Renaissance Club

While sitting on the train to North Berwick on my way to Renaissance Club, I fully expected to compare every aspect of Renaissance Club to its neighbor, Archerfield. On the train back to St Andrews post-round, I had come to realize that the golf at Renaissance Club offers something different to the club just down the coast. Archerfield’s two courses are there for the entertainment of the members, but at Renaissance, Tom Doak created a challenging world-class course, worthy of fighting its way into the upper half of the UK's top 100 courses.

Renaissance Club opened up in 2008 with a similar ethos to Loch Lomond. Different from most Scottish courses, a largely international membership base is able to fly in and relax in a golfing haven, hidden from society, while being provided with anything of which a golfer could dream. To exemplify this, we overheard the chef asking a member, “What would you like for dinner tomorrow?” to which the member replied, “Lobster would be good...” The chef answered, “I’ll have one brought in.”

         
The temporary clubhouse would make most permanent clubhouses jealous. Marble floors, sinks, and showers in the locker room make me wonder what the permanent locker room will be like. (Could we see a PowerShower rating of 10??) I could go on about the club’s offerings and treatment of the exclusive membership, but what really stood out was the golf course. (Click on the pictures to see full, large detail.)

The hole in the above picture is the 4th. After a strong first three holes, this fourth sets the tone for the round. The fairway has plenty of room to the left, but the left tree forces the golfer to favor the right side of the fairway. The green complex is something of genius with bunkers short right, and a massive backstop on the left side of the green, again encouraging the right side of the fairway for an optimal angle into the backstop. 

The 7th hole is a dogleg right with the picture above being taken right at the bend of the dogleg. The green was extremely large with a tree guarding far left pins, slopes guarding the front, and bunkers guarding the right side. 

The 8th hole (green above) is a drivable par 4. It is also the first place that the original stone walls surrounding the course come into play. The green, like many others on the course, is massive and very undulating. None of these pictures do the slopes justice. The unfinished clubhouse can be seen in the background... It will be extremely impressive. 

At the turn, a member of staff came out to offer us tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks.

                           

There wasn't a single weak hole on the back nine. The 10th, pictured above, is a long dogleg right requiring a carefully placed drive on the left side of the fairway. In another stroke of designing skill, Doak placed the last bunker on the hole at 185 yards out. How many par 5s have you seen without a single bunker around the green? Instead of bunkers, large slopes guard the green. 

The 11th hole was my favorite hole on the golf course. It was an extremely strong hole, which carefully straddled the balance between too difficult and enjoyable. The picture above is taken from the tee, while the picture below is taken looking backwards from the green. The pictures don't do the massive scale of the hole justice. 

Another massive green is found at the 11th with bunkers forty yards out, thick grass and dunes left, and slopes filtering towards the ancient walls to the right. A common theme seen at the course is open, harmless entries to the greens, but miss left or right, and you're in trouble. 

The 14th hole puts a premium on accurate driving. I know this personally, as I was stuck in a deep fairway bunkers on the right side of the fairway (look carefully in the picture). A "figure 8" style bunker guards the dead center, but a natural chute on the left side of the fairway will slingshot a good drive past it. 

The 18th hole was playing downwind during our round and I took full advantage with a high flighted "North Carolina" style drive. The wall running across the fairway makes for a distinctive last hole that will not soon be forgotten. A shelf on the back left portion of the green makes for an interesting pin in a "make or break" situation. 

As you can tell from this writeup, I can only say good things about Renaissance Club. I was treated extremely well and everyone was extremely friendly. The course was in perfect condition, although the greens were slow. I can't wait to go play again when the greens are running fast on a less windy day. I found myself wanting to write about every single hole on the course.

Looking over the 14th, 13th, and 11th holes on the course.

After reading about the course and hearing me sing its praises, you may ask yourself, why isn’t Renaissance higher in the Top 100 in the UK? The main reason is that, due to its young age and high level of exclusivity, much of the golfing world has not seen Renaissance Club. That is how the membership likes it. Another reason would be the lack of seaside views, like those found at Kingsbarns or Castle Stuart. According to my host, once the new seaside holes are finished, they will welcome the ranking panelists. At that point, I would be shocked if Renaissance doesn’t place solidly within the top 100. 

THE NEW HOLES:

There are a number of new holes in the process of creation at the course. They will change the routing fairly drastically. I am going to focus on one hole in particular that will likely be the signature hole. It is a par four with the sea down the entire left side. I was told by my host that the range of tee boxes will allow the hole to be made barely driveable if hosting a Scottish Open or other event. I cannot wait to play the course again once these holes are complete. 

Tee box set within the dunes

New fairway being shaped right beside the beach

New green with grass growing immediately ocean-side

Archerfield Golf Links

When I received the invitation to play at Archerfield Links, I knew very little about the course, and had only heard the name in conjunction with other East Lothian courses. After doing some research, I found that Archerfield was a private member’s club that catered to wealthy golfers looking for full five star treatment. I was eager to play the round and compare it to other “full service” American clubs that I have played such as Kiawah Island Cassique or Grandfather Mtn. Golf Club.

        Upon arriving at Archerfield, the Ferrari surrounded by Porsches, Mercedes, and other cars of that caliber let us know we would be sharing a locker room with the upper end of society. We dropped our bags at the entrance where they were taken around the back and a host of concierge figures showed us to the locker room. While this sort of treatment may come standard in high-end country clubs and resorts in the US, it is a rare and savored experience here in Scotland.

