Royal Troon lies at the southern end of that beautiful stretch of Ayrshire coastline where golf was played long before the Troon Golf Club was founded in 1878. The Club became Royal in its centenary year of 1978 and was the last of the royal clubs to be so honoured.
Ladies had been playing golf over the Troon Course and in 1882 they decided to form a club under the name of the 'Ladies Troon Golf Club.'
Several famous architects have been associated with the development of the course at it now stands. Willie Fernie, when he was club professional, James Braid and Alistair MacKenzie of Augusta fame among them.
There are two 18-hole links courses and a 9-hole parkland course at Royal Troon.
The Portland Course is a par 72 of 6,350 yards.
The Old Course is the 6,600 yards par 71 championship course. This is majestic links land with the back nine holes as demanding as any in championship golf. The famous 8th hole, ‘Postage Stamp’, tees of from high ground, over a narrow gully to an extremely narrow green protected by bunkers on the approach and on both sides. Many top players have come to grief on this the shortest hole in Open Championship golf.
