Western Gailes Historic Research Study

When a course has a design pedigree like Western Gailes, it seems only reasonable to 

understand more about what remains of the original layout, what has changed and, if 

known, why and when. This allows the Club to look after its heritage and also to use 

these findings to underpin any future design decisions. The aerials that have been 

sourced also give a fascinating insight into the course before any alterations were made 

to the course. 

Aerials have been acquired from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s which allow a clear picture 

to be painted of the course development since the 1940s. Apart from the 3rd to 5th holes, 

the layout has remained largely unchanged in this time, with alterations focussing on 

the bunkering and course length. Developments in golf ball and club technology have 

forced the Club into changing some aspects of the course, but the framework has 

remained the same for some time now. 

Western Gailes is a fine example of a golf course that is laid out over the landscape with 

the holes having the lightest of touches on the sand dunes on which it sits. There have 

unsurprisingly been pressures on the course and, in places, amendments were needed. 

The 3rd-5th holes were adjusted for the incursion of Marine Drive and the 10th and 17th 

holes needed to be modified due to the wartime tank manoeuvres that took place in the 

dunes and on the beach. 

For the past decades since that work was done, the layout has remained largely 

unchanged. The character to the course has evolved in that time with the dunes 

gradually becoming increasingly cloaked with vegetation and bunkers becoming 

significantly smaller, with many being split into two or even three when they are being 

revetted. This is the reason why the overall bunker count appears steady, when many 

bunkers have been filled in over the past 50 years or more. 

The Plan From the 1947 Club History

Layout Plan Taken From The “Centenary Club 

History of Western Gailes Golf Club 1897 - 1947” 

S.L.McKinlay

Hole 1 

The first hole in a sense sets the pattern of what is to follow. It runs conveniently northwards, 

and since the prevailing wind is from the south or south west one often has a flattering start. 

And one needs it, for although the first is a drive and a number something for even modest 

players, there is plenty of room for error, especially on the green which, although in-gathering 

like nearly half of the greens, is full of subtle slopes and calls for wary putting. 

Hole 2 (Played straight along railway) 

The second is a more noble and exacting hole. The tee is elevated and affords a view of all the 

fairway - and of all the bunkers lying in wait for the crooked drive. In a west wind it is a terror, 

for the railway runs along our slicing side, and we are still heading north. It is an excellent two 

shot hole of just over 400 yards to a green in a hollow. No one will be unhappy to take a 4 there 

at any time and in any company. 

Hole 3 (No Longer In Existence) 

Now we come to a teaser, for the third is in my view one of the best drive and pitch holes I 

know. It has one of the rare old fashioned virtues, a cross bunker which is not even the most 

fortuitous shot can jump. It is a veritable chasm, right on the fringe of the green, and if the 

green is dry after a drought and the wind is strong behind the player, then not even a battery of 

blasters can stop the ball at the hole unless played with deftness beyond the ordinary. That presupposes 

that you have placed your tee shot comfortably on the fairway, but there are bunkers 

right and left that have a magnetic attraction, and altogether in its 327 yards it holds more 

opportunities of error and even disaster than one choses to contemplate. 


Even sterner tests are immediately ahead, and the fourth, where we turn into the prevailing 

wind, is nearly quarter of a mile long and plays every inch of it. It demands two perfect shots in 

any conditions, and into a stiff head wind it takes two and a bit - and the bit has to be played 

circumspectly, for the green is compact of hills and hollows, with a double step to add to its 

difficulties. Getting to the green, however, is a man’s job. From the tiger tee the carry over 

heathery hills and hollows is substantial, but the fairway is tolerably wide and level and there 

is every chance of a brassie lie. A good lie is needed, for the second shot must be hit fair and far, 

first of all to carry a hummocky ridge and then to carry or trundle up over a short but steep 

slope at the front of the green. There are, inevitably, flanking bunkers to catch the crooked shot, 

so that a 4 is superb and a 5 not bad at all. 


Number 5 is rather like the third, little bit good. It is only a drive and a pitch, but what a drive! 

