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Course Architects

The original course was designed in 1891 by Tom Chisholm of St. Andrews, assisted by Robert Bird - the Club Professional. Subsequent alterations followed advice from: -

Year   1893 Tom Dunn 1905 Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, JH Taylor, James Braid, H Hilton, CK Hutchinson 1907, 1911 & 1931 Harry Colt 1912, 1920 Alister McKenzie 1934 Tom Simpson 1948 & 1952 CK Cotton 1963 Frank Pennick

Course Description

There are few better places to play golf than Ganton. As one arrives along the lane to the Clubhouse there is a feeling of peace which is only broken by glimpses of the bunkers, real bunkers which as Patric Dickinson described in his classic book 'A Round of Golf Courses' seem to say "Good Morning, we hope to be introduced."

The course is laid out on quiet undulating heathland which with a sandy subsoil is very freedraining. The fairways are predominantly bents and fescues, which provide a firm base for all well executed shots. It was said that the lies at Ganton provide the perfect place to practice one's brassie shots; not that today's players carry, let alone need a brassie. However, the modern player will find that Ganton puts a premium on accuracy rather than length.

Impenetrable gorse abounds within the open nature of the heathland. There are few trees other than those on the boundaries; with plenty of space the original open character of the terrain has been retained. As to the bunkers, Ganton has few peers; the player who is bunkered is punished for his error. In an age when golf designers are making bunkers less penal, this is a welcome feature.

It is invidious to single out any hole for particular comment: the opening holes make full use of the contours of the land and call for straight driving. The genius of Harry Colt marks the fourth as one of the best holes on the outward half with its shot across a valley to a plateau green, the gorse behind punishing less than a perfect shot. The seventh (435 yards) is a fine dog-leg hole with a great nest of bunkers filling the dog-leg angle. The ninth is the first of the two Par 5s and is marked by a smallish green, guarded by bunkers and gorse, which present a difficult target to a long second shot.

The wind is always a factor at Ganton with the varying direction of the holes. The tenth, the second of the short holes, calls for a well judged shot, particularly if the wind is swirling over the green. The next four holes can be tempting to the aggressive player before the very demanding finishing holes, which are difficult to beat anywhere. The fifteenth and sixteenth are stiff two-shotters both requiring perfectly struck shots to subtle greens. The seventeenth is a long one-shotter which is harsh in the punishment of a wayward shot.

The finest hole is possibly the eighteenth, requiring an accurately placed drive to give a clear shot to the sloping, well bunkered green. Championships have been won and lost on this hole for it sums up the principle of the whole Ganton layout; you are forced all the time to a choice of risks, if you are to achieve par.

Gary Player once said that Ganton is the only inland course worthy of holding the Open Championship. It provides a relentless test for those aspiring to the greatest achievements in the game; the fast running fairways and the firm true greens require the highest quality of shot making and control.