Cameron House (The Carrick)

The Carrick Course at Cameron House is a stunning championship layout, which sits on the western banks of Loch Lomond. 

It is part of the glorious resort that is Cameron House – one that features highly on the NCG Top 100s: GB&I Resorts list.

The golf course, which has played host to the Ladies European Tour in its short history, can push past the 7,000-yard mark, and brings Loch Lomond into play during the back nine.

Check out our full piece on the Cameron House Resort here. 

Visit the Cameron House website here. 

Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage. 

Cameron House may well date back to the mid-1700s, but The Carrick Course is much more recent than that.

Construction on The Carrick took place in the mid-2000s, with the course officially opening in 2007. Doug Carrick, of whom the course is named after, designed the layout.

The Carrick Course has held several professional tournaments, including the Ladies’ Scottish Open. It hosted the Ladies European Tour event in both 2007 and 2008, with Sophie Gustafson and Gwladys Nocera being victorious around The Carrick.

Thanks to its proximity to Loch Lomond, The Carrick offers up stunning views, including over to the isle of Inchmurrin, which sits in the middle of the Loch. The course has two distinct nines, as it says on the Cameron House website - ‘Nine Holes on the High Road. Nine on the Low Road’. Parts of the back nine also play with the loch on your left, bringing the water into play. From the tips, The Carrick at Cameron House pushes past 7,000 yards, but there are teeing options to suit all players, with the Gold tees coming in at 6,260 yards. 

It is a tough opening tee shot to get you on your way at The Carrick. The tee shot is hit over trouble in the form of thick rough and gorse, to a fairway that angles away to the right. Four bunkers on the left side are in play for any drive that runs out of fairway. The 2nd is the first of the par 3s, and plays over water to a small putting surface. It is only 140 yards from the Golds, but anything right will find the water. The same can be said of the dog-leg right par 3 3rd. Playing at almost a right angle around the water, finding the fairway is the key here. Once again, right of the green is a no-go, with water just a yard or two away from the edge of the surface. 

The 4th gives you the opposite problem, moving slightly from right to left with water down the left side. At 352 yards, you might think this is a birdie chance, but realistically, you’ll run away with glee if you make par here, especially with water surrounding three sides of the green. The first of the par 5s comes at the 5th. At 498 yards, this does represent a good scoring chance. Moving from left to right off the tee, and then right to left towards the green, it will require three good shots to find the surface, but the third should be no more than a wedge. The 6th is a downhill par 3, played over gorse to a green that is diagonally angled, making it difficult to work out the right distance. Throw in the five bunkers that surround the green, and it is a tricky test. 7 is one of the tougher par 4s on the course, pushing 400 yards and with nine bunkers in play. Two of those sit front right of the green, meaning you must carry your approach all the way to the putting surface. 

The two toughest holes by Stroke Index are both par 5s, and they come around the turn. The 8th is the Stroke Index 2 at The Carrick, and is the longest hole on the course – pushing past 550 yards even from the Golds. It plays as a dog-leg left off the tee, before then moving slightly back to the right towards the green. Five fairway bunkers are in the landing zone, with a further ten in your way as you get closer to the green. Anything left on the approach may well find itself heading towards the OOB thanks to the road. The SI1 is the 11th, despite being 25 yards shorter. Again, there are five bunkers lining the fairway in the landing zone, with another five by the green, two of which encroach into the right side of the putting surface. If you can par both of these holes, you’re gaining on your playing partners and the field. 

In between those sit a pair of par 4s which offer good scoring chances providing you can avoid the abundance of bunkers off either tee box. The 12th is the first of three par 3s on the back nine, and at 175 yards, it requires a solid mid-to-long iron. The three bunkers are all on the left side, so the miss is slightly right of the green if there is one. 13 is the only par 4 that is more than 400 yards off the Gold tees. It plays as a dog-leg left, with the ideal tee shot carrying the two bunkers on the left corner of the fairway. The green is surrounded by trees, so it requires an accurate approach shot. 

The par 3 14th is the signature hole on the Carrick. It is 200 yards from the tips, and 180 yards from the Golds but plays downhill from an elevated tee. The elevation change from tee to green is around 60 feet and plays havoc on which club to choose. 15 is the last of the par 5s, and takes you down to the edge of Loch Lomond, with the water on your left throughout. Three bunkers on the inside corner of this dog-leg left must be avoided, with the best line for the tee shot being down the right to give yourself a view of the putting surface. Due to the proximity of the water, many will opt for the lay up, with a bunker on the right of the fairway being the ideal spot to stay short of. 

16 is the shortest hole from the Golds at just 130 yards. Water lurks on the left, while five small bunkers are dotted around the green. 17 and 18 provide a pair of tough par 4s to finish a round at The Carrick at Cameron House. The penultimate hole is arrow straight, but with a tree-lined fairway to make it feel narrower. Two fairway bunkers and a pair of greenside bunkers on the right of the surface add to the difficulty. The 18th brings you back inland from Loch Lomond, but water is still in play. The tee shot is aimed at a hazard on the left side of the fairway, as the hole moves from left to right away from that water. Anything too long off the tee may well run out of fairway. The green is large, and if you find the wrong portion, it could be a three-putt finish...

Where is Cameron House located?

Cameron House is on the southern tip of Loch Lomond, with views across the water, with The Carrick Course around a mile north of the main resort. The A82, which runs north from Glasgow up to Inverness, runs alongside the western side of the resort and The Carrick. The town of Alexandria is a couple of miles south, while Glasgow is 25 miles southeast of the resort.

20 miles to the south of Cameron House lies Glasgow Airport, one of the two major airports in Scotland alongside Edinburgh – which itself is only 65 miles from the resort. Balloch Station is less than two miles from Cameron House and is also the end of the line from Airdrie. The service runs through the centre of Glasgow, stopping at High Street, Queen Street and Charing Cross, taking just under an hour to get from the city through to Balloch.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

Thanks to its location on the western side of the water, The Carrick is only a couple of miles away from Loch Lomond. After that, Kilmacolm – to the west of Glasgow – is the only venue on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list that sits within 40 miles.

What golf facilities does Cameron House offer?

The practice facilities at Cameron House are of an incredible standard. The driving range has 14 bays, each with TrackMan technology. There is also a short game area which has been built to USGA standards, with two large putting greens and a separate chipping area. The venue is also home to the 9-hole Wee Demon Course, which is the perfect place for beginners to get to grips with being out on the golf course.

What are the green fees at Cameron House?

The price of a green fee on The Carrick at Cameron House changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Cameron House, visit their website here.