Royal Troon Golf Club

The Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club occupies a narrow strip of linksland along the Ayrshire coast in southwestern Scotland, roughly thirty miles from Glasgow. Established in 1878, the course began with five holes and expanded over subsequent decades, with the routing eventually shaped by contributions from several architects including Willie Fernie, James Braid, and more recent refinements. The layout runs outward along the shoreline for nine holes before turning back, creating the classic links pattern where golfers face shifting wind conditions depending on direction. The front nine plays northward and features some of the longest and most demanding holes in championship golf, including the 577-yard 6th known as Turnberry. The inward half turns southward and includes the famous Postage Stamp, the 123-yard 8th hole with its severely elevated green surrounded by deep bunkers—one of the most photographed and strategically complex short holes in the game. The closing stretch from the 15th through 18th presents a stern test, particularly when wind blows off the Firth of Clyde. Royal Troon has hosted The Open Championship ten times since 1923, with winners including Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, and Henrik Stenson, whose 2016 victory featured a record-tying final round. The club maintains a traditional members' culture and operates a second course, the Portland, alongside the championship links. The Old Course remains a fixture in the Open rota and consistently ranks among the most challenging venues in major championship golf.