Renfrew

Renfrew Golf Club was established in 1894 when the club’s original course was located between Renfrew and Govan on the Elderslie estate. An offer to purchase the property by a private housing company was made in the late 1960s and so the club relocated to its present site, reopening in 1973.

The present lush parkland course was designed by Commander John Harris – who also laid out the course at Dougalston in Milngavie, on the other side of the Clyde – with tree-lined holes routed across rather flat terrain on a property bounded on two sides by the River Cart and the River Clyde.

Several of the fairways lie directly under the main flightpath into nearby Glasgow airport so the noise of overhead aircraft on final approach can be a little distracting for golfers who play the course for the first time.

Renfrew’s greatest strength is its long, testing par four holes so it helps if you’re a big hitter who can keep the ball in play on the short grass. Even the par three holes are demanding, with the first on the card at the 3rd measuring 215 yards from the back tees.

This hole is followed immediately by three long par fours – all measuring in excess of 420 yards – so you know early on what you’re in for when you play here. On the back nine, there’s a little respite to be had at the short par four 12th on the back nine but the inward half concludes with another trio of punishing par fours that may make or break a good score on this testing track.