Old Course Ranfurly - Renfrewshire - Scotland

It can be said that education can broaden the mind, and that extra bit of experience and knowledge can sometimes make you view at things in a different light sometimes causing a revision of a long held opinion. Many years ago, more than I care to remember, I was a frequent and very grateful visitor to Old Ranfurly as a guest of a member. As a boy who played some, if not all of his golf at a municipal parkland course, Old Ranfurly was almost like a golfing Shangri-La with its excellent conditioning and variation and challenge of holes and thankfully, that has not changed. However, this knowledge and experience has now made me question things that I would have overlooked in the past notably the quixotic nature of some of the finishing holes at Old Ranfurly, specifically holes 16 and 17. Hole 16 is a long, blind, uphill and in my opinion very unsporting par 3. And, if that was not enough the tee shot at 17 necessitates the traversing of the first fairway. I imagine that there has been numerous instances of an unsuspecting golfer copping an unfortunate one whilst strolling after his first shot of the day. Fortunately, this is more than compensated elsewhere as the remainder of the course is good, very good in places. The aforementioned opening hole being a stout long par 4 to an elevated green, a parcel of excellent par 3’s at holes 5,7 and 13, the latter being a flick with a wedge to a surface safeguarded by a flotilla of greedy bunkers, the tough driving holes of 4th and 14th also warrant an honourable mention.

So in spite of some negatives there is an awful lot to enjoy at Old Ranfurly, coupled with the previously stated conditioning and variety you will also encounter a very welcoming membership and if that was not enough online deals can often be found for around £20 for this engaging track just watch your head on the first fairway. MPPJ

[Full disclosure - I was a member here as a teenager, many moons ago] I've belonged to a few clubs over the years as I moved around the world. I've played at even more and volunteered at a few top R&A and USGA events on very select courses. It had been a few years since I'd played Old Ranfurly and during 2009, I returned to visit it once more during a vacation in the UK. Not much had changed since my youth, other than the area around the fifth green. I played on a bright, fall day when the sun was out, the skies were mostly blue and there was a slight, variable breeze that never quite seemed to be directly from behind me. The so-called 'monster' opening hole wasn't quite the monster I remembered it to be, playing no more than a drive and an eight iron to a really tiny, half-concealed green. Then I remembered all the blind holes. #1, #2, #3, #4, #9, #10, #14, #15, #16, #18. More, if you put your drive in the wrong spot. And that's when it struck me - to play this course, as any other quality course, you NEED to PLACE your drives. And this was the first time I had visited OCRGC with the ability to truly place my drives. And it was a delight! It's not a course you can play just once and enjoy. In fact, I would argue you may hate it first time you play it (a bit like Bob Jones at St Andrews). But it GROWS on you. By the time a semi-skilled amateur plays it for his third or fourth time, he starts to appreciate it, the importance of approaching greens from the right areas, the nuances of the kicks you can expect around the greens, the bunkers to avoid (almost all of them, as the sand was terrible quality). The layout is, admittedly, quirky. But is it any worse than the double greens of the 'other' Old Course? Is it any stranger than many of Scotland's other courses with a few blind holes? Compared to the vast majority of courses I have played in America, I would rate Old Ranfurly significantly better. And the course I would most favorably compare it to? Merion before it was revamped for last year's US Open. Old Ranfurly is a relatively inexpensive gem to play, although by the time you've played your five or more rounds to really appreciate it, you've still spent a small fortune! A very nice, well-kept 'secret' in Scotland's golfing world.

It was all going so well at Ranfurly, up until the last four holes, that is. I’d really enjoyed my round on a course where the 440-yard 1st is a beast of a starter into the prevailing wind, the heavily-bunkered downhill par three 5th is a really fabulous short hole and the 14th, with its green perched on top of a crag, is a terrific par four.

Sure, there had been several blind drives along the way and the turf underfoot was more lush parkland than springy moorland but it was a real pleasure to play a course that was measuring up to Ranfurly Castle, its near neighbour, very well indeed. Until the 15th, that is…

Why did the club, when it obviously acquired land in times gone past for holes 4 to 13, not find space to fit in at least another hole on this parcel, allowing the ground close to the clubhouse to be used more sensibly?

As it stands now, the 15th is routed to a blind, sunken green, the 16th plays 199 yards -- blind and uphill -- to a green stuck on top of an escarpment, the 17th (a fine short par four in its own right, mind you) crosses the 1st fairway at almost a right angle before a wee par three is squeezed in at the end -- such a disappointing end to the round.

Now I love quirk (Shiskine, Cruden Bay and Machrie and all favourites) but the ending for me here was just too wacky for comfort. A real shame as the first fourteen holes at Old Ranfurly are laid out on such good, solid golfing ground.

Jim McCann.

Old Ranfurly as it is known to the locals is one of the finest examples of an in inland, moorland course in Scotland. In my opinion the most important thing in golf course design is to force the golfer to ask questions off every tee, and to provide a good balance of risk and reward. This golf course does both in abundance. Old Ranfurly has a selection of genuine world-class holes including the challenging 5th, widely considered to be one of the finest par threes in Britain. The course has three par fives, and five par threes offering enough variation to hold the interest of even the most discerning of golfers. At 6,089 yards, and a par of 70 Old Ranfurly offers a fun, but challenging test. Located only a few miles from Glasgow, and offering spectacular views over the Clyde Valley, and Ben Lomond in the distance, a visit to Old Ranfurly should certainly be made a priority on any visit to the West of Scotland. Peter

Played here on a glorious sunny August afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect - based on the mixed reviews below - I found it to be a friendly, welcoming track in good condition with fast greens. There were lots of green keepers out and about and everything was well looked after and in good condition. Our two ball was waved through by a kindly group of 4 senior members on the 4th, and they gave us good advice on the line to take which we nearly followed! There are massive elevation changes - especially on holes 15 & 16 (the blind par 3 SI-6). It's fair to say they could do with a little more room to spread the last four holes out over, your drive on the 17th passes over the 1st fairway, so care is needed, but as the tee box is 50 feet above the 1st, so we didn't have a problem. A fun course to play, not overly long, but I enjoyed the variety of the holes - not as posh as Kilmacolm up the road - but not bad for £30, I'd play it again.

Old Ranfurly is NOT one of Scotland's gems. It has many, many shortcomings. There are some holes near the end that almost qualify as crazy golf. (An uphill, blind par 3 anyone?) This is a course I played once and would only return to if someone else was paying! (Oh, and with a hard hat)

A wee gem at a very affordable£25 every hole captures the imagination,situated close to Glasgow airport near the historic weavers village of Kilbarchan a very affluent little hamlet also worth a wee visit being home to Reo Stakis and formally Paul Gascoinge,the par threes are a joy to step up to the tee make a visit enjoy the 15th green you will want to play this hole twice

Mmm piece of ground with holes wedged in wherever possible. Didn't see what some others do at this course. As Shakespear said 'Much a do about nothing' Blind holes, fairways average course layout poor. Ok to play but not to pay.

Sometimes unfairly called “Blind” Ranfurly, this superbly presented moorland course is a delight to all. Agreed, there are many par four/fives where the flag is not visible from the tee. It is however, clearly seen from every regular approach area on every hole bar the infamous par 3,16th.A fair course with demanding par 4’s. The perfect example of these is the 14th where both drive and 3 wood or wedge approach, depending on the wind, require pinpoint accuracy or you will simply not find the plateau of the fast, lush rolling green. This and the closing 4 holes, are fraught with danger. A steady hand and strong power of mind are required to take you home.A friendly clubhouse awaits with excellent fayre at good prices.Don’t hesitate to visit, I do - every week !