DESTINATIONGOLF . TRAVEL SOUTHWEST
Royal Troon ( Portland )
The Portland is a more low-running affair than its famous sibling . It lies immediately inland of the Championship course , with the two almost entwining at the farthest point of the links . There are plenty of links elements here and it continues with the art of subtlety especially around the greens . Indeed , the greens should never be trifled with and if you miss with your approach shots , high penalties are likely . It was laid out in the mid 1890s by Troon professional Willie Fernie , winner of the Open Championship in 1883 , and redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in the early 1920s . It is considerably shorter than the Championship course but it is a fine test in its own right and will entertain you as you play through gorse and broom-flecked dunes and over rumpled fairways . It is more colourful than you might imagine and holes 3 and 4 embrace that colour fully . The side by side par-3s ( the 4th and 16th ) make a fine pair . The back nine contains just two par fours as the three par threes and four par fives offer some lovely scoring opportunities .
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