Milngavie Golf Club, Scotland

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Milngavie Golf Club dates back to 1895, to a time when golf course construction in Scotland was booming. Indeed, a glance at the record books will show there were no fewer than six other courses opened that same year.

The St Andrews professional Willie Auchterlonie (who won the Open two years earlier) and his older brother Laurie (who would go on to claim the US Open title in 1902), laid out the course and it took them no more than a day to peg out a 9-hole circuit.

The Auchterlonies were of the opinion that the club actually had enough land to accommodate a full 18-hole course and so the number of holes in play was quickly doubled, producing the layout that remains in play today.

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A landscape that was once grazing farmland over a hundred years ago has now evolved into a lovely moorland track, with tree-lined fairways routed across rather rugged terrain, allowing many of the tees and greens to be set on top of interesting little ridges.

Today’s course at Milngavie has been stretched to a respectable 6,107 yards from the back tees, playing to a par of 70. There are only two par fives on the card, one on each nine, at the 538-yard 4th (“Mount Zion”) and 501-yard 15th (“Laigh Park”).

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Short par fours at “The Cooper’s Knowe” (hole 5) and “Dumgoyne” (hole 11) offer golfers a decent chance of a birdie, whilst the longest of the par three holes, the downhill 212-yard 16th, should be played with respect as it’s prone to purloin a stroke (or more) from the unwary