Lanark Golf Club Course Review

The 18th and Clubhouse at Lanark

(Image credit: Willie Peat)

published 19 January 2022

Lanark Golf Club Course Review

GF From £30 to £60
Par 70, 6,428 yards
Slope 126
GM Verdict – A fine test of upland golf with a timeless feel. Great views of the surrounding countryside.
Favourite Hole – 11th. A par 4 of some 400 yards with all sorts to contend with – burns, heather and a tricky green.

Founded in 1851, Lanark is the 25th oldest golf club in the world. The course itself started life with six holes then, 46 years later Old Tom Morris designed the full 18 holes. James Braid added some changes in 1927. Unlike many of the early golf clubs, the location of the course has never changed and golf has now been played on the moor for almost 160 years.

In 1995 the club purchased the course from the local District Council. Until then it had owned only the land on which the clubhouse was built. Lanark is a moorland course set in the scenic Clyde Valley countryside. The greens are renowned for being fast and true and the fairways, like a traditional links, are tight, firm and drain freely. This is due to the course being built on glacial sands. It means the course is playable throughout the year. It's one of the best value green fees in Scotland.

The views from the course of the Southern Upland hills, Tinto in particular, are magnificent. Not to mention the stunning views of Lanark Loch from some parts of the layout. Back on the course the heather and gorse are aesthetically appealing, though treacherous if you find either with your drive.

The course shows its teeth early with a run of tough par-4s in the early part of the front nine – the challenging 4th “Houston” in particular. The stretch from the 11th to the 450-yard, par-4 15th is also testing but three shorter holes follow to bring the round to a close. It’s a layout with great variety and it delivers a full test of golf.

Lanark is a frequent host to top-level competition. 11 times a venue for Regional Qualifying for The Open Championship, the club has also welcomed the British Girls’ Championship and the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship, amongst many other events.

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter