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— Center of the Golfing Universe —

— ROYAL TROON GOLF CLUB —
Troon, Ayrshire, Southwestern Scotland
———O———
Site of 8 British Open Championships

        Royal Troon has walked the tightrope between the grand private links of Scottish tradition and the modern showcase golf course capable of challenging today’s long-hitting professionals using high-tech equipment. Although Royal Troon has not abandoned many of the charming local attributes that originally gave it identity and character, its length and natural hazards keep it among the most demanding of Scottish links courses. 
                                                18th green at Royal Troon Old Course.
        There are 3 courses at Troon: the Old Course, the Portland Course, and the Par-3 Course. The Old Course links hosts the British Open regularly (2004 was the 8th time). The shorter Portland Course, also a links, has been used as a qualifying course for the European Open Championship.

There are two 18-hole courses at Royal Troon:

1. THE OLD COURSE
   Distance & Par:
    Championship Tees: 7,175 Yards, Par 71, SSS 75
    Medal Tees: 6,641 Yards, Par 71, SSS 73
    Short Tees: 6,201 Yards, Par 71, SSS 71
   Ladies Tees: 6,135 Yards, Par 75, SSS 76

2. THE PORTLAND COURSE
   Distance & Par:
    Medal Tees: 6,289 Yards, Par 71, SSS 71
    Short Tees: 5,778 Yards, Par 70, SSS 70
    Ladies Tees: 5,818 Yards, Par 75, SSS 75

Greens Fees:
1. THE OLD COURSE: £160/Mo-Tu-Th, £175/Su (when available)
2. THE PORTLAND COURSE: £60/Mo-Tu-Th

Visitors Welcome: May through mid-October
    Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays (& some Sundays) only except when
    tournaments and special events intervene.
    Tee-Time Reservations Required. Visitors' tee-times are:
        Old Course: 9:30-11AM and 2:30-4PM
        Portland Course: 9-10:30AM and 2:30-4PM
        Note: During September & October, afternoon tee-times will be 2-3:30PM.
    Handicap Limits: Men—20, Ladies—30; handicap certificate required.
    Age Limit: Players under 18 years old may play on the Portland Course only
        and are not permitted in the clubhouse.
    Visitors’ Parking is available and is clearly marked.

Special Rules:
   1. No cameras, video equipment or mobile phones are allowed on the courses.
   2. Golf shoes and headwear are only permitted in the Locker Rooms.
   3. Jacket, collar and tie are necessary for both the Smoke Room and the Dining
       Room.
   4. Casual golf wear acceptable in the Club Bar and for lunch in the Ailsa Lounge.
   5. Jeans, tee-shirts, training or sports shoes and shorts are not permitted in the
       Clubhouse or on the Courses.
   6. Ladies are required to wear a dress, skirt or formal slacks in the Dining Room.
   7. Mobile telephones and cameras are not permitted in the Clubhouse.
   8. Changing of golf clothing and shoes and partaking of snacks in the car park is
       strictly forbidden.

FACILITIES:
   Golf Trolley (Pull Cart) Rental: £5/round
   Caddies: £40/bag/round (plus tip); caddies should be reserved in advance.
   Club Rental: £40/round, £55/day
    Driving Range
    Practice Putting Greens
    Practice Bunkers
    Pro Shop
    Locker Rooms
    Smoke Room
    Dining Room
    Club Bar
    Ailsa Lounge

LOCATION: Royal Troon Golf Club, Craigend Road,
                     Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland KA10 6EP

DIRECTIONS from nearest Home At First Lodgings: Royal Troon Golf Club is on the south side of the town of Troon and is clearly sign-posted.
    From Central Scotland: A84 south to Stirling, then M9 to M80 southwest to
      Glasgow. Drive Time from Central Scotland: 150 minutes.
    From Fife: A91 west to M90 at Kinross; M90 south across Forth Bridge to M8 at
      Edinburgh. Drive Time from Fife: 135 minutes.
    From Edinburgh: M8 west to Glasgow. Drive Time from Edinburgh: 100 minutes.
    From Glasgow: M77/A77 south to Monkton, then local roads to the Royal Troon
      Golf Club. Drive Time from Glasgow: 45 minutes.
    From The Borders: A72 west to A71 near Larkhall; A71 west to Kilmarnock;
        A77 southwest to Monkton, then local roads to the Royal Troon Golf Club.
        Drive Time from the Borders: 75 minutes.

Reservations & Communications:
    Telephone: +44 (0)1292 311555
    Fax:           +44 (0)1292 318204
    email: bookings@royaltroon.com
    web site: http://www.royaltroon.co.uk

Bookings: reservations required. A non-refundable deposit of £50.00 per player is required to reserve a tee-time. The balance of the green fee(s) must be paid 60 days prior to the date of play to confirm the reservation. Non-payment by the due date will result in the reservation being cancelled, with no refunds given.

Payments: acceptable by the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Switch or Delta.

LET HOME AT FIRST BOOK YOUR TEE-TIME AT ROYAL TROON as part of your Scotland travel plans. There is no service charge for making your booking.

OTHER GOLF IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA: The Ayrshire coast of southwestern Scotland is dense with links courses, including many great ones clustered within 15-30 minutes of Troon. Among these are Prestwick, Barassie, Western Gailes, Southern Gailes, Glasgow Gailes, and Turnberry.

