Royal Troon Old Course, Scotland

www.royaltroon.co.uk

White tees par 71 SSS 73
Red tees par 75 SSS 76

Located on the south west coast of Scotland, Royal Troon golf club was established in 1878 although golf had been played there for several years before that. The following year a six hole course,designed by Charles Walker, the professional at the time whose title was 'Custodian of the Links' was opened.  The course was extended to 18 holes in 1888 and in its time has had input from Willie Fernie (the 1883 Open champion), Alistair MacKenzie, James Braid and Frank Pennink.  The motto of the club is 'Tam Arte Quam Marte' which translates as 'As much by skill as strength' which is a perfect description of this challenging true links course.



The 8th green - the Postage Stamp - from the tee

Royal Troon has hosted the Open Championship on eight occasions and is due to do so again in 2016 so it was a must for us to play before then.  We were invited to play by our friends Frank and Helen Dunn on a benign day by links standards - mild with light winds.  The prevailing wind blows across most of the holes which are in a traditional nine out-nine back layout.  The first six holes run southwards along the Firth of Clyde with views of Arran, Kintyre and Ailsa Craig.  It is a relatively gentle start provided you avoid the deep bunkers.  The 6th is a lovely par 5 running along a valley between the dunes with an elevated green.  The sea can be heard at all these holes and seen at some.

Troon's most famous hole is the par 3 8th, named 'The Postage Stamp' for the size of its green!  It is guarded by five bunkers, one of which is aptly named the coffin.  The green is narrow from left to right making it difficult to hold a shot from any bunker.  Gene Sarazen, who was the 1923 Open champion at Troon, had a hole in one here on his first round in the 1973 Open, fifty years later, and holed out from a bunker for a two in the second round. 

The punishing Coffin bunker at the 8th

The 11th is a difficult hole lined by gorse with the railway line on the right which comes nearer and nearer as the green approaches.  The last five holes run in a northerly direction back to the clubhouse.  The 17th is a difficult par 3 (210 yards from the white and 166 yards from the red tees) guarded by five bunkers.  The 18th is a good par 4 where the championship tee is 90 yards behind the white tees.  The second shot to the green requires careful calculation of the length as a slightly too exuberant shot will finish out of bounds on the gravel path in front of the clubhouse.

The 18th green lies in front of the clubhouse

Worth playing?  Not to be missed.  A true links course which will test any golfer.



Winterfield, Dunbar, Scotland

www.winterfieldgolfclub.info

White tees SSS 65
Red tees SSS 68

This course is not quite a links course but not quite a parkland course either.  The greens are hard and fast running like a links course but many of the fairways are quite lush.  The course does not appear to be built on sandy soil and parts of it are along a cliff top.  However the setting is superb with views of the Forth, the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law from most of the course.  Designed by James Braid it was opened in 1935 but after being requisitioned during World War 2 it was reopened with a number of changes to the first layout.



The peninsula green at the 14th. 

The 17th green with North Berwick Law in the background

We played the course on a sunny but windy Scottish summer's day.  It is short with very little trouble apart from the bunkers.  The first hole is bizarre - a  238 yard par three for men and a 220 yard par 4 for ladies which plays across a deep valley rising via a steep rough covered face to the green.  Most amateurs of both genders will have a blind second shot from the depths of the valley.  The first nine is rather boring although the 7th is a long par 4/5 with a challenging sloping green.  The second nine is more interesting with the par three 14th being the most memorable.  Named 'The Point' it has a peninsula green with water along the left side.  The green slopes towards the water and is guarded by a large bunker to the front right. The 18th is a pretty short par 4 with views beyond the green to the Bass Rock.

Worth playing?  I wouldn't recommend it over any of the other courses in the area




The 18th green.  The Bass Rock can be seen on the horizon.



Waterville, County Kerry, Eire

www.watervillegolflinks.ie

                          

White tees par 72
Red tees    par 73

This is a wonderful golf course and takes a place in our top three.  It is rare to encounter a course in such a beautiful setting which is of the highest calibre without any weak holes. Lying on a promontory between the estuary of the Inny river and the North Atlantic on the west coast of Eire it has views to the intriguingly named Macgillicuddy's Reeks mountain range which has the highest peaks in Ireland.  We had a very friendly welcome in the club which is popular with Americans.  Payne Stewart accepted honorary captaincy before his premature death and is commemorated by a brass statue in front of the clubhouse.



