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Scotland

Renfrewshire

The East Renfrewshire Golf Club, or ‘East Ren’ as it is known was established in 1922 and the great James Braid designed the course. Not much has changed since, with the exception of slight lengthening to the current 6,100-yard par 70 challenge.

Braid was unable to supervise the course being built because of his golf club duties at Walton Heath so Tom Dobson, the first greenkeeper and professional at East Ren, ensured that Braid’s plans were adhered to by the construction crew.

The usual Braid traits are evident, high tees, rolling fairways and greens set upon plateaux. All the holes are refreshingly different and this is a delightful example of moorland golf at the top end of the category.

There are some stunning views across to Glasgow and the Clyde and, with the course perched at 500 feet above sea level, the wind is a huge factor with club selection. If you play East Renfrewshire every day for one week, expect to use a different club for the same length of shot each day.

Many holes are worthy of a mention but our favourite is the 18th – a long par four with a burn to the left and splitting the fairway. Bunkers and another burn protect the green, which is set next to the clubhouse. East Renfrewshire is certainly tough, but it's also fair.

East Renfrewshire

The East Renfrewshire Golf Club, or ‘East Ren’ as it is known was established in 1922 and the great James Braid designed the course.

The Kilmacolm Golf Club has been called “the finest village golf club in the country” by a former club captain and “a very pleasant golfing place” by none other than Walter Hagen when he played an exhibition match here in 1937. Whatever the description that best applies to this “miniature 

,” Kilmacolm is, without doubt, a wonderful example of a traditional Scottish moorland course.

Willie Campbell, the greenkeeper and professional at nearby 

, laid out the first 9-hole course in 1891 and this was very quickly extended to a full layout. The 18-hole routing over the hilly terrain was not to everyone’s liking (a mountain goat adorns the club crest) so when more land became available in 1908, Willie Fernie of Troon redesigned the course to eliminate the hill climbs.

James Braid recommended some further changes in 1924 and they were the last major modifications to be made to the layout. With only one par five on the scorecard, the course measures a modest 5961 yards from the back tees. Indeed, only three of the par four holes play longer than 400 yards so length off the tee is rarely an issue at Kilmacolm.

Situated adjacent to Glenmoss Nature Reserve, with stunning views across Gryffe Valley to the Duchal Moors and Knapps Loch, Kilmacolm is one of the hidden upland tracks in Scotland that deserves to be bracketed alongside other endearing courses such as 

, which are well known for their golfing charm.

Kilmacolm

The Kilmacolm Golf Club has been called “the finest village golf club in the country” by a former club captain and “a very pleasant golfing place” by none other than Walter Hagen...

Ranfurly Castle lies to the western edge of the large village of Bridge of Weir, which prospered in the 18th and 19th centuries thanks to cotton mills and tanneries. Considering its close proximity to Glasgow, Ranfurly Castle Golf Club remains relatively undiscovered, except to those in the know.

Willie Campbell laid out the club’s original 9-hole course then, after moving to its present location in 1905, Andrew Kirkcaldy established the club’s new 18-hole layout. James Braid made some alterations in 1923, seven years before six new holes were introduced, following the purchase of 48 acres of additional land.

Its hilly moorland aspect provides a great sense of adventure and escape. This course really should be better known. In 2003, the club hosted the £10,000 Tartan Golf International Trainees Matchplay Championship, which commenced with an 18-hole pro-am with one of the amateurs in each team being under the age of 14.

The opening two holes at Ranfurly Castle take you steeply uphill to a high moorland plateau where the views open up. Fourteen holes play on top of the moor before the closing two holes bring you back down to the sanctuary of the clubhouse. Measuring less than 6,300 yards, Ranfurly Castle is not a slog, but when the wind blows – as it so often does on the top – it presents a stern challenge. With just one par five and only three par threes, scoring well on this par 70 course is not as easy as it first appears.

Ranfurly Castle is often bracketed alongside 

 and certainly there is a hint of elements of both the Queen’s and King’s courses, but Ranfurly Castle is much less contrived and it’s much quieter too. It’s certainly a gem if ever there was one and it’s also great value. Well worth a visit… but beware of the wicked, slick greens.

Ranfurly Castle

There is a hint of Gleneagles at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club, a mixture of heathland and moorland holes. A hidden gem if ever there was one.

The Earl of Mar Estate lies within a 240-acre wooded property on the south bank of the River Clyde, to the west of Glasgow. The centrepiece of the estate is a substantial building that was formerly named Erskine House (designed for the Blantyre family by Sir Robert Smirke, the architect of the British Museum) and it was constructed between 1828 and 1845.