It has to carry a high ridge with sand and bent and heather awaiting the timid topped shot. It 

has to be cunningly placed, because the hole is dog-legged to the right and the approach is the 

easier the more precisely the tee-shot is placed. Still, we should get our 4, and we’ll need it, for 

there is precious little chance of a 4 at the next. 

Hole 6 (Played from the left to the present green) 

The sixth is one of the two long holes on the course, some 500 yards, in a generally southerly 

direction - which affords a fine view of the Heads of Ayr but invites the attention of the 

prevailing wind. Again the tee shot has to carry quite an expanse of heather, but this time one 

must take a chance with lie and stance, for the fairway is, like all good seaside fairways, rather 

hummocky and you may need a brassie but have to take an iron and instead to overcome a steep 

rise. But if you do get a brassie lie, as most times you will, you have to hit a quite small target - 

a gap in the sand dunes leading to a comfortable stretch of fairway from which the third shot is 

played, blind or half-blind, to a pear-shaped green in a hollow with a great shoulder running 

down into it from the right to complicate the putting if one is timid with the approach. Only the 

brave, the brawny, and the fortunate ever get home in two; most people are content to reach the 

haven of the green in three and get down in two putts. 

Hole 7 

The seventh is the first - and I think best - of the three one-shot holes. It is played from an 

elevated tee, an excellent thing in short holes, though here it means one is exposed to the full 

force of the wind. Here it sweeps in unobstructed from the sea, which is at high tide only a 

mashie shot away, and it would be nearer still were it not for the reclamation work. There is no 

place for the tee-shot but on the green, for there are little traps to the right, a huge erosion 

bunker on the left, and between tee and green is an acreage of sand and bent. It is an excellent 

3 at any time. 

Hole 8 

At the eighth hole we encounter our first burn, situated just where it should be - across the 

front of the green, like the Swilken at St. Andrews. The hole is, too, about the same length as 

the first at St. Andrews, though much more testing from the tee. Again the carry is formidable, 

especially into the wind, and if you force to make sure of getting over, and, as often happens 

when forcing, hook even a little, there is a bunker awaiting your ball. Fortunately the green is 

spacious and one could easily enough avoid - but you have to play two good shots and two 

careful putts to do so. 

Hole 9 

The ninth which like all the holes from the sixth to thirteenth, is played towards the south and 

with the sea always in immediate view, is like the third and fifth, a ticklish drive and pitch. The 

pitch may easily be a hearty bang with a big iron in the wrong weather, but on a general day 

one of the pitching clubs should take you home to the lozenge-shaped green in a hollow, 

provided you can steer your drive between horrid country on either side and avoid the collection 

of bunkers around the front part of the green. So there we are at the turn, par 36 and not a bad 

hole on the nine.

Hole 10 

Of the tenth hole I prefer to write as it was before the war and no doubt will be again. At 

present it is a poor hole, almost within reach of a drive by the long hitters who have courage 

beyond intimidation of another burn running across the front of the green. For the rest it is a 

drive and a short pitch from the old tee, tucked into the bents on the seaward side of the ninth 

green and offering a difficult blind drive over a ridge to a fairway running off to the left towards 

two bunkers neatly placed to catch the crooked short and the crooked long drive. It is not a 

great hole but it is good enough. 

Hole 11 

Greatness comes at the eleventh, especially from the tee hard against the fence protecting the 

course from the incursions of wind-blown sand. From that tee it is a dog-legged hole to the right, 

with a ridge running along the right-hand side of the fairway and bunkers and heather off to 

the left. Two good shots and perhaps a little more are needed to reach the green, which used to 

suffer from undulations but has now been flattened out and should be more kind to the accurate 

approach. 

Hole 12 

The twelfth is another dog-leg to the right, just as dog-legged as you choose to make it, for there 

is a short way to the hole and a long way, but the short way is full of peril if one slices even a 

little. There is another burn here, but what might be called a burn second class, for it is truly 

only a ditch. Moreover, one should not go near it, for it lies a goodly way off the line to the right, 

although the second shot is such a long one - wood or even a big iron - that it can easily enough 

be visited. 