Waterville is a haven for hares. 
This is reflected in the use of a hare on the club badge
and the tee markers

Golf was brought to Waterville by the workers on the first transatlantic cable which was laid between nearby Valentia island and Newfoundland in the middle of the 19th century.  In 1889 the first formal golf course was laid out with nine holes.  The club failed in the 1950s but was resuscitated by Jack Mulcahy, an Irish American who bought the course in the 1960s and commissioned Claude Harmon and Eddie Hackett (see Connemara) to build an eighteen hole course which opened in 1973.  The original nine holes make up the current first nine which run beside the estuary.  The second nine run closer to the Atlantic with the last few running along the beach. 


Christy's choice - the second hole

The Mass Hole

The first hole is probably the easiest on the course and appropriately named Last Easy!  The second is pleasing to the golfer's eye and is a left to right tilting par 4 with a green framed by the estuary.  It was chosen by Christy O'Connor senior as one of the 18 best golf holes in Ireland.  The par 3s at this course are remarkable for their quality and crowned by the 17th which is played from a tee 250 feet above sea level.  If you can drag your eyes away from the magnificent views you will see the green across a sea of dunes described 'as an emerald oasis amidst a jungle of nature's own terrain'.  The par 3 12th is 'The Mass Hole' named for the use of its deep valley to celebrate Mass in times of persecution in the 18th century.  The finishing hole maintains the standard of the rest of the course as a classic tough par 5 with a narrow fairway and a green angled to the left.

Worth a visit? Unquestionably

The magnificent views from the 17th hole

Connemara , Eire

http://connemaragolflinks.com/

White tees par 72 SSS 73
Red tees    par 72 SSS 72

Connemara is on the west coast of Eire in an isolated but beautiful spot between the Twelve Pins (or Twelve Bens) mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean.  Although founded as recently as 1973 it feels as if it has always been there.  It was designed by Eddie Hackett who is renowned for designing golf courses with minimum disruption to the natural landscape and who designed almost a third of the links courses in Ireland. 

The first hole is a dogleg from right to left.
 The green is framed by the Twelve Pins mountain range

We played Connemara on a day of light breezes and hazy sunshine in late June when the wildflowers were carpeting the rough.  The first nine holes follow the natural contours of the machair and lull the unwary into a false sense of security.  The second nine are much tougher, with the real sting in the tail starting at the par 3 13th with a chasm between the tee and green.  Four of the last five holes have steep plateau greens and three of them are par fives. Water comes into play at the front of the 16th green and across the 18th fairway.   As you leave the eighteenth green you know that your golf has been tested. 

Worth a visit?  It is a testing course in a beautiful part of the world but it is remote.

Leven Links, Scotland

http://www.leven-links.com

White tees par 71 SSS 72
Red tees    par 73 SSS 74

The view towards Lundin Links from the 3rd green

Leven Links is stuffed with history.  It is believed that golf has been played over this ground since the early 19th century and a 9 hole course was in place from the middle of that century.  In 1868 it was extended to 18 holes when 'young' Tom Morris won the inaugural 36 hole competition.  The course was extended north of the railway line to St Andrews in 1909 although the railway disappeared in the railway closures of 1966.  Its course can still be seen on the links today.  The Standard Life Amateur Champion Gold medal, the oldest amateur championship in the world, is played here.  An honours board in the Leven Golfing Society clubhouse records the winners since the first tournament in 1870 and contains illustrious names such as Harry Colt, Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart.

The par 3 5th

We played Leven on a windy and rainy day but the weather did little to dent our enjoyment of the course.  The first four holes run alongside the beach and Largo Bay with lovely views over the Forth estuary to the East Lothian golfing coast.  The 6th is a long par 5 with out of bounds tight on the right making trouble for an errant second shot.  There is a lot of gorse and many bunkers with one hole (7th) boasting ten.  Most of the second nine is played into the prevailing westerly wind although a few holes are with the wind, most notably the fairly short  par 5 12th where a burn lies in wait for the over exuberant approach shot.  This point of the course abuts the Lundin Links course over a wall. 

The long par three 15th is a tough hole and has a tricky green.  One professional took five putts here in the 2005 Open qualifying round.  However the most memorable hole is the eighteenth, a par 4 (457 yards) for men and 5(445 yards) for ladies, mainly because of the green which is surrounded on two sides by the Scoonie Burn which awaits the shot hit without commitment and must have destroyed many a good card.

