The Driving Range At The Open This Week Is Housed On One Of Scotland’s Most Underrated Links Courses

Royal Troon isn’t the only golf course you’ll be hearing a lot about over the course of Open week, the final men’s Major Championship of the season.

When you host 156 of the best players in the world for a tournament that will attract 250,000 fans, you need plenty of space – and you need somewhere for the players to practice.

That place is Royal Troon's Portland course. 

Anyone who’s played golf in Ayrshire & Arran will tell you how much of a golfing hotbed it – and some courses go under the radar. 

Along with the Old at Royal Troon, there’s Trump Turnberry, Prestwick, Western Gailes, and Dundonald, to name but a few, all of which occupy lofty positions in Golf Monthly’s Top 100 Rankings UK & Ireland 2023/24.

There’s one course not on that list, and plenty of golfers will feel that it should be and, that, if it were a standalone course, it might get a little bit more attention.

The Old at Royal Troon will be hosting golf’s oldest Major Championship for the tenth time in 2024, and a very fine course it is too.

However, many a golfer will tell you that its sibling, the Portland course, is also a very strong layout and well worth playing.

It’s named after the Dukes of Portland, who constructed the docks in Troon harbour in the 19th century and did much to generate wealth in the area.

It’s not unusual for a golf course to get overlooked when one set of 18 holes has hosted so many prestigious events, but the Portland course is an absolute gem.

During the 152nd Open, players will get their own unique experience of playing the Willie Fernie-designed track, or at least a part of it, with the course’s 18th hole being used as a temporary driving range, which also makes use of the nine-hole Craigend course. 

The Portland course is comprised of two loops of nine, and one of its unique design features is that there are no par 5s on the outward nine, but four coming back, whilst one of its most memorable holes is the par-4 7th, 'Spring', with the green framed by the railway.  

Should coverage of this year’s Open include a flyover of this beautiful site, you’ll no doubt find yourself tempted to add the Portland onto your must-play list.

As it stands, Royal Troon offers a day ticket for £420 (£340 per PGA member), which includes a round on both courses – and that, it must be said, represents pretty good value.