Carnwath Golf Club 3.8

Carnwath Golf Club is a delightful, mature course having been founded in 1907. The course is situated on a piece of land called ‘Gallow Hill’, to the west of the village of Carnwath. In 1907, the course was much different to what we know today. The then ‘9 hole course’ was laid out by Mr Willie Auchterlonie, an Open champion, coveted club maker and contributor to the Jubilee course layout in St Andrew’s. Following completion, the course was formally opened in front of sizeable crowds by Lady Lockhart, the wife of Sir Simon M. Lockhart, Honorary President of the club and laird of the estates, on 29th June 1907.

The course was finally extended to 18 holes in May 1922 and by 1936 Carnwath Golf Club was visited by more than 3,000 golfers annually. With the acquisition of a further 20 acres south of the course, it's layout was again redesigned by G.M Clark, then club champion. The new layout opened in July 1963 and with minor modern reworks, it remains a stern test of accuracy for golfers of all abilities to this day.

The club crest bears a silhouette of Carnwath Motte, a natural mound with a man-made defensive ditch surrounding, on which a lookout tower stood in the 12th century. The ‘Roundel’, which shares its name with the courses opening hole, is still a visible feature of the course, located directly behind the first green. The Antlers that surround the crest represent the vast wildlife you will often see when playing the course and visiting the surrounding area.

Despite the rural setting of the Golf Club, it is easily accessible from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, making it a popular venue for visitors. Renowned for our hospitality, the staff and members will make your visit both pleasant and enjoyable.

Although the course is roughly 6,000 yards in length, three of its four Par 3’s are in the first four holes, so it is important to be swinging well straight from the word go. Not least because the 2nd, ‘The Yett’, is a 234-yard challenge which is significantly bunkered at the front and features run-offs round the back.

As the round progresses, several roads and a railway line come into play, putting a premium on accuracy as opposed to length. If you can conquer the front nine, there is opportunity to take on some enticing Par 4’s in the back nine. However, Carnwath boasts a tough finish, ensuring that a good score is never given up lightly.

The 15th, ‘St Mary’s Aisle’, is a short Par 4 but it is a dog leg left, so the recurring theme of accuracy and astute course management is required.

The same applies to the 16th, with trees ready to block you out off the tee and a small, narrow green making finding the green a tricky task.

Then more muscle is required on the penultimate hole, a 455-yard Par 4 which has trees and out of bounds up the left and more woodland on the opposite side of the fairway - it can be a monster of a hole in the southerly winds. Even longer hitters will be hitting a mid-iron or more into the green, which has hollows and mounds round its edges.

The 18th, ‘Moss Burn’, is a terrific closing Par 5 with out of bounds again lurking up the left. It is a long, “straightforward” hole finishing on a green with a false front and step run-off at the back - a traditional risk and reward hole with the clubhouse (and more importantly those inside) watching intently.