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Scotland · Links

Royal Troon

Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland

The links and the town from the air.
The links and the town from the air. M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1878
Architect
George Strath and Willie Fernie (1888)
Par
71
Length
7,175 yards
Type
Links
Access
Private; visitor days
Championships
The Open (since 1923, most recently 2024); Women's British Open 2020

The club began in 1878 with five holes beside the Firth of Clyde. George Strath, its first professional, and Willie Fernie, the 1882 Open champion, took it to eighteen by 1888, with help from Charlie Hunter, greenkeeper at Prestwick next door. Today there are 45 holes; the Old Course is the one on the Open rota, which has come here since 1923 and most recently in 2024.

The Old Course runs out along the shore and back beside the railway, with the town at one end and Prestwick airport at the other, so the two nines play in different winds. It measures 7,175 yards, and its most famous hole is its shortest, the Postage Stamp par three, where the green is the size the name suggests. In 2016 the members voted to admit women, keeping the club on the Open rota.

The northern holes, the clubhouse beyond.
The northern holes, the clubhouse beyond. dave souza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Looking south along the course, gorse in bloom.
Looking south along the course, gorse in bloom. dave souza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Facts: Wikipedia · the club's own site.

Photographs: 1. M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · 2. dave souza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · 3. dave souza, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.