The magnificent old baronial mansion was completely refurbished and it reopened in 2006 after a multi million pound refit as the 5-star Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort, its new name recalling the former ownership of the estate by the Earl of Mar, holder of one of the oldest peerage titles in Europe.

Dave Thomas designed the estate’s new golf course – adding another 18-hole layout to a bourgeoning Scottish course portfolio that now includes The Roxburghe and Cardrona in the Borders, Newmachar and Spey Valley to the north – and play got under way here at Mar Hall in the summer of 2010.

As you might expect at a resort location, the emphasis is on playability, with generously proportioned fairways and large, gently contoured greens throughout. With an overall length of no more than 6,507 yards from the back tees, the Earl of Mar golf course appeals to the strategically minded golfer through the clever integration of mature trees in the design.

Laid out in the shadow of the Erskine bridge, the fairways are parkland in nature, configured as two loops of nine holes, each of which return to the front of a proposed new clubhouse that will sit above the fairways, between the River Clyde and Mar Hall, facing across to Bowling and the Kilpatrick Hills beyond.

Initial memberships are targeted toward the corporate sector but attractive stay and play packages are available, along with daily green fee rates for individuals or small groups of golfers.

Mar Hall - Earl of Mar

With an overall length of no more than 6,507 yards from the back tees, the Earl of Mar golf course at Mar Hall Golf Resort appeals to the strategically minded golfer...

In 1895, the founding members of Paisley Golf Club laid out a rather basic course on a 40-acre site that had previously been used for grazing on the Bushes Farm, to the south of the town. For half a century, golfers were apparently content to play on this small, somewhat cramped 9-hole layout until just after World War II, when the local authorities decided to build houses on the property.

A new location for the club was identified on higher ground at Gleniffer Braes and the architect chosen to set out the fairways on this moorland tract was Philip Mackenzie Ross, who had just completed the new course at 

. Built by John Hamilton Stutt, who constructed many of James Braid’s courses, Paisley’s 18-hole layout was opened just in time for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The course is cleverly routed, with both nines rising up the braes from the clubhouse, only to return back down again at the par four 9th and 18th. Feature holes here include testing par fives at holes 3 and 12 and tempting short par fours at holes 7 and 11, whilst the heroic 200-yard 15th (“Silver Tassie”) is a sensational downhill par three that’s alone worth paying the green fee. And with a standard scratch score of one stroke over the par, Paisley’s more than capable of offering a decent test of golf.

Paisley

Sixty years after the club was formed, members of Paisley Golf Club moved in 1953 to a Philip Mackenzie Ross-designed course on top of Gleniffer Braes, to the south of Paisley.

The list of Scottish golf courses designed by Alister MacKenzie is a rather short one and, as far as we’re aware, it includes only the MacKenzie Championship course at Hazelhead in Aberdeen, Duff House Royal in Banff, Pitreavie in Dunfermline and Bonnyton.

Throw into the mix Blairgowrie’s Rosemount, Royal Troon’s Portland and Pollok in Glasgow, all places where the master architect made revisions, and you'll still not reach double digits. Incredibly, it’s only in recent years that Bonnyton appears to have realised the importance of its course’s provenance.

The club started out as Bonnyton Moor Golf Club in 1923 but the Jewish community of Glasgow acquired it in 1957 when the opportunity arose to buy the property. Up until then, the Golf Section of the Glasgow Jewish Institute had led a somewhat nomadic existence, playing competitions at a couple of clubs on the fringes of the city or along the Clyde coast at Troon’s three municipal courses.

Nowadays, the course measures a modest 6,231 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 72. Notable holes on the front nine include “Ca’Cannie,” the short par four 3rd, and back-to-back par fives at the 5th and 6th holes. On the inward half, the 170-yard 14th is rather unusually rated as stroke index 2 but it’s a beast of an uphill par three requiring a do-or-die carry from the tee to reach a shallow, elevated green.

Bonnyton

The course at Bonnyton Golf Club – a lesser-known design of Alister MacKenzie – opened in 1922 with heather-fringed fairways laid out on Ballagioch Hill, high above the conservation village of Eaglesham.

William Arthur Baird, at the age of twenty-one, inherited the Erskine Estate when his grandfather Lord Blantyre died in 1900. Shortly after, Baird commissioned Willie Fernie, the Troon professional, to set out an 18-hole course which was duly opened by an exhibition match between the designer and Ben Sayers from North Berwick on 12th March 1904.