HISTORY: Like many ancient links courses in the British Isles, Troon Golf Club began as a local course by a small group of golfing enthusiasts. Unlike many courses, Troon has become a world class course drawing visitors from around the world and regularly hosting the British Open Championship. Its excellent natural setting, prudent course development by expert designers, and the upgrading of local support facilities—including hotels and restaurants in the town of Troon itself—have enable Royal Troon to compete successfully with heavily-invested modern resort courses, such as the neighboring Westin Turnberry Golf & Leisure Resort.
        George Strath, first of only five club pro’s at Troon over its 125+ years of existence, helped design the original two courses on the links land at Troon. His successor, the great Willie Fernie and 1883 British Open champion, introduced further changes to the Old Course layout. Numerous changes have been made over the years, including some notable ones prior to the 1923 British Open at Troon made by the ubiquitous James Braid, Scotland’s most prolific course designer, himself a 5-time Open Champion from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
        In 1915, Troon Club Captain Adam Wood presented the club with a set of golf clubs, which may be the oldest set in existence, perhaps dating from the 17th century when the Scottish Stuarts were on the English throne. The clubs are displayed at the British Golf Museum by the St. Andrews Old Course. Replicas are also displayed at the clubhouse at Royal Troon.
        Troon was recognized as "Royal Troon" in 1978 upon the 100th anniversary of its founding. It join other notable "Royal" golf clubs in the British Isles including: Royal Dornoch (Scotland), Royal St. David’s and Royal Porthcawl (Wales); Royal Dublin (Ireland); Royal Portrush, Royal Belfast, and Royal County Down (Northern Ireland); Royal St. George’s, Royal Birkdale, and Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s (England).
        Although Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie is a member of Royal Troon, the Old Course record of 64 is held by two visitors, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods, who posted their scores during British Opens in 1989 and 1997, respectively.

THE OLD COURSE & SOME NOTABLE HOLES: One of the great courses in Scotland and the world (rated #8 in Scotland and #22 in the world by GolfDigest.com), Royal Troon’s Old Course demands a very accurate links golf technique. Strong northwesterly winds off the Atlantic are a normal course condition. Troon’s fairways are bordered with deep rough made diabolical with gorse and broom. Being a classic out-an-back links course Royal Troon is affected by headwinds more on the back nine. Under normal conditions players should be aggressive on the front nine, as the prevailing northwesterly wind can make the back nine extremely difficult.                                                  8th Hole, Royal Troon Old Course. "Postage Stamp".

The 6^th Hole—"Turnberry" (Par 5, 599 yards from the championship tees): Royal Troon has the longest and the shortest holes of any of the courses in the British Open rotation. The 6th at Troon at 599 yards is the longest. The hole gets its name from the landmark Turnberry point that is within sight. The lighthouse at the point marks the site of Turnberry Castle, childhood home of Scottish hero Robert the Bruce. Of course, it also marks the site of Troon’s famous neighbor, Turnberry, the other Ayrshire links currently in the British Open course rotation. Although the wind should help with the two long shots required on the 6th, well-placed bunkers, rough, and a narrow green help make "Turnberry" the #2 handicap hole at Troon.

The 8^th Hole—"Postage Stamp" (Par 3, 123 yards from the championship tees): Two holes after the longest hole of the British Open is its shortest, the signature hole of the Old Course. Although 376 yards shorter than the 6th, "Postage Stamp" has two things in common with "Turnberry": a famous view and a great need for accuracy. The elevated 8th tee provides a fine view (in good weather) of the small, rocky island of Ailsa just offshore—another reminder of the nearby Turnberry championship golf course, called "Ailsa". An accurate tee shot must clear a gully and find a narrow green surrounded by bunkers and sloping shoulders. This small target green caused the great Scottish champion and course designer Willie Park to first call the 8th "Postage Stamp". Don’t let its #18 handicap rating relax you here. Regardless of which tees you hit from, failure to be accurate here can ruin your round.

The 11^th Hole—"Railway" (Par 4, 488 yards from the championship tees): Now it’s back into the wind with a long, albeit straight, narrow hole. With an out-of-bounds along the railways tracks just right of the fairway for the length of the hole, and thick gorse rough paralleling the left side, any errant shot on the way to the green means serious trouble. In the ’97 British Open the 11th lived up to its #1 handicap rating as most difficult hole on the course.

The 15^th Hole—"Crosbie" (Par 4, 481 yards from the championship tees): The first of the very demanding four finishing holes, "Crosbie"—named after a local clan fortress—requires two long shots normally into the Atlantic breeze. The green in this case is not the test—it’s flat and in a hollow. The test of this, the 3rd handicap hole at Troon, is punching through the wind, staying on the fairway, avoiding several bunkers and getting to the green.

15th Green, Royal Troon Old Course. Getting here is the challenge.

THE 2004 BRITISH OPEN: Royal Troon hosted the 133rd British Open Championship for the 8th time July 15-18, 2004. American rookie tour golfer Todd Hamilton won, beating Ernie Els in a playoff. (Other former British Open champions at Troon include Americans Arnold Palmer, 1962; Tom Weiskopf, 1973; Tom Watson, 1982; Mark Calcavecchia, 1989; and Justin Leonard in 1997.)

More information about GOLF IN SCOTLAND.