This club is famous for… being James Braid’s final course
The sumptuous 5th hole at Stranraer would be a fitting legacy for any golf course architect.
The par 4 sweeps round the shore of Loch Ryan, with gorse framing the left and the massive swathe of water on the right making it look like you’re trying to hit a pinprick of a fairway from a tee high in the clouds.
That James Braid followed up with a gorgeous short hole – a small green protected by half a dozen bunkers – was further evidence of his genius.
Stranraer’s place in the five-time Open champion’s story is secure. The Dumfries & Galloway course was the last he designed before his death in 1950.
He visited the course in the February of the year before.
Braid had actually retired – having just turned 79 – but was tempted back to Creachmore for one last commission.
Stranraer’s previous site had been claimed during the Second World War but the features of the Loch proved a more than adequate replacement.
Although the course is a parkland, the trees frame the layout rather than coming into play and Braid certainly made the most of the picturesque loch.
The par-5 14th, with the water as a companion down the left, is just as spectacular as its equivalent on the front nine.
The 18th, the last hole he designed, is a doglegged par 4. It’s the finale to a tough finish that includes a fiendishly difficult par-3 15th and a tough penultimate hole into the wind.
Stranraer’s logo now incorporates the ‘Braid’s Last’ insignia in commemoration of their connection with the golfing great.
This club is famous for… two castles and the first 19th hole in Europe
This club is famous for… The Spitfire landing on the course
This club is famous for… its role in the D-Day landings
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
