Royal Troon

Over three decades ago I tried to play one of the great courses in Scotland Royal Troon, but a bad back meant that neither my ball nor myself emerged from the Coffin bunker at the marvellous Postage Stamp hole, and I had to abandon my round there and then. The 71 year-old Gene Sarazen’s feats on the hole in 1973 seemed even more improbable than ever at that point – the iconic five iron into the wind for the hole-in-one in the first round is possibly the most famous shot the course has witnessed, but to my mind even more impressive was the sensational bunker shot The Old Legend played a day later in holing out for a two.

Thirty-one years later I had the privilege of returning to play the course on a cold but clearDecember day. When you have seen the great men play a series of championships on a particular links, you feel that you know the course and will recognise the holes as you follow in their footsteps. Naturally you play from different tees and go to very different places, but even so the reality is never quite the same as it looks on television. My broadcast impression of Troon was that the scores were made on the front nine, and that the demanding finish sorted the wheat from the chaff as the last six holes were as tough as any on the Open rota. Certainly the front nine is relatively straightforward, but we were playing into a stiff breeze that relented after the turn. And the pocket of holes around the turn seem quite unlike the barren links I had imagined, as tree-lined greens gave us a brief flavour of Sunningdale rather than St Andrews. However the finish is a truly testing series of glorious links holes – in a wind off the back tees they would represent a formidable examination for any golfer.

The greens were in their winter clothing and putts were slow and bumpy – but true. Having said that, I did not hole a putt to speak of and sent a three foot birdie effort well adrift (justice probably done as the shot that set it up was a thin and ugly effort), but I can see why Stenson and Mickelson holed so many long putts in their magnificent duel in the wind. Despite the humps and hollows of the fairways, the greens are surprisingly flat, and I felt every putt should have a chance. It was just a pity I did not take advantage myself! All in all a very fair and enjoyable championship test.