Royal Troon Golf Club

As the blog rapidly grows in notoriety, so too does the production value and this week I was priviledged enough to get the opportunity to play the 10 time Open Championship host, Royal Troon.  The course motto is "Tam Arte Quam Marte" which translates to "As much by skill as by strength" and goes a long way to explaining why a guy like Tom Watson, who was not the longest driver, managed to win five British Opens at five different venues. Built in 1878, by architect Willie Fernie and then further adapted by James Braid in 1923.

Thankfully, Troon starts you off with one of the easiest holes on the course, a reasonable length par four with a generous fairway. The Irish Sea lies just behind the grass topped dunes that make up the right side of the fairway for the first seven holes. If you walk to the top of these dunes you get a great view of the beach and the Irish Sea. The outward stretch allows players to register a good score before preserving it on the back 9.

I had expected the course to be extremely tough but it was actually far more playable than anticipated. Our host made a good call by suggesting we play off the yellow tees. It may have shortened the course to 6,150 yards which was welcomed. Positioning off the tee is absolutely key by that I mean, keeping the ball in play which I struggled to do at times. 

All of the elements are there - wind coming in from the Irish Sea, narrow fairways lined with gorse where the ball will roll for miles if you hit it straight, sand dunes with grass so deep there's not much point even looking for your ball, fast greens that are very difficult to read and, of course, lots of pot bunkers that challenge the best players in the world to escape in one blow.

The Famous 'Postage stamp' 8th hole

One of the most famous short holes in the world and certainly an iconic piece of Scotland. Named the 'postage stamp' due to the ridiculously small green which becomes increasingly difficult to hit when the wind is up as players attack the putting surface with a high lofted club that brings the wind more into play than golfers are generally able to predict. The Coffin Bunker left of the putting surface is appropriately named as it has buried more than one player's scorecard. Rory McIlroy famously took five or six strokes to get out of the Coffin Bunker during a practice round for the 2016 Open Championship. I found myself plugged in the 'Coffin Bunker' however managed to amazingly make up and down for par which gave my ego a boost.

After that you start getting into a tough but great stretch of holes. The 11th hole is situated alongside the railway track and can easily ruin a scorecard with a sliced drive.

The 18th finish was a special one as Royal Troon is a course that will be etched in the memory of golf fans for years to come as it hosted the spectacular finish at the British open particularly the 2016 duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson shown in the link.

Henrik Stenson approaching the 18th green to secure a final round score of 63 and win the Open.

Price - 

Im going to be honest here I didn't actually pay for this round,  I was fortunate enough to sign on with a member so I dodged the dramatic green fees that are often charged which I would be reluctant to pay. Non-members that are looking to book a tee off time online you could pay £250 per round in peak times.

Verdict - 

Overall, it has always been an ambition to play at a club the stature of Royal Troon. Troon provided a great experience to play a world class golf course and walk in the footsteps of history. This course has an amazing amount of bunkers and undulating fairways. The staff at the course were very friendly and accommodating to every need. The price tag is bit high for this course if playing without a member However, I suppose you are able to charge a premium due to its name and history.

My Rating - 8/10 

Signing off,

Lewis Wood