Hole 13 

After two longish holes we deserve a breather, but it is a physical breather only, for the short 

thirteenth is tricky as they make them. Here is our third burn, again right across the front of 

the green, and it is none the less daunting because it is invisible from the tee. But there are 

bunkers too, all round the green, and again only the perfect shot will serve. 

Hole 14 

Now we turn home and start with the first hole we see from the railway on the up line. The 

fourteenth is the second genuine par 5, and honest three-shotter from an elevated tee, with the 

railway hugging the right hand side of the fairway (though with an intervening stretch of 

heathery rough) and bunkers strategically placed throughout its 500 odd yards. In fact, the 

prudent player will tack along the fairway, driving to the left, playing his brassie a little to the 

right and then heading straight for home so commanding and exciting a hole as the sixth. 

Hole 15 

The fifteenth is the poorest, as it seems to me, of the three short holes, though goodness knows 

it is difficult enough. There is heather off the tee, bunkers on three sides of the green, and not 

much green to play for. Adequate but not very exciting. 

Hole 16 

The sixteenth is a difficult two shot hole, with the drive having to be steered between bunkers 

at just the right distance to catch the wayward shot. The second has to be played over a burn in 

front of the undulating green, but there is room and to spare for the shot that is not quite home. 

Hole 17 

With the seventeenth we return to dogs’ legs and exciting terrain. This is a long two-shot hole 

with the fairway bending to the left after following the railway for more than half its length. 

There is a cunning ridge on the left hand side of the fairway, rather like a covered-over railway 

embankment and almost as high. From the top, one has an excellent view of the flag tucked 

away in a nest of hillocks and hollows, but from the base of the ridge one has a blind shot that is 

the more difficult because the ball has to be raised sharply. It is the sort of hole that is a 5 

oftener than a 4, and for no reason that one can pin down. 

Hole 18 

The last is a good finishing hole, not too long (a drive and some sort of iron), not too difficult, but 

difficult enough to give the man who is one down and one to play a real hope of salvation. There 

are plenty of bunkers for his opponent to enter, both from the tee and the second shot, and the 

green is fairly level and rewards good putting. 

So we are back at the clubhouse, having sampled one of the great golf courses - perhaps not as 

great as Muirfield and Carnoustie are great, but full of golfing goodness. 

These hole by hole comments are from the book by S.L. McKinlay, entitled “ Western Gailes in 

the first 50 years from 1897 to 1947”. The descriptions give an interesting insight into the 

playing characteristics of each hole during the time of World War II, including the hole 3rd, 4th 

and 5th holes before they were altered for the encroaching road development.

These holes are removed when 

Marine Drive is built soon 

afterwards.

This article is on the wall of the bar in the clubhouse, but despite searching, an 

original version has not been found. It is the earliest record found of the course 

and the plan, although schematic, does show how much the layout has changed 

since the earliest days, such as the 12th and 13th. It is hardly surprising as this 

was when the Haskell ball started to replace Gutty balls. Over the next 30 years, 

steel shafts replaced hickory and all courses had to adapt to reflect this 

revolution in equipment. 

Parts of the articles read as follows: 

“The bunkers and natural hazards are so numerous that the committee have 

not so far found it necessary to increase them.” 

“In the opinion of Willie Fernie and others qualified to judge, one of the finest sea 

courses in the West of Scotland.” 

When describing the second hole, a hole that has not changed dramatically over 

the years, it is interesting that it was originally designed as a par 5 but the green 

could make it a par 6. This green could be seen as too challenging for a par 4. 

“A good bit of ground has to be covered before the next green is reached. Like the 

first it lies nicely among hillocks. If the line is kept long drivers should reach the 

green in three strokes, so that the hole according to the Par standard, must be 

put at 5. However as the approach shot has to be played with accuracy, we may 

call this meanwhile a 6.” 

Although the 6th is no longer a par 3, the 6th and 7th with their interesting 

green complexes look to have remained in the same position through time. 

“The 6th and 7th greens, which are situated in a valley some 50 or 60 yards in 

width can be reached from the tee. In the realm of golf I do not know two finer 

short holes.”

