Royal Guernsey

Sitting 30 miles off the coast of Normandy, Guernsey lies closer to France than the UK – Weymouth is some 75 miles away – but it remains, like the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency with the Royal Guernsey Golf Club affiliated to the English Golf Union.

Royal Guernsey Golf Club was established in 1890 but the present course is a more recent creation, laid out on common land between the bays of L’Ancresse and Grand Havre (to the north of the island) by Philip Mackenzie Ross in 1949.

The esteemed Scottish architect could never be described as prolific, choosing his projects carefully, but he obviously knew a thing or two about reconstructing war damaged links courses as he went on to resurrect the Ailsa at Turnberry two years later.

A mere quarter of the twelve par four holes on the scorecard are more than 400 yards in length so the course measures up to a modest 6,200 yards. The layout includes only two three-shot holes (at 6 and 14) for a par total of 70, with the last of the four par threes played at the 18th hole.