The 18th green is guarded by the Scoonie burn

Worth a visit?  Yes - a classic old fashioned links course

The Jubilee, St Andrews, Scotland

http://www.standrews.com/Play/Courses/Jubilee-Course

White tees par 72 SSS 73
Red tees par 74 SSS 75

St Andrews is a golfing paradise and the Jubilee course certainly contributes to that description.  Opened on 22nd June 1897 it is so called as that was a public holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria's jubilee.  It was initially 12 holes for beginners and ladies but was extended to 18 holes at the turn of the century.  In 1946 Willie Auchterlonie, who was honorary professional to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews for more than 25 years, improved the course but it did not reach championship standard until a complete overhaul by Donald Steel in 1988.

The first green with the Old Course hotel in the background

We played the Jubilee on a windy day in May with Lynn and David Lawson.  It lies between the New Course and St Andrews Bay and has a traditional 'out and back' layout through sand dunes with lovely views of the West Sands (as seen in 'Chariots of Fire') and the other St Andrews courses.  Like many of the St Andrews courses it runs north/south so the prevailing wind blows across on both nines.  There are particularly memorable holes at the turn with the 8th running alongside the Eden estuary through sand dunes to a sunken and sheltered green.  The 9th is a tough par 3 played downhill from an elevated tee onto a typical Donald Steel upturned saucer of a green.  The drive at the 10th can be dangerous in windy conditions with out of bounds awaiting on the left.  The 15th hole is often commented on mainly because of its green which is approached between large dunes and has a deep gully at the front which will trap a short approach shot. 

The testing ninth hole

Worth playing - Yes, a good test of golf especially in the wind and an essential part of the St Andrews experience.
               

The fifteenth green is surrounded by dunes with a deep gully at the front 

                                     

Carnoustie Burnside, Scotland

www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Yellow tees par 68 SSS 70
Red tees par 71 SSS 72

On a glorious sunny but breezy day we played the Burnside course at Carnoustie which neighbours the famous Championship course.  It is such an enjoyable course with true links character - heather, whins, the Barry Burn and tough bunkers.  It was established in 1914 and in its days as an Open qualifying course it hosted Ben Hogan whose 70 allowed him to qualify and win the Claret Jug in 1953.

The par 3 9th

The par 3s are particularly memorable.  The 5th (aptly named 'Burn') has a green surrounded on three sides by the Barry Burn, the 9th has a plateau green which requires an accurate shot to hold and the 14th is of a quality which could be found on some of the best links courses in the world.  Named 'scoup' which in Scots means to scamper, your shot needs to live up to this name as it is uphill and long, especially when into the wind. It requires a long wood or even a driver which makes it very challenging to hold.  Be happy with a par 3! The 17th is a stunning par 5 which needs careful thought to negotiate the burn which crosses the fairway twice.


Worth a visit? Yes This is an excellent course for the club golfer- combine with the other two Carnoustie courses for a great golfing experience.



A view of the 17th green - this is the second time that the burn has to be negotiated on this hole.

Fleetwood Golf Club, England

www.fleetwoodgolf.co.uk

White tees par 72
Red tees par 73

Fleetwood golf course lies between the town of Fleetwood and the mouth of Morecambe Bay in the north west of England.  It is notable for being one of the friendliest welcomes we have had in our links quest.
If the establishment of a golf course is dated from when a course is laid out, competitions arranged and prizes played for then Fleetwood is the oldest links course in England.  The local newspaper ran an article in 1861 reporting a match on Fleetwood links won by  two army officers from the nearby Euston Barracks.  One of the two, Arthur Walker was Scottish and founded the Alnmouth Golf Club eight years later.  The location of that first golf course is unknown but the current club was established in 1893.

The 10th green with the Coastwatch ObservatoryTower in the background

Fleetwood has two loops, an outer first nine and an inner second nine. The course is flat and typical of a links course with defence from penal rough and bunkers and a prevailing cross wind. We played it on a lovely spring day when there hadn't been much growth and the greens were sanded so missed the course at its best.  There are only glimpses of the sea from higher ground as the whole course is protected by a sea wall but the National Coastwatch's Rossall Point Observatory Tower can be seen from most holes and looks like a modern Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Other features of the course are the old butts from the days that the military used the ground as a firing range. Most of the holes are fairly straightforward provided the rough and bunkers are avoided but beware of complacency as the second nine has tough par 4s at the 13th (The Chasm), 16th and 17th.  The signature hole is the lovely par 3 8th with an elevated green bunkered at the front and right.  A tee shot to below the hole is a must on the sloping green.