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald - Friday 09 September 1898 

WESTERN GOLF CLUB AT GAILES. OPENING OF NEW CLUB-HOUSE. 

An important and auspicious event in the annals of this newly-formed club took place 

on Saturday in the opening of the new clubhouse. The weather during the day was dull 

and overcast, but in spite of the unpleasant atmospherical conditions a large number of 

members and guests were present. The Western Club was formed in October of last 

year. and since then a staff of six men have been employed in laying out the course. The 

course and greens, which were on Saturday in excellent condition, have been fully 

described elsewhere, so that it is unnecessary to say anything regarding them. The club 

has now about 450 members, and those who were present and played over the greens 

expressed the utmost satisfaction with all the arrangements. The Duke of Portland is 

honorary president, and Mr J. Harling Turner LP., honorary vice-president. Mr Wm. 

Johnston, writer, Glasgow ably fills the position of captain. The new clubhouse is 

constructed after the model of the early English houses of wood and brick, but is 

constructed of iron as well as wood and brick. It is a two-storey edifice, and having a 

balcony on the upper storey in the front facing the sea, it looks from the outside both 

beautiful and picturesque. The inside also is tastefully laid off as a clubhouse. On the 

ground floor is the main room and dining room, and the walls are honey-combed with 

boxes for the reception of golf sticks. There is also ample kitchen accommodation on the 

ground floor, and a lavatory and cloak-room. On the upper storey there are dressing 

rooms, smoking-room, committee room, and servants' room. From the balcony in front 

can be had a complete view of the course, and also a delightful view of the coast, sea, 

and surrounding country, and on a clear day the coast of Ireland, Jura Point etc. can be 

seen. The clubhouse cost £700 to erect, and this money is being raised by a debenture 

among the members of the club. The work of construction was carried out by Messrs 

Speirs & Coy, West Regent Street, Glasgow. In view of the opening ceremony by Mr J. 

H. Turner, J.P., honorary vice-president, a beautiful key was designed, which bore, " 

Western Golf Club, 1898. Opened by J. Harling Turner, Esq." The head of the key bore 

the coat of arms of Glasgow. Among the guests expected were Dr Dougan, captain of 

the Glasgow Club; Bailie Murray, Glasgow; Mr J. B. Morton, ex-captain of the Glasgow 

Club; Mr Dickie. town-clerk, Irvine; Mr J. Norval Murray. deputy town-clerk, Irvine; 

Mr Fullarton, captain of the Troon club; Mr W. Melville, engineer, Glasgow & South 

Western Railway Company. etc. A large attendance of guests arrived from Glasgow, 

among whom there was a large complement of ladies to grace the proceedings. Mr 

William Johnston, captain of the Western Club, presided, and, on behalf of the 

committee, thanked the members and guests for their presence. The club, he said, started 

only last October, and it now had a house of its own, while it also had the satisfaction of 

knowing that they were in the process of making a first-class golf course. (Hear. hear.) 

The club had its origin in the members of Glasgow and Paisley clubs feeling the need of 

having a seaside golf course, a course on which they could enjoy a holiday, and where 

they could play proper golf—the real golf. (Laughter.) The club was very fortunate in 

having got such a splendid place for a course, and they were greatly indebted to Mr 

Caldwell, the farmer, for his action towards them in the matter, and for acting as a gobetween 

with them and the Duke of Portland. His Grace, the Duke, held a high place 

among the nobility, and he (Mr Johnston) believed that the Duke was the only proprietor 

in the kingdom who had five full-sized golf courses on one estate, and he hoped the 

Western Club would not be behind the others in his Grace's favour. He called upon Mr 

Turner to open the new house. Mr J. Harling Turner thanked the Western Club for the 

honour they had done him in asking him to perform the opening ceremony. It gave him 

very great pleasure as a representative of the Duke of Portland, and he hoped they would 

go on being successful. He congratulated them on the success of their club which was so 

lately started. It was the most thriving baby for its age he had ever anything to do with. 

