Royal Troon Golf Club

Royal Troon Golf Club stands beside the Firth of Clyde in Troon, South Ayrshire. Founded in 1878 with just five holes, it now offers 45 holes across three courses. The Old Course, redesigned by five-time Open champion James Braid, is one of golf’s most respected championship layouts. It has hosted the Open Championship eleven times, most recently in 2024, and also welcomed the Women’s British Open in 2020. The club’s history includes early figures like George Strath, Willie Fernie, and Charlie Hunter, who shaped its early development. Its Royal designation came in 1978, marking a century of play. The Old Course begins along the shoreline with six wide, downwind holes where accuracy matters. After the seventh, the terrain rises through dunes and gorse, testing every shot with blind tee shots and narrow fairways. The famous 8th hole, the “Postage Stamp,” is the shortest in Open history at 123 yards, yet its tiny green demands precision. The 11th, “The Railway,” stretches as a long par-4 over gorse with out-of-bounds along the railway line. The closing stretch turns north, featuring three tough par-4s, two par-3s, and a par-5 bisected by a ditch. The Portland Course, redesigned by Alister MacKenzie, offers a shorter inland challenge with its own clubhouse. The nine-hole Craigend Course is a par-3 layout for practice or play. The clubhouse, built in 1886, displays golf memorabilia and reflects the club’s long tradition. Surrounded by the Firth of Clyde, a caravan park, railway, and Troon town, the setting combines coastal breezes with inland dunes. Aircraft from nearby Glasgow Prestwick Airport pass close to the southern holes, adding to the atmosphere.