection of medals at the various clubs were he was a member including St. Andrews, Muirfield, North Berwick, and Tantallon. The winning of the George Glennie Medal at St. Andrews three years in succession was a great achievement, for this trophy goes only to the best combined score at the spring and autumn meetings.

On 22nd May 1903, Robert Maxwell captain of Tantallon Golf Club won the Amateur Championship at Muirfield when he defeated Horace G. Hutchinson 7 and 6 in the final. Hutchinson of the Royal North Devon Club, had previously won the championship twice. The American hopes that year were dashed when the favourite Jerome D. Travers from Upper Montclair in New Jersey dropped out in the earlier rounds.