The drive from the 4th tee

Worth playing? Yes if you are holidaying in the area

North Berwick West Links, Scotland

www.northberwickgolfclub.com

SSS White tees
           Red tees

There are views of the Bass Rock and the islands of the Forth Estuary

This course is so steeped in golf history that it is difficult to choose what to include.  It lies on ground between the town of North Berwick and the Firth of Forth on Scotland's East Lothian 'golf coast'.  The North Berwick Golf Club was formed in 1832 making it one of the oldest in the world.  Golf is reputed to have been played on the same terrain since at least the start of the seventeenth century or possibly even earlier.  Originally a six hole course over which the members played three rounds in their medals, it was gradually extended to its current length in 1895 and after a redesign supervised by Ben Sayers in 1932 became the present day course.  It has long attracted the rich and famous and in 1903 it is recorded that the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Commons, four Members of Parliament, two Bishops of the Church of England, three eminent Professors, a Field Marshal, two generals and a famous Tibetan explorer were all on the course at the same time.  The links boasts the oldest open junior golf competition in the world, the Elcho Medal.  The current Children's course started life as the Ladies' course and is the oldest nine hole ladies' course in Scotland. 

North Berwick West Links has been described as being from a 'primitive age' and is certainly a traditional links course which appears to have evolved from the raised beach with a straight out, straight back layout.  The first nine head out into the prevailing wind which assists the golfer as he turns back at the tenth tee.  We were lucky to play the course as guests of Caroline and Mike Johnstone on a calm, bright day which afforded lovely views of the islands in the Forth estuary including the famous Bass Rock which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its gannet colony. 

The 2nd tee

There are many memorable holes on this course requiring a full repertoire of shots from a drive over the beach at the 2nd, reminiscent of the 1st at Machrihanish, to negotiating the approach to the green at the 18th with its deep swale reminiscent of the 18th at the Old Course.  The most famous is the par three 15th hole 'Redan' named so after being likened by a serving officer to a formidable fortress in the Crimean War .  It requires a shot which carries all the way to the diagonally left to right sloping green and finishes below the hole or a three putt is almost certain.  An ability to negotiate the several stone walls which cross the course is essential - at the 13th ('Pit') the wall presents a particular challenge as it crosses diagonally in front of the green.  North Berwick West Links is a true links experience and steeped in history.



The 13th aptly named 'Pit' with one of the many stone walls which have to be negotiated

Worth a visit? It is a must play.

Castle Stuart, Inverness, Scotland

www.castlestuartgolf.com


Par all tees 72






Opened in 2009 by the American developer who built Kingsbarns in Fife, Castle Stuart golf links lies along the southern shore of the Moray Firth near Inverness.  It was designed by its developer, Mark Parsinen and US golf architect Gil Hanse and is a modern links course with some original links golf features such as a combination of revetted and natural bunkers and rumpling of fairways and approaches to greens.  Modern features include 'infinity' greens which lead the eye to distracting views of the Moray Firth and beyond.  The course is designed with holes screened by mounds so that it feels like a private golf course.

The par 3 4th with Castle Stuart in the background

The first nine holes lie on the west side of the art deco style clubhouse and the second nine to the east.  On each nine the first three holes hug the coastline and the rest are on a higher level with commanding 360 degree views.  One of the best holes is the 3rd which is a short par 4 finishing on a small promontory.  Placement of the drive rather than length is paramount or your ball will end up in a deep swale from which a par is unlikely.  The 4th is a pretty par 3 framed by the eponymous Castle Stuart, a 16th century tower house with links to Mary, Queen of Scots and the Earls of Moray. The course finishes with a downhill sweeping par 5 which for ladies is reachable in two with a favourable wind.  The fairways are generous but the greens are difficult or scary depending on the pin positions - a pin at the back of an infinity green with a following wind is particularly daunting.

This is a really good test of golf combined with a warm welcome from the staff.  On a windy autumn day don't miss the soup at the halfway house!

An infinity green at the 13th with Kessock Bridge at Inverness in the distance