Stornoway Golf Club - Course Guide
1. CASTLE - Par 4 S.I. 1
A 362 yard uphill, dog-leg right par 4 with out of bounds on the left and trees on the inside of the dog-leg. An accurate tee shot of around 200 yards is needed here if a clear shot to the green is to be found. Distance control is paramount on the approach to a green that slopes towards the front. Any shot left above the hole can leave a difficult two putt.
2. MANOR - Par 5 S.I. 15
A 484 yard par 5 that plays across a gentle valley to a fairway that slopes from left to right before curving down to the right to approach the green. The line from the tree lined tee is the left edge of the fairway, which if reached with a good drive will leave the clearest line to the green. A small copse of mature trees often comes into play as do the bunkers guarding the front of the green on the approach shot. Two well struck shots may yield the longer players a birdie opportunity on this relatively level green.
3. ARD'CHOILLE - Par 3 S.I. 9
A 173 yard par 3 that plays gently uphill. Distance control as well as accuracy are needed for a well struck tee shot to hit the green that slopes gently from the back. A missed green here will leave a difficult up and down, either from wide of, or from within one of the two greenside bunkers that guard the front of the green.
4. GLEN - Par 4 S.I. 5
A 347 yard par 4 that runs parallel to the Glen river, though separated from it by woodland. A well struck tee shot will favour the left side of this tricky par 4, avoiding the woodland that lines the whole length of hole on the right. The approach shot is often played from a sloping fairway short of the ditch that crosses the fairway approximately 100 yards from the green. Choosing the right club is essential to avoid a long first putt on a twin level green.
5. Heather - Par 4 S.I. 3
A 315 yard uphill, dog-leg right par 4. A challenging hole where the tee shot must be struck well and accurate across a dip that holds crossing paths and ditches to find the rising, undulating fairway. An errant tee shot might easily find either ditches that line the hole or beyond into rough heather. A second shot from the flattening fairway beyond the knee of the dog-leg will reward a good tee shot to leave a short approach. This approach must be judged well to avoid dangerous bunkers on the left and to find the right level of a multi-level sloping green.
6. Memorial - Par 4 S.I. 17
A 278 yard downhill par 4. Ranked second easiest hole on the course this par 4 often entices longer hitters and the fool hardy to go for the green. The tee shot is either layed up short of the road and ditch that cross the hole or aimed at the leftside of the green. A second shot following a lay up must negotiate the road, ditch and guarding bunker with a short iron to leave a chance of a birdie with the putter. An eagle opportunity awaits the successful driver of the green. The hole often frustrates many who expect better than par, and bites those who are over ambitious.
7. Redan - Par 4 S.I. 7
A 274 yard uphill par 4. A well struck tee shot up and over the road to the widening section of fairway will leave the easier approach. Although a short pitch shot, over the second road, is often all that is required for the second shot, it is to a hilltop green where the bottom of the pin is hidden making judgement of pin position difficult. A missed green will leave a difficult up and down.
8. Gunsite - Par 4 S.I. 11
A 332 yard par 4 that runs along the top of the course giving panoramic views. The tee shot hits the fairway at an angle from the right, so the correct line must be taken to avoid trouble with trees to the right and not to run through the fairway on the left. A well positioned drive will leave a mid- to short iron to a green that slopes off on the left, and that is guarded by two bunkers at the front.
9. Short - Par 3 S.I. 13
A picturesque 142 yard par 3. The shortest hole on the course, by 1 yard over the 15th. This hole, however, often plays several clubs shorter than its rival due to prevailing winds. A good tee shot here needs to get close to the pin on a deceptively undulating green to remove the risk of 3 putts. Miss the green from the tee and a provisional may be required or, if not, an awkward chip shot is a near certainty.
10. Whins - Par 3 S.I. 14
A 180 yard par 3 played from an elevated tee. A mid-long iron well struck should be plenty of club to reach a green that is protected by strategically placed bunkers. A wayward tee shot may find some tricky rough close to the green or, if pushed right of a ditch, the whins never to be seen again. The green is on a split level, providing a serious putting examination if the wrong one is found.
