Lanark
Lanark, Scotland
- AddressThe Moor, Whitelees Rd, Lanark ML11 7RX, UK
- Championships hosted
Most golfing Sassenachs won’t know where Lanark is and even fewer will have played this remarkable course, which is located some 15 miles to the southeast of Glasgow. The course is sited 600 feet above sea level and the ground is sandy and links-like thanks to Ice Age glacial sands. Is Lanark the finest moorland course in Scotland?
Founded in 1851, Lanark is one of the world’s oldest golf clubs and a rudimentary 6-hole course was laid out in these early days. In 1897 Old Tom Morris was paid the princely sum of three pounds and ten shillings to extend the course to 18 holes, assisted by George Sayers. James Braid made further revisions in 1926 and little has changed since.
Lanark measures 6,428 yards from the back tees and it opens up gently with a straightforward par four and then it begins to show its mettle. The next three holes are brutal par fours, each stretching out in excess of 400 yards from the back tees. The 4th hole – called “Houston” – is the stroke index 1 and it measures 446 yards. Invariably the hole plays directly into the prevailing wind and a par here is certainly one to be savoured.
By today’s standards Lanark is relatively short, but playing to handicap on this former Open Championship Regional Qualifying course is another matter. The greens are deceptively tough to read and the putting surfaces are fast and true. Lanark prides itself on course conditioning and you can expect to play on perfect turf – from tee to green – for much of the year. This delightful moorland course is totally in tune with Nature and should be included on any serious golfer’s itinerary.
Lanark has hosted a number of important championships in the new millennium, including the Girls Amateur (won by Azahra Munoz in 2004), the Scottish Girls' Amateur(won by Ailsa Bain in 2009), and the Scottish Youths Strokeplay (won by Bob McIntyre in 2013).
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In 1835, aged fourteen, Old Tom Morris worked in Allan Robertson's St Andrews workshop making golf balls and clubs. It’s said they were never beaten in a challenge match when paired together.
