Glencruitten

Glencruitten Golf Club, located in the Scottish region of Argyll & Bute, is a hidden gem on the western coastline of the country.

It is next to the town of Oban, and famously the home of Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre, whose father was a member of the greens staff for many years.

The club was founded in the 1900s, with James Braid being the man to design the layout. Today, it remains shy of 4,500 yards, and with half the course being par 3s, but it is a great test of golf. 

Visit Glencruitten’s website here.

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Like a lot of golf courses in this part of the world, it was the great James Braid – five times a winner of the Open Championship – who designed the layout.

The course opened in the early part of the 20th Century, but had to close down due to the First World War, before reopening again with a similar layout.

Robert MacIntyre – a winner on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – is an ambassador of the golf club, having grown up playing at Glencruitten. 

Glencruitten Golf Club is home to one of the shortest 18-hole layouts that you will find on the NCG Top 100s website. From the tips, it is shy of 4,500 yards, but there are a whopping ten par 3s on the course. These range from short to very long, and they all provide their own challenges, on what is a short, but tough course. It is one that you will want to play again and again as there will be little tricks and tips you will only learn after playing it for the first time. 

The opening hole is the longest on the course at 450 yards from the tips. It requires a solid drive down the fairway – one which is relatively wide – before the approach brings some danger into proceedings. It is played uphill, over a large mound to a green that sits in a bowl. Anything slight left or long is okay, but right will leave you with a tough chip. The 2nd is a downhill par 3, the first of the ten short holes on the property. It plays much shorter than its 170 yards on the card, and plays over two burns down towards the putting surface. 

The 3rd is a tough hole, playing back up the slope and around the corner to the left, before you come to the easiest hole at Glencruitten, the par 4 4th. It is 280 yards, and played from an elevated tee box, meaning that driving this hole is easily doable for most. There is space on all sides of the green, so it might be worth a shot. The 5th is 160 yards, and also plays downhill, over a solitary rock towards the putting surface. The 6th then plays over that same rock, and it is another driveable par 4 at just 255 yards from the tips. 

At 220 yards, the 7th is one of the longest par 3s at Glencruitten, and a hole where bogey is not necessarily a bad score. It plays slightly downhill, but it is narrow throughout with trees on either side. The 8th features another blind tee shot, with the marker post being the line. From there, the green sits across from a small grass bunker. The front nine comes to a close with another short hole. Severely downhill, it plays a lot less than its 195 yards. A ditch in front, three bunkers on the left and thick rough and trees behind make for a tough approach, though. 

At 150 yards, the 10th looks relatively easy, but again, it is a blind shot. You’re playing over a hill to a small target which sits above you. Anything short and right will find the large hill, and then leave you with a very tricky up and down. 11 is the longest of the par 3s at 238 yards – so much so it is the Stroke Index 3. A solid fairway wood, or even driver, will be needed to find the surface here, one that is guarded by a sand bunker on its left and a grass bunker on its right. The Stroke Index 1 follows. 12 is a 420-yard par 4, which first plays down the hill to a large landing area, before the approach is hit up the slope to a narrow green. 13 is another downhill par 3. Again, shorter than its carded yardage of 185, anything landing within 20-25 yards will shoot down towards the surface. 

The 14th is 325 yards, and has a burn running across the fairway on a diagonal angle. Stay short to be safe, but then the uphill approach to the green plays even longer. 15 is the shortest hole on the course at just 125 yards. However, it is one of the trickiest. Anything to the right will find its way down the slope and leave you with an incredibly difficult chip. Anything left may well find the trees. 16 is only 320 yards, but is a very testing par 4. The drive needs to be down the right and long enough to be past the trees, giving you the best line into the green, which sits over the corner of two burns. 

The penultimate hole at Glencruitten is a 185-yard par 3, but it plays a couple of clubs longer thanks to be severely uphill. Anything short will be struggling, so the plan here is to club up and make sure you get up the slope. The closing hole brings you back to the clubhouse, and provides one final birdie opportunity. It is a 355-yard par 4, with a downhill tee shot from an elevated tee box. A burn runs across the fairway some 70 yards from the green, so stay short of that with your drive, before then taking aim at a green that has now trouble around it. 

Where is Glencruitten Golf Club located?

Glencruitten Golf Club is situated on the western coastline of Scotland, in the region of Argyll & Bute. It sits just to the east of the coastal town of Oban, overlooking the Isle of Kerrera which sits on the other side of the Sound of Kerrera. The A85, which runs from Oban all the way east to Perth, is only a mile or so from the entrance to the golf club. Fort William is 45 miles north of Glencruitten, while the city of Glasgow is around 100 miles away by road to the southeast.

With that, Glasgow International Airport is the closest major airport to Glencruitten Golf Club. Like the city, it is around 100 miles from the venue, and it is the second busiest airport in the country behind Edinburgh Airport. For those using the Scottish rail service, Oban Station is a mile from Glencruitten, with services running to Glasgow Queen Street on an irregular basis.

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

Glencruitten Golf Club is somewhat on its own when it comes to other venues on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. The closest is Loch Lomond by road, some 65 miles away. Auchterarder and Gleneagles – with its King’s, Queen’s and PGA Centenary Courses – are both around 85 miles to the east.

What golf facilities does Glencruitten Golf Club offer?  

The club is home to a three-bay practice range, along with hitting nets and a short game area – featuring a putting green and chipping area as well.

What are the green fees at Glencruitten Golf Club?  

The price of a green fee at Glencruitten Golf Club 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 Glencruitten, visit their website here.