Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)

Course Date
Location Ayrshire, Scotland
Yardage 7208 yards　Par 71
Course Rating 75.4
Playing Date July 31, 2014 and July 30, 2015
Designer Charles Hunter, George Strath, Willie Fernie, James Braid
Opened 1878
Caddie Yes (nえed advance booking)
Golf Cart No
Rating
Overall Rating
5.25
Course Layout
5
Difficulty Level
6
Greens Condition
5
Fairways Condition
5
Landscaping & Views
5
Level of Satisfaction
5
 

A genuine links course facing the Scottish coastline. The club consists of two 18 holes, Old Course and Portland course. Although Alistair McKenzie designed Portland Course the Old Course is well known bar far. The front 9s is laid out along the coastal side. The back 9s is routed though the inland terrain. Players will return once to the clubhouse after the 9th hole. There is a strong sea breeze that consistently blows. The fairways are tight and flanked by deep roughs. Gorses are scattered in the roughs; it will be important to account the strong winds and to make an accurate shot in order to avoid the roughs. The course was the host of British Open 9 times, most recently in 2016.


view from clubhouse

view from near 2nd green
5th hole and friend

view from 10th hole

16th green
airplane just off from Prestwick Airport
Scorecard
 
Hole 2　Par 4　391 yards

Hole 2　Par 4　391 yards (2)

Hole ２　Par 4　391 yards (1)
A relatively straight par four. Players should be careful of the three pot bunkers off the tee shot. The green is guarded by four bunkers on various sides.
 
Hole 5　Par 5　555 yards

A dogleg to the right. A tee shot that hovers over a series of tall fescue grasses with a narrow landing area off the second. Players should be aware of the deep bunker on the right corner and the two fairway bunkers located to the left. The green is guarded by three bunkers, and a ridge runs from the front to the back of the green.
 

Hole 5　Par 5　555 yards (3)

Hole 5　Par 5　555 yards (2)

Hole 5　Par 5　555 yards (1)
 
Hole 6　Par 5　601 yards

This par five consists of a very long, straight, and narrow fairway that continues all the way to the green. Three bunkers are waiting for the errant tee shots. Both distance and accuracy are required on the tee and second shots. While the green looks very narrow and small from the approach, it's actually quite long with the concaved center. Golf Magazine 2000 (the latest edition) selected this as one of the World's 500 Best Holes.
 

Hole 6　Par 5　601 yards (3)

Hole 6　Par 5　601 yards (2)

Hole 6　Par 5　601 yards (1)
 
Hole 7　Par 4　405 yards

A dogleg to the right. The tee shot is off the elevated ground with four mounds located in the center of the fairway and two pot bunkers on each side. The green, sloping from back to front, is set in a dune valley. There are bunkers placed both on the left and right sides of the green.
 

Hole 7　Par 4　405 yards (3)

Hole 7　Par 4　405 yards (2)

Hole 7　Par 4　405 yards (1)
 
Hole 8　Par 3　123 yards

Hole 8　Par 3　123 yards (2)

Hole 8　Par 3　123 yards (1)
A signature hole with 23-yard downhill. Although this is a very short par 3, it is quite a difficult hole as there are five deep crater-style pot bunkers that surround the green, not to mention the surrounding undulating hills. The green is 30 yards deep and has a width of only 10 yards, while also sloping to the right. Since the small green doesn’t have flat landing spot, not to mention hard to stop, there is a likeliness of the ball rolling off the green if a proper backspin isn’t applied. It is also important to avoid the guard bunker on the left side of the green. If you land the ball close to the left side, it is likely that the ball will roll all the way down to the guard bunker. The hole is nicknamed the "Postage Stamp" as it was used for a stamp design in Scotland. Golf Magazine 2000 (latest edition) also selected this as part of their World's 500 Best Holes.
 
Hole 10　Par 4　452 yards

Hole 10　Par 4　452 yards (2)

Hole 10　Par 4　452 yards (1)
A straight par four with a blind tee shot and a tight fairway that consists of a deep groove on to the left and a gorse to the right. With a slightly uphill second shot, the green is set vertically upon a hillside with a sharp-off to its right side.
 
Hole 11　Par 4　483 yards

11th green and train
A long, straight, and difficult par four. The landing area off the tee shot is narrow, not to mention there is a gorse located to the left side of the fairway. The shallow green is elevated and has a bunker to its left and an OB zone to the right, as well as a stonewall that runs along it. There is a railway line that runs along the right side of this hole. Golf Magazine 2000 (latest edition) also selected this as part of their World's 500 Best Holes collection.
 

Hole 11　Par 4　483 yards (3)

Hole 11　Par 4　483 yards (2)

Hole 11　Par 4　483 yards (1)
 
Hole 12　Par 4　429 yards

Hole 12　Par 4　429 yards (2)

Hole 12　Par 4　429 yards (1)
A slight dogleg to the left. Off the tee players will notice grocers and the rough of the ride running along the right side of the fairway, therefore, aiming to the left half of the fairway would be the best angle. The two-tired green is slightly elevated with a bunker to its right side, and players will face a difficult approach from the either side. The scenery around the green seen from the second shot is an exquisite sight.
 
Hole 15　Par 4　502 yards

An almost straight and very long par 4 with the slightly meandering fairway. The fairway is undulating and tight with two nicely positioned pot bunkers to the right, so the tee shot should be accurate. The green is protected by deep rough to the left side.

 

Hole 15　Par 4　502 yards (3)

Hole 15　Par 4　502 yards (2)

Hole 15　Par 4　502 yards (1)
 
Hole 17　Par 3　218 yards

Hole 17　Par 3　218 yards
A tough par three with quite a distance. Some players may have to use a driver depending on the strength of the headwind. The green is long and elevated. There are four bunkers that guard the front of the green and one that guards the right side.
 
Hole 18　Par 4　464 yards

Hole 18　Par 4　464 yards （２）

Hole 18　Par 4　464 yards (1)
The final hole is a straight par four. Players should be careful of the pot bunker both to the left and right sides off the tee shot. Furthermore, there are two additional pot bunkers located around 20 yards in front of the green, making it almost impossible to save par when your ball are in the bunkers. The long green is then protected by an additional bunker to the left and two bunkers to the right. There is an OB zone located just behind the green.
 
19th hole
Royal Troon GC is a 45-minute to and hour’s drive away from the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is also a 10-minute drive from Parkston Hotel and Golf View Hotel. If players decide to stay in the area, there also have the option to play at Prestwick GC, which is only a 3-minute walk, and at Western Gales GC, which is a 12-minute drive.

caddie
nighboring Marine Hotel

restaurant

restaurant
lunch
Top 100 Golf Courses ranked Royal Troon GC as the 12nd best course in all of Scotland and the 34th best course (top100golfcourses.com) in all of Britain & Ireland in 2017. As of 2008, Britain & Ireland had a combined total of 2752 courses, of which 580 of them were located in Scotland. The course was ranked 39th on the 2015 World Top 100 golf courses by GOLF Magazine.

Parkston Hotel

Parkston Hotel - restaurant
Parkston Hote - dinnerl
One of the designers of the course was Charles Hunter, formally a green keeper of Prestwick GC. George Struss, a pro at Royal Troon GC, and built the first 4 or 5 holes in 1878, and expanded into 18 holes in 1884. Fernie and James Blade modified the course and extended the distance in 1923. The other famous works of James Blade are Royal Aberdeen GC, Bora GC, Carnoustie GL, Glen Eagle GC, Royal Chinque Ports GC, Pennard GC, St. Ednoc GC, etc.