Loch Lomond Golf Club *****

Rossdhu House, Alexandria, G83 8NT

Nearest main town: Glasgow

 

It has been impossible to resist the charm of Loch Lomond, just as it is scarcely believable that a course as young as this could have such an impact on the rankings of top courses in the British Isles. The UK, with its Open venues and historical heathland gems, is a tough league in which to survive. Yet Loch Lomond has done more than just survive. From being ranked as the best new course in the country by Golf World in 1994, it has progressed up the charts in unstoppable fashion, coming in at a remarkable No.6 in the latest rankings published in November 2002.

For anyone who has been to this corner of Scotland, you would have to believe that the stunning scenery around the loch plays a big part in the impression that this project has made. But you can't rely solely on location; the design of the course needs to be out of the top drawer and in this case it most certainly is. Tom Weiskopf, winner of the Open at Troon in 1973, teamed up with Jay Morrish to create a master­piece that blends in beautifully along the bonnie banks. Such is the overall quality that it is difficult to pull out key holes, although the 5th, a wonderful par-3 with the loch behind the green, kicks off a section along the shore that is most memorable.

Loch Lomond has added to its reputation through the professional tours, being home to an invitational tournament just before the Open and hosting the Solheim Cup in 2000. It remains, however, extremely exclusive which means that it is very difficult for a green-fee-paying member of the public to get a game there.

 

Secretary: None                          

Tel: 01436 655555 Fax: 01436 655500

Professional: Mr C. Campbell

Playing: Midweek: round £175 (with member only); day n/a. Weekend: round n/a; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7am-lOpm. Bar snacks.

Comments: Wonderful layout but very expensive...Too wet and fragile for extensive playing... Great practice facilities ... Worth the cost if you get the chance.

 

Royal Troon Golf Club *****

Craigend Road, Troon, KA 10 6EP

Nearest main town: Troon

 

Royal Troon is the centrepiece of a magnificent stretch of courses on the coast of the Firth of Clyde that includes Prestwick ane!! Western Gailes. Unlike, say, the other Open venues like Muirfield or Turnberry, which are showered with praise by almost all who play there, Troon is a links that suffers from the imbalance of its two halves. They are not that different in length, but the prevailing wind from the south-west makes the back nine very harrowing. On the first day of the 1997 Open Championship, only two players could match the par of 36 on the back nine.

This impression is not helped by the fact that Troon is essentially an out-and-back links, so by the time you step into the teeth of the gale on the 13th, the batteries are already running low. By the time you have reached the 18th, you can feel thoroughly disillusioned with the game and swear never to return to Troon.

Whether you label this a design fault, or merely package it as the slings-and-arrows of playing a championship course, you can't fail to be impressed with some of the holes at Troon. The best holes are at the farthest extreme of the course, starting with the 7th, a sharp dogleg protected by a conical sandhill on the right. They say the next, the 'Postage Stamp' 8th, a par-3 of just 126 yards, is the most difficult stamp in the world to lick, played from an elevated tee into the prevailing wind to a green just 25 feet across at its widest point. The green is protected by a gully, a sandhill and crater bunkers. The 9th runs round the back of the Postage Stamp, a par-4 of 419 yards where the bunkers on the left protect the best line in - if you're too far right there's no sight of the green, which, unusually, is completely unprotected.

The 10th and 11th are Troon's best two holes. On both occasions, you drive over sandhills to unreceptive, bumpy fairways, from where it's uphill into the wind with a long iron. The 11th, with the railway running just over the stone wall, plays as a par-5 for the members but is one of the most difficult par-4s in the world for the pros.

Troon does not have the dramatic landscapes of other links courses; its definition is confined to long wispy grasses and watchtower sandhills. The compensation comes in the form of dramatic views over the Firth of Clyde to the Isle of Arran and the Mull of Kintyre.

 

Secretary: Mr J. Chandler

Tel: 01292 311555 Fax: 01292 318204

Professional: Mr R. Anderson             

Tel: 01292 313281

Playing: Midweek: round £170.00 (Mon, Tues, Thurs only); day n/a. Weekend: round n/a; day n/a. Prices may increase in 2004.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Lunch for visitors on Mon, Tues and Thurs only. Price includes buffet lunch.

Comments: Visitors Monday, Tuesday and Thursday only. Price includes Old course round as well. . . Have not played it but walked it and reckon the Postage Stamp is one of the best holes in the world... Overpriced... Back nine is too tough. .. Into the wind on the back nine is toughest experience I've had on any course. . . A long, hard slog back. . . Best holes are at far end of course... Best holes from 9th to 13th... Hard to fault... Still one of the best around. .. For the money, not worth it ... Loved it and will be back.