11. Dardanelles - Par 5 S.I. 2
A 551 yard par 5 that has been rightly described as one of the most difficult par 5 holes in Europe. The drive must be hit accurately across a shallow valley to a rising fairway that narrows and curves to the left, between woods over the brow of a hill. If the fairway is found off the tee, the second shot will be played through the gap between the woods, often using the distant war memorial as the line, otherwise a lay up between the woods may be the only option. Having negotiated the shot between the woods the approach will be taken from a sloping fairway some 150 yards or so from the green. The green, guarded by front bunkers, has some subtle borrows to keep the player wary.
12. Ranol - Par 4 S.I. 8
A 295 yard dog-leg right par 4. The tee shot here is aimed at the right edge of the fairway which, although flirting with the mature woods on the inside of the dog-leg, will run across the severely sloping fairway to the left. A well struck long iron or wood will leave an approach shot from inside 100 yards. The second shot is, however, often a blind shot and to a semi-plateau green with two dangerous bunkers lurking below it on the left. Pin positions to the front of this green often leave the player with a lightning fast first putt and a real possibilty of putting off the green if even slightly overhit.
13. Caberfeidh - Par 4 S.I. 18
A 266 yard par 4 that ranks the easiest on the course. The tee shot here must negotiate the mature trees that encroach on the left of the hole to find a fairway that slopes down to the right. Under favourable ground conditions longer hitters may often find the green with a driver or 3 wood. Bunkers to the right of the fairway and green often catch shots running off the fairway. A well struck tee shot will leave most players with a pitch shot or a long pitch-and-run down to the green. A missed green either side or long will, however, leave a tricky up and down. Usually though this hole will offer players a putt for their best birdie opportunity of the round.
14. Miller - Par 4 S.I. 16
A 309 yard dog-leg right par 4. A well struck tee shot will favour the left side of a gently rising fairway, as anything to far to the right will bring the woods on the inside of the dog-leg into play on the second shot. Longer hitters will often choose a 3-wood or less to avoid running out of fairway where a road and ditch cross some 80 yards from the green. The approach from the leftside of the fairway will often be a mid-iron or less and played uphill to a green where distance control is important to leave an uphill putt. The green slopes from the back and often leaves the player with a frighteningly quick first putt from above the hole.
15. Ditch - Par 3 S.I. 12
A 143 yard uphill par 3 with, as the name implies, a ditch running across the hole in front of the green. Correct club selection is vitally important here, and is often made more difficult by the sheltering of the trees that line the left side of the hole. Enough club to remove the ditch from play will often leave the player above the hole with yet another frighteningly quick putt on a slightly plateaud green that slopes from the back. A missed green again leaves a difficult up and down, perhaps from one of the two bunkers guarding the right side of the green.
16. Cup - Par 4 S.I. 10
A 362 yard par 4 split diagonally by a road and ditch. A good tee shot here will require good distance and accuracy to find the diamond shaped first section of fairway that is narrowed down to the left by the road and ditch. If executed well, the tee shot will leave a second from the tip of the diamond fairway with the best angle of approach to a green built into ground that slopes up from the left. Bunkers protect the green from below on the left and above on the right, whilst any shot through green does not have to go far to find trees.
17. Foresters - Par 3 S.I. 6
A 230 yard downhill par 3. The first of the two difficult par 3 finishing holes the 17th, though some 21 yards longer, often plays the same club as the 18th due to it playing downhill. A difficult green to hit with anything falling short and right leaving a long bunker shot to the green, whilst a slightly over drawn shot will find the bunker protecting the left half of the green. Pin placements behind the bunker on the left often leave long putts, even if the green has been reached, on this relatively large green. A bogey here and on the last are often gratefully accepted.
18. Avenue - Par 3 S.I. 4
A 209 yard par 3 with out of bounds over a wall that lines the left of the hole. With the green positioned no more than 5 yards from the out of bounds on the left, the safe shot is played to the right of the green where the lie of the land will run a well struck long iron or wood down onto the green. Anything coming up short or slightly left of the best line may find its way up against the wall or in the greenside bunker protecting the front left corner of the green, leaving difficult shots if par is to be salvaged. With such dangerous out of bounds on this long par 3 it is no surprise to hear many woefull tales of cards destroyed on the 18th.