(Laughter.) As Mr. Johnston had said, there were five golf courses on that one estate of 

the Duke of Portland's, and these courses lay between Irvine and Monkton. They would 

be a splendid source of revenue to the Duke when some of their leases expired. (Ltr.) He 

had not the slightest doubt but that the Duke would do all in his power to foster golf, and 

he was also sure they would always be treated fairly. He congratulated them most 

heartily on their club-house, which seemed to be, from the inside, both snug and cosy, 

and would well fulfil the wants of the club: He formally declared the Western 

Clubhouse open, and wished, on behalf of the Duke of Portland, continued success to 

the club. (Applause.) Bailie Murray, senior magistrate of Glasgow, said he had been 

asked to perform a very pleasing duty, and one which would not take him long to 

accomplish. It was one of the important duties they had to discharge, and that was a vote 

of thanks to Mr Turner for the service he had rendered to the club. He did not feel 

himself very qualified to speak on the subject of golf, but it seemed to him to be a game 

which suited all ages, and all classes and conditions of men, and he might say—Women. 

For business men who were engrossed in the cares of city life it was a recreation, and 

for those who were wealthy and their money it was healthful employment as well as 

recreation, Bill Murray thought golf was for those troubled with bad temper. (Mr.) On 

the whole, he thought it had a salutory effect on people, alike on their health, temper, 

and disposition. He congratulated the members on the fine clubhouse, and wished them 

all success. He proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Turner, which was heartily responded 

to. Mr Johnston then presented Mr Turner with the beautifully designed key of the 

clubhouse as a memento of the occasion. Mr Turner thanked the club for the memento, 

and said he would always value it. While Mr Murray had been speaking of golf being 

good for the temper, he had remembered the story of a caddie who was called as a 

witness at a sheriff court. The sheriff asked him "did he know the nature of an oath?" 

"Aye," said the boy, "for I carried far you for two years! " (Ltr.) Mr Fullarton, captain of 

the Troon club, made a few congratulatory remarks. He said Mr Turner, he thought, 

would never make a golfer. A real golfer when he missed a shot said something strong, 

but Mr Turner only said, "tut, tut." (Laughter.) Dr Dougan, captain of the Glasgow Club, 

and Mr Lindsay, also spoke, and the proceedings terminated by the company being 

photographed, and afterwards taking tea in the new clubhouse.

Pall Mall Gazette - Wednesday 07 September 1898 

Western Daily Press - Monday 15 June 1903 

Dundee Courier - Saturday 14 January 1911 

The Tatler - Wednesday 19 June 1935

Daily Record - Tuesday 

04 September 1945

Lord Louis Mountbatten (on right) watching a landing exercise on the beach at the combined 

operations centre at Dundonald Camp 

Damaged areas as mentioned in the ‘Daily 

Record ‘article (Tuesday 04 September 1945) 

“Two improvised roads have been laid across 

17th, 10th and 4th fairways leading to the 

beach. Two hump-backed or “fly-over” bridges 

have been constructed over the railway to allow 

tanks, amphibious and landing craft to leave 

Dundonald camp.” 

HMS Dundonald 

Original images can be found at http://www.dundonaldcamp.com

Alligator Amphibious Tank crossing what looks like the 9th approach, with the clubhouse in the top left corner. 

Alligator Amphibious Tanks were largely responsible for the damage across the course as they headed from the camp over to 

the beach. 

Original images can be found at http://www.dundonaldcamp.com

A useful exercise is to analyse how the number of bunkers have changed over the years. The aerial acquired from 

1952 is the best source of information regarding bunker numbers in the past as it is the earliest aerial of the entire 

course in its current form. 

As the table to the right shows, the number of bunkers appears to have stayed quite consistent and has in fact 

increased by one since 1952. However, simply looking at the table does not tell the full story. There are many 

examples of large bunkers from 1952 that have since been split up into many small bunkers, such as on the 16th 

(pictured below). The four big fairway bunkers in 1952 had much more of an influence on the hole than the five 

small bunkers that can be seen today. When looking at the numbers, it may seem as though the current hole is more 

heavily bunkered that it used to be, but this is not necessarily the case. 