In the early 1920s, Alister MacKenzie modified holes 12 and 13 (indeed the 13th is named after him) before Harry Vardon and Arthur Havers (who would win the Open at Troon the following year) played a match on the upgraded course on 3rd June 1922. James Braid then visited in 1937 to make bunker changes, add new holes and redesign others.

Today, the course measures 6,381 yards from the back markers, playing to a par of 71. There’s only one par five on the card, at the 513-yard 9th, and only two par three holes, at the 154-yard 6th and 184-yard 11th. Holes 9 to 16 are situated right on the south bank of the River Clyde and these have had extensive work carried out on them in recent times to remedy drainage issues.

The most difficult hole on the front nine is “The Rookery,” a long par four where the bunker to the right hand side of the putting surface can give the impression that the green is closer than it really is. On the inward half, “Westward” at the 12th, is normally played into the prevailing wind and this tough hole is the first of seven successive par fours heading for home.

Erskine

Erskine Golf Club is a wonderful parkland layout with an impressive design pedigree – Willie Fernie, Alister MacKenzie and James Braid have all left their mark on the course – and it lies on the south bank of the River Clyde.

Bridge of Weir is an affluent commuter village of around 5,000 residents located 17 miles to the west of Glasgow city centre. Many years ago – when the village supported no fewer than three leather tanneries – there were five golf courses in the local area.

 and Old Ranfurly – and they are both very fine, 18-hole, moorland layouts, situated close to each other on the south west side of the village with commanding views of the Clyde Valley to the north.

Old Ranfurly measures a shade over 6,000 yards, with a par of 70. Two of the three par fives on the card are played on the front nine – the 504-yard 4th hole, called “Harelaw” and the 500-yard 6th hole, named “Carselaverock” – which goes some way to explaining why the outward half is more than 500 yards longer than the back nine.

Many members consider the best of the five par three holes to be the 172-yard, redesigned 5th hole, titled “The Covert” where the tree-framed green is well bunkered with a burn on the right to punish shots pushed in that direction.

The 199-yard, par three 16th is a contender for the best hole on the inward half as it has all the potential, late in the round, to ruin a good score. This hole is a real tough cookie as it is played blind and uphill from the tee.

Old Course Ranfurly

Known locally as Old Ranfurly, the Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club is a challenging, undulating, moorland course with magnificent views across the Clyde to Ben Lomond.

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.

Renfrew

Laid out on the banks of the Clyde, close to Glasgow airport, Renfrew Golf Club’s beautiful, tree-lined fairways have been in play since the early 1970s when Commander John Harris revamped the original James Braid layout.

The 18-hole layout at Whitecraigs Golf Club in Giffnock is a Willie Fernie course that dates back to 1905, at a time when the Open champion of 1883 was also involved in designing the new 

 for the members at Royal Troon. Because of plans to widen the main Ayr Road alongside the course, James Braid was involved in subsequent course modifications, many of which remain in place today.

According to John F. Moreton & Iain Cumming’s book 

James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses

, “in 1938… two (land) purchases were made, allowing (Braid’s) report to be implemented. The 6th was extended, the present 7th built, as was the 11th, considered by some the best course on the course. The present 12th was extended into new ground, the long par three 13th was constructed and the 14th received a new green.”

Today, the course extends to just over 6,000 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 70. Highlight holes on the front nine include “Perry Vale,” the 429-yard 4th - rated stroke index 2 on the card - and “Wolfe’s Way,” the 513-yard 6th, which is the only par five on the outward half. On the way home, the 262-yard 17th (“The Beeches”) is a great birdie opportunity at the penultimate hole.

Whitecraigs

The 18-hole layout at Whitecraigs Golf Club in Giffnock is a Willie Fernie course that dates back to 1905, at a time when the Open champion of 1883 was also involved in designing the new Portland course at Royal Troon.

 provides administration for over 10,000 golfers affiliated to 23 clubs in the area and it covers an area that stretches from Gourock in the north west to Bonnyton in the south east.

Top tracks in the county include the wonderful moorland trio of 

. Alternative top quality parkland venues include three along the banks of the River Clyde at 

Renfrewshire has tasted success in the Scottish Area Team Championships, supplying winning teams at Cardross in 1982, Machrihanish in 1996, Bathgate in 2005 and Crail in 2009. The county takes the development of young golfers very seriously, inviting children as young as nine to special coaching sessions at the Mearns Castle facility.


 rankings were last updated in November 2019. Click the link to read the story.