Very large and well-furnished Archerfield clubhouse

        The locker room was extremely spacious and an attendant immediately offered us fresh fruit and ice water upon entry. The locker room had everything a golfer could want. Despite a slightly feminine décor, it served as a great place to relax pre or post round in order to discuss business or the days’ happenings. I’ll save the PowerShower rating for later in the write-up...

        After changing shoes in the locker room, we made our way to a large driving range (another course feature not often enjoyed in Scotland) followed by a visit to the massive short game practice area. When we proceeded to the first tee, I was expecting to play a large, modern links course, built to combat the old classics and one day fight its way onto the Open rota. I found the Fidra course to be on the other end of the spectrum, and was pleasantly surprised.

Par 3 4th hole, with the Firth of Forth looming just beyond the Pine Trees

        The Fidra Course at Archerfield Links is hard to categorize in terms of links course vs. parkland course. After playing the round, I would agree with most that the course falls into the category of links. That being said, it has many parkland characteristics. In many ways, it reminded me of Pinehurst, in North Carolina, with pine tree lined fairways and frustratingly difficult to hold, crowned greens. The first eleven holes are in the trees with the remaining seven holes venturing out into a more “linksy” design.

Large waste bunker on 12 uncharacteristic of a links design!

        The opening hole eases the golfer into the round with a broad fairway and massive crowned green. We came to find that massive crowned (upside down bowl) greens were found on nearly every hole... This made for extremely challenging approach shots when down wind. It was incredibly difficult to make an approach shot stay or "hold" on the firm and sloping greens.

        The second hole is a picturesque dogleg right working through thick groves of pine trees. Dogleg style holes were extremely common. This put a premium on placing drives on the correct side of the fairway in order to have a suitable angle into the gargantuan greens.

View from 2nd tee. The fairway works around the trees to the right revealing the green

        Something for which I respect the designer, David J. Russell, is his choice of length in the course. We played from the medal tees reaching 6,550 yards, only outstretched by the championship tees at 7,000 yards. The length was extremely fair. The biggest guard of the course was strategic bunkering and crowned greens with deviously subtle breaks.

An example of the massive crowned greens (11th green pictured)

        In a day where every new course’s goal seems to be hosting a Major or a tour event, it was a nice change to play a course that seemed to have been designed purely for the enjoyment of the members and their guests. Not to be misunderstood, the course was challenging and long in places, but it was not a 7,400-yard beast designed to conquer tour players while destroying the average golfer in the process. Archerfield won't be hosting a tour event, but it is an undeniably enjoyable round of golf.

View from 18th tee (bunker size reference in photo below!)

        The finishing hole was a long, dogleg right, par 5, featuring massive fairway bunkering right in driving distance (as seen in the photo above). The bunkers were so massive (as seen in the photo below), that the golfer’s only choice was to play out backwards or sideways. Once past these bunkers, a single trap guarded the green. I really liked this finishing hole, realizing that a good drive could yield a birdie, but a bogey was almost guaranteed if caught by a bunker.

One of the massive fairway bunkers on the 18th

        Post-round, we entered the locker room where the attendant immediately offered to shine our shoes. Then came the best part of the day: the shower. The showers in the locker room of Archerfield received a nearly unheard of 9/10 on the PowerShower rating system. An extremely warm, spacious, and luxurious PowerShower after the round was the perfect way to thaw out after the round.

The Archerfield Manor setting the mood upon entry to the grounds

            The Archerfield Links website says, “We're certainly not about clubhouse cliques, old-fashioned dress codes or petty rules. After all, this is the 21st century. We like to think we play a different game: more relaxed, more welcoming, more about you and your enjoyment of two great golf courses.” This sums up the course well. They have managed at Archerfield to successfully model their course off the modern high-end clubs in America. It is a relaxed atmosphere with staff that can cater to your every whim.

        While the golf at Archerfield was enjoyable and challenging, it is the overall experience that I will remember most about the day. The full service treatment, the good round of golf, the massive locker room, good food, and everything else that accompanied the round all added up to a great day.

PS. I will look forward to comparing Archerfield to its equally modern next-door neighbor, Renaissance Club later this Spring.

Upcoming Golf Plans (March 2012)

         March is shaping up to be a good month over here in St Andrews! The weather is improving and Spring is undoubtedly approaching (as seen in the pictures on the Old Course). I will be playing two rounds in East Lothian, Scotland that will result in full blog posts.

         The first round will be at Archerfield Golf Links. It is an exclusive course that provides a 5 star experience on and off the course. It caters to the membership and shares clientele with courses like Loch Lomond and Renaissance Club. It will be interesting to compare the UK golfing 5 star experience with the American counterparts such as Kiawah Island Cassique and Pinehurst No. 2 among others that I have played.

13th Old Course approach shot

         The second East Lothian golf course booked is another round on Muirfield (The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers). I played this course in March of last year in some of the strongest winds in which I have ever played. I have my fingers crossed for better weather, and I will be bringing my big camera along to document the round. A follow-up blog post will be posted in addition to the original.

14 tee, St Andrews Old Course

  In the latter part of the month I will be going back to the United States with my girlfriend, Isla. We will be traveling all over the East coast, and excitingly, we will be visiting the Masters Golf Tournament. Despite having previous offers to go, this will be my first visit to the iconic event. I'm extremely excited for what will be an amazing trip!

LET'S CONNECT! When researching for the upcoming rounds I will be playing, I started reading in depth about the Renaissance Club. Unfortunately, I don't know any members, and the prestigious club is not open to unaccompanied guests. Do any readers know of any members with whom I could be put in touch? I appreciate any and all help. On another note, the blog Twitter page is picking up speed! Please follow me @livinglinksgolf!

Happy Golfing!

Graylyn

livingasalinksgolfer@gmail.com