Looking at the 16th example below demonstrates how things change in more detail. There was a diamond 

configuration of four bunkers in 1952 but gradually this changed so that two were filled in and the remaining two 

split into two and three. The overall number increases to five but the result is a cross hazard square to the line of 

play. Those long enough to carry all five play over into a vast expanse of unprotected area. 

Hole 1952 2018 

1 2 1 

2 6 6 

3 5 4 

4 3 7 

5 8 6 

6 4 1 

7 5 6 

8 6 6 

9 6 6 

10 7 7 

11 3 3 

12 4 3 

13 5 7 

14 10 12 

15 5 7 

16 6 8 

17 6 2 

18 12 12 

Total 103 104

Steep face - is it revetted? 

Edge not revetted. 

Large rough-edged bunker

It is a common misconception that links bunkers have always been revetted, because most links have 

been using this method since the late 1970s to early 1980s. The old photos of most links show that styles 

have varied significantly over the years and that all links are not locked into revetting as a style. 

These photos show that Western Gailes has always had a mix of larger rough edged bunkers, cleaner 

edged large and less deep bunkers (particularly in drive landing areas) and deeper, pot-style revetted 

bunkers, especially around greens. 

13th in 1940s 

Some revetted face in 1970s? 

Larger bunkers and bolder shapes

When going through the course hole by hole, it is easy to see how fairway widths have changed over time. The 2nd hole is a good example of this. The hole used to be play along the 

railway, however the fairway and green positions have remained the same since 1942. 

The width at the start of the fairway has remained relatively unchanged, but the fairway after the drive bunkers is now significantly narrower. The fairway used to remain quite wide 

after these bunkers on both sides of the fairways and did not narrow until after 1962. This same change can be seen on the majority holes.

A common finding of historic research into links courses on the British Isles is the 

disappearance of open sand areas. The 1952 aerial below shows a number of these exposed 

areas closer to the coastline along the 6th, 7th and 8th holes. 

These are quite often seen on the sides of dunes facing the prevailing wind. The relentless 

battering of the wind led to erosion and made it difficult for the pioneer species such as marram 

to become established. Over the years, these open areas have disappeared as the dunes have 

aged. This has led to almost no exposed areas of sand being seen on the course today. 

The aerial from 1946 shows large area of exposed sand, however this was a result of damage 

from landing craft and tanks training in the dunes and on the beach alongside the course during 

the war.

One bunker each side 

of the approach to the 

green

Note the width of the 

fairway to the left 

Left greenside bunker 

has been removed 

Right greenside 

bunker has moved 

closer to the green

Large donut bunker 

The fairway used to 

remain very wide 

The hole played on a 

much straighter line 

for everybody 

Two bunkers 

Remains of war 

damage. 

A bunker used to 

feature to the right of 

the green 

The two approach 

bunkers remain in the 

same place

The single large bunker remained 

for the new line of the hole 

Left hand tees have 

been added 

Large bunker 

split into two 

Left bunkers pushed 

further up the fairway 

Right fairway bunker in original 

position from the original hole

The existing 3rd was 

built after 1962

The existing 4th was 

built after 1962 

Wartime structures for Dundonald 

Camp used to exist in this area

The existing 5th was 

built after 1962

Areas of bare sand 

used to feature down 

the right 

The fairway used 

to be approached 

from this angle 

Two fairway bunkers 

down the left 

“But if you do get a brassie lie, as most times 

you will, you have to hit a quite small target - 

a gap in the sand dunes leading to a 

comfortable stretch of fairway from which the 

third shot is played, blind or half-blind, to a 

pear-shaped green in a hollow with a great 

shoulder running down into it from the right 

to complicate the putting if one is timid with 

the approach.” 

A pair of bunkers short 

left of the green 

1947 Club History 

Only one bunker 

now features

One bunker has 

disappeared 

For a short spell of time, a bunker 

featured to the right of the green 

Two bunkers down to 

one now 

Still evidence of bare sand 

to the right of the hole 

The new line for the hole 

was introduced after 1962

Open sand to the left 

of the hole 

“There is no place for the tee-shot but on the 

green, for there are little traps to the right, a 

huge erosion bunker on the left, and between 

tee and green is an acreage of sand and bent. 

