Royal Troon Golf Club

Lore & Background

The club, which now has a total of 45 holes, was founded in 1878, initially with five holes. It lies adjacent to the Firth of Clyde. George Strath was appointed in 1881 as the club's first golf professional, and together with 1882 Open champion Willie Fernie, designed the original course, expanding it to 18 holes by 1888. The two were assisted by Charlie Hunter, greenskeeper of the neighbouring Prestwick Golf Club, in Troon's formative years.

When Strath left the club's employ in 1887, Fernie became head professional, and served in that role until his death in 1924. He laid out the club's Relief course, on the site of what would become Troon's New course, designed by Alister MacKenzie; shortly after opening the New course was renamed in honour of the 6th Duke of Portland. Troon was granted its 'Royal' designation in 1978, during its centenary. Its clubhouse, designed by Henry Edward Clifford and built in 1886, is richly decorated with historical golf artifacts.

James Montgomerie, father of Colin Montgomerie, served as Secretary in the 1980s. On 1 July 2016, Royal Troon members voted overwhelmingly to admit women into the club as members, avoiding a potential controversy that could have led to the club being removed from the Open Championship rota.

Reader's Guide

The Old Course begins alongside the sea, running southwards in a line for the first six holes. This opening section offers full visibility and plenty of space, but does still require accuracy to avoid deep bunkers. Many good rounds have been fashioned through low scores here, often aided by prevailing downwind conditions. Beginning with the seventh, the Old Course turns further inland, while simultaneously changing direction, on each of its next six holes, among hillier dunes and thicker vegetation, including ulex (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin), to severely punish offline shots.

This sector, with two blind tee shots on the tenth and 11th, marks a sharp rise in difficulty from the opening holes. With the 13th hole, the player turns northwards for a long, very stern finish, running parallel to the opening stretch. This comprises three long par 4s, two tough par 3s, and a challenging par 5 (the 16th) with its fairway bisected at the halfway point by a ditch, which can only very rarely be carried from the tee. The player very often has to face a strong prevailing wind.

Royal Troon is home to the shortest hole in Open Championship golf. Described by Golf Monthly as one of the most famous holes in the world, the par-3 8th hole ('Postage Stamp') measures a scant 123 yd, but its diminutive green measures a mere 2635 sqft. Two holes earlier, the par-5 6th ('Turnberry') extends to a lengthy 601 yd and until the championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023 was the longest hole in Open history. The 11th hole ('The Railway') is one of the most difficult holes in major championship golf.

Changed to a long par-4, a blind tee shot has a long carry over gorse with out of bounds all along the railway on the right. The lengthy approach shot is to a small green that falls away, with nearby out of bounds. The Portland Course is an 18-hole layout from 1895, redesigned in 1921 by Dr. Alister MacKenzie. The Craigend Course is a nine-hole par-3 course.

The club is private; guests are allowed at certain times, under advance booking, with a handicap certificate establishing proficiency. The Old Course has four tees – 'Ladies', 'Short', 'Medal' and 'Championship'.

Did You Know?

• Royal Troon has hosted 11 Open Championships: 1923, 1950, 1962, 1973, 1982, 1989, 1997, 2004, 2016, 2020 (only a women's edition), and 2024.
• The club has a total of 45 holes: the Old Course (18), the Portland Course (18), and the Craigend Course (9).
• Past Open champions at Royal Troon include Justin Leonard, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Locke, and Arthur Havers.
• Six consecutive Opens at Troon were won by Americans, from 1962 through 2004, ended by Henrik Stenson of Sweden in 2016.