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CLASSIC COURSES - SOUTHERNESS GOLF CLUB
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Perhaps the most under appreciated championship links course in the British Isles, Southerness Golf Club, located in the southwest corner of Scotland, is also one of the newest, having been opened after WWII in 1947. It is a wonder how when more remote linksland, such as Dornoch and Machrihanish, were being utilized for decades previously that it took so long for a course to materialize here in the scenic southwest. But the genius of Mackenzie Ross (the creator of the modern Ailsa course) only enhanced what Mother Nature had envisioned and produced a true gem. It is consistently highly ranked, and is currently 84th on the Golf World, UK November 2002 Top 100 Courses in the British Isles. Its hauntingly beautiful location offers uninterrupted views of pristine scenery in every direction from the wide sweep of the Solway, to the peaks of England’s Lake District and the backdrop of Criffel. Yet it is only 16 miles south of the city Dumfries.

Don’t let your first impression of the score card, 6554 yard par 69, sway your opinion that this is an easy course. While there may not be many, if any, championship par 69 courses in the United States, here in the British Isles it is a more common par (Rye, Royal St. David’s), and with the natural additional hazards of weather, gorse and heather it is a stern challenge for any skilled player, yet also a most enjoyable day of golf.

The scorecard on closer examination reveals the meat of the layout is in its long par 3’s, eight par 4’s over 400 yards, and only two par 5’s. Several of the par 4’s require a long carry to the firm, fast fairways, and into the wind a score of 4 is a good one on the two par 3’s that measure well over 200 yards.

SOUTHERNESS GOLF CLUB
CURRENT CARD OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

TOTAL 6554 YARDS, PAR 69

The signature hole may well be the dogleg 12th. It requires that an accurate tee shot negotiate well placed bunkers in the landing area, in order to have a go, down the long narrow fairway, to a well protected green perched above the beach with spectacular views over the coast of Kirkcudbright. Other holes of note include the 3rd with its perfectly placed green, nestled in a wooded corner, at the end of a dogleg; the uphill par 5, 5th, that plays longer than the 494 yards on the card; the marvelous par 3 10th, with the green looking like an island in a sea of heather; the testing 13th, the longest par 4 on the course and the 16th which normally plays directly into the prevailing wind.

On the 8th hole you have an excellent view of the lighthouse, which serves as the Club’s emblem. Originally built in 1748, it is the second oldest surviving purpose lighthouse in Scotland.

The original routing of the course started at the present day 14th, due to the fact that the original clubhouse was part of what is today the Paul Jones Hotel. The hotel occupies a 200 year old Georgian manor that was once owned by Major Oswald, the course’s founder. The current clubhouse was not built until 1974. Although many of the holes changed slightly in length and some bunkering aspects, Ross’ intent and integrity, especially his clever angling of the greens, were not diminished in the modern routing.

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