It is an excellent 3 at any time.” 


Damage from landing craft resulted in a 

dramatic increase in exposed sand 

A bunker a long way 

right of the green 

No left bunkers

A bunker introduced 

to the back right 

Sand area just visible 

still 

Back bunker seems to 

have been filled 

2 back bunkers have 

appeared

The left bunker used to 

be much larger 

Note the width of the 

fairway 

Two left greenside 

bunkers 

“Again the carry is formidable, especially into 

the wind, and if you force to make sure of 

getting over, and, as often happens when 

forcing, hook even a little, there is a bunker 

awaiting your ball.” 


Bare sand used to feature in the carry 

following the damage from landing craft 

Evidence of a third 

bunker in the approach

2 far left bunkers 

No left greenside 

bunkers 

Fairway bunker is now 

much smaller 

2 far left bunkers 

have been filled 

A single fairway 

bunker remains 

Only one greenside bunker 

remains on the left

A small bunker used to 

feature in the approach 

“On a general day one of the pitching clubs 

should take you home to the lozenge-shaped 

green in a hollow, provided you can steer your 

drive between horrid country on either side 

and avoid the collection of bunkers around 

the front part of the green.” 

A single fairway 

bunker to the left 




The fairway has 

retained its width

Much more of an 

entrance to the green 

from the left with left 

bunker set wider 

Approach bunker 

removed 

Left fairway bunker 

split into two 

Left greenside bunker has 

moved closer to the green 

Right bunkering around 

the green has not 

changed since 1942

Two large bunkers 

down the left side 

“It is not a great hole but it is good enough.” 




Fairway bunker positioning 

has not changed since 1942 

Greenside bunkering has not 

changed since 1942

Fairway bunkers used to be 

surrounded by fairway 

First fairway bunker split into two

An unusual string of 

bunkers down the left side 

“Greatness comes at the eleventh, especially 

from the tee hard against the fence protecting 

the course from the incursions of wind-blown 

sand. From that tee it is a dog-legged hole to 

the right, with a ridge running along the right 

-hand side of the fairway and bunkers and 

heather off to the left.” 


String of bunkers still 

just visible 

Bare sand used to feature 

down the right side

String of bunkers 

have disappeared 

Greenside left bunker has 

been made smaller

The hole used to play 

much straighter 

Unusual bunker shape in 

the approach 

“The twelfth is another dog-leg to the right, 

just as dog-legged as you choose to make it, 

for there is a short way to the hole and a long 

way, but the short way is full of peril if one 

slices even a little.” 


Front right greenside 

bunker introduced 

No fairway bunkers remain

The approach bunkering configuration 

changed significantly just before this shot 

was taken 

12th green looks quite square 

3 bunkers not 4 as is the case now 

13th green with its necklace of 

bunkers

A single front left bunker 

“After two longish holes we deserve a 

breather, but it is a physical breather only, 

for the short thirteenth is tricky as they make 

them. Here is our third burn, again right 

across the front of the green, and it is none 

the less daunting because it is invisible from 

the tee.” 

Left bunker now extends down the 

length of the green 


Long bunker to the left 

split into three 

Right and rear bunkers have 

become much smaller over time

Two large fairway bunkers 

Two large lay up bunkers 

Four bunkers 

right of the green 

“The prudent player will tack along the 

fairway, driving to the left, playing his 

brassie a little to the right and then heading 

straight for home so commanding and 

exciting a hole as the sixth.” 


Lay up bunkering 

adjusted 

Two large fairway bunkers have 

now become four smaller bunkers 

Greenside bunkering has been 

significantly adjusted since 1952 

Lay up bunkering has remained 

the same since 1962

“The fifteenth is the poorest, as it seems to 

me, of the three short holes, though goodness 

knows it is difficult enough. There is heather 

off the tee, bunkers on three sides of the 

green, and not much green to play for. 

Adequate but not very exciting.” 

A total of eight bunkers used to 

surround the green 


Green has been rebuilt 

and rebunkered

Green looks to have been rebuilt 

and re-bunkered since 1946 

Approach bunker split into two 

Right bunker split into two

Four fairway bunkers, two each 

side. Two of these were very large 

Lot of heather in the carry, 

especially to the left 

A large bunker in the carry 

Bold bunker shapes all along the 

whole hole 

Six bunkers guard this green with 

three at the back 

“The sixteenth is a difficult two shot hole, 

with the drive having to be steered between 

bunkers at just the right distance to catch the 

wayward shot. The second has to be played 

over a burn in front of the undulating green, 

but there is room and to spare for the shot 

that is not quite home.” 


The ditch has been the same since 

at least 1942

Rear bunkers removed, 

only two remain 

Large left fairway 

bunker split into two 

Large right bunker 

split into three 

Three small greenside 

bunkers remain

The fairway used to extend a long way to the 

left to the other side of the ridge with a central 

bunker set into the ridge 

Right fairway bunker 

Two small bunkers set 

into the ridgeline 

A short approach bunker 

“With the seventeenth we return to dogs’ legs and exciting terrain. This is a long 

two-shot hole with the fairway bending to the left after following the railway for 

more than half its length. There is a cunning ridge on the left hand side of the 

fairway, rather like a covered-over railway embankment and almost as high. From 

the top, one has an excellent view of the flag tucked away in a nest of hillocks and 

hollows, but from the base of the ridge one has a blind shot that is the more 

difficult because the ball has to be raised sharply. It is the sort of hole that is a 5 

oftener than a 4, and for no reason that one can pin down.” 

1947 Club History

Short approach bunker removed 

Right fairway bunker removed 

Fairway much narrower and 

central bunker removed 

The single greenside bunker has 

always been there

Two very large fairway 

bunkers to the left 

Long left drive bunker 

“The last is a good finishing hole, not too long 

(a drive and some sort of iron), not too 

difficult, but difficult enough to give the man 

who is one down and one to play a real hope 

of salvation. There are plenty of bunkers for 

his opponent to enter, both from the tee and 

the second shot, and the green is fairly level 

and rewards good putting.” 

A single, large fairway 

bunker right 

1947 Club History


Fairway bunkering has been 

adjusted a lot since 1962 with the 

large right bunker split into three 

and the left bunkers removed 


has been filled in 

The three left approach 

bunkers have been in place 

since at least 1942 

The greenside 

bunkering has only 

been changed a very 

small amount

Large ‘Sahara’ style carry 

bunker in the approach 

“Now we come to a teaser, for the third is in 

my view one of the best drive and pitch holes 

I know. It has one of the rare old fashioned 

virtues, a cross bunker which is not even the 

most fortuitous shot can jump. It is a 

veritable chasm, right on the fringe of the 

green, and if the green is dry after a drought 

and the wind is strong behind the player, 

then not even a battery of blasters can stop 

the ball at the hole unless played with 

deftness beyond the ordinary.” 

1947 Club History

“Even sterner tests are immediately ahead, 

and the fourth, where we turn into the 

prevailing wind, is nearly quarter of a mile 

long and plays every inch of it. It demands 

two perfect shots in any conditions, and into a 

stiff head wind it takes two and a bit - and 

the bit has to be played circumspectly, for the 

green is compact of hills and hollows, with a 

double step to add to its difficulties. Getting 

to the green, however, is a man’s job.” 


Location of the old 

bunker is still visible in 

the ground

“Number 5 is rather like the third, little bit 

good. It is only a drive and a pitch, but what a 

drive! It has to carry a high ridge with sand 

and bent and heather awaiting the timid 

topped shot. It has to be cunningly placed, 

because the hole is dog-legged to the right 

and the approach is the easier the more 

precisely the tee-shot is placed. Still, we 

should get our 4, and we’ll need it, for there is 

precious little chance of a 4 at the next.” 

1947 Club History

Western Gailes Historic Research Study

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