7 shots every player must get right to succeed at Royal Troon

This year Royal Troon plays host to The Open for the 10th time.

Since 1923 the South Ayrshire classic has seen greats such as Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Watson and, eight years ago, Henrik Stenson lift the famous Claret Jug.

Troon’s Old Course is perhaps less heralded than others on the Open rota, but it remains a phenomenal layout that barely misses a beat in terms of world-class links golf.

The first six holes go in the same direction and, on paper, represent the easier holes. But should the wind switch, things could change very quickly.

7-12 are a loop and boast some of the best holes on the planet.

Here it is all about consolidation – including the world-famous Postage Stamp at the 8th – and the last six are straight back to the clubhouse where you can expect more undulations in the fairways and trickier green complexes.

The rough is predicted to be very juicy, but the forecast is for some brighter skies.

Andy Wright has been a member at Royal Troon since 2015 and is a scratch player.

He takes us through some key shots that the Open field will need to get right and where their Major dreams might fall apart or, indeed, where you could come unstuck if playing Royal Troon as an amateur .

4th tee shot – par 5, 599 yards

The first three holes can be good birdie chances, but this is the first of three par 5s and played as the easiest hole in 2016. They’ve lengthened this hole, but you need to find the fairway to have a great chance of going for it and making a birdie.

The early forecast is for a south-west wind so into and off the right on the early holes so you will need to hit driver. There are two massive bunkers down the left which you hit towards and another bunker on the right which will come into play for some of the shorter hitters. And on both sides of the fairway some really thick rough.

The second shot isn’t too penal with a wide opening and the green is relatively flat, unlike the next par 5 at the 6th.

6th approach – par 5, 623 yards

The tee shot isn’t too demanding, they’ve added a new bunker up the left but there’s a decent area to land your ball and the fairway cambers right to left so you can get a good shoot forward.

The second shot is very tough if you are going for it – there’s a bunker up the right, 40 yards short, which comes into play if you’re going for it and a massive gully on the left which is your bail out. But if you are down there you’ll face a tricky pitch and you could easily make bogey.

This features a narrow entrance into the green and, if you are going for it, you will need to take it over left edge of right bunker. There is a massive mound on the right which is lost ball territory and the fans won’t get there so it will be really thick.

The players will likely be hitting woods and long irons in depending on the wind, we’ve got some good weather coming in but the course will still be soft. The approach is a high-risk shot but with the chance of a higher reward.

It’s a fairway that you almost don’t mind missing so you don’t have the option to go for it, if you hit a good tee shot then you have to go for it as the lay-up would be a 9-iron.

8th tee shot – par 3, 123 yards

The Postage Stamp is talked about forever but it really is a great hole. The tee shot will likely play slightly into and off the left which is tough for this hole as the green slopes back to front and left to right so the wind might be pushing it to the right and a deep bunker.

All the bunkers are deeper this year and the Coffin bunker left is a nightmare and that’s the hardest to get up and down from. There is a massive downslope so, unless you are very precise or the greens are soft or you have a really good lie, the chances are you are going back across the green and into the bunker on the right.

Or you can play towards the flatter section on the front but you should avoid this bunker at all costs. The bunker short is deep but playing up the throat of the green and the bunker short left shouldn’t come into play. There is also a bunker long right which isn’t great but nothing like Coffin or the big one on the right where most of the action will be.

The front left portion is the safest part to aim at, it is slightly wider and there’s an area of fringe so it gives you a slight buffer. Everywhere else the slopes will take it somewhere else. The pin at the back is by far the hardest pin as it really narrows at the back section to maybe a dozen paces. They didn’t use that pin in 2016 so it would be great to see that in play this year.

I’ve had to hit a 5-iron in there before and I’ve also flicked in a lob wedge. I’ve had a hole-in-one but to the winter green which is to the left of the mound on the left. The yardage is actually longer and is a really good hole on its own but obviously not a patch on the Postage Stamp.

10th tee shot – par 4, 450 yards

The start of the back nine opens up with a blind drive over a massive dune. The fairway is quite generous once you get over the hill but it is also a shot that requires a lot of commitment especially if it’s going to be windy.

The wind will be straight across, left to right, and there is a lot of rough, mounds and tricky lies down the right side. The green is raised up and there’s a massive drop-off to the right so it is important to be on the short stuff off the tee to be able to control your ball flight going in there.

So many shots land fine but then slowly gather right and you end up 20 feet below the level of the green.

11th tee shot – par 4, 498 yards

The tee here has been moved back and, off the tips, it is an absolute brute of a tee shot. You just see the bushes in front of you and you are playing across the fairway which makes it even tougher. This means that you are playing towards a wall of gorse on the left so, if you get it coming in a bit hot, your ball is not going to stop.

Phil Mickelson said that, as a left-hander, he felt confident off this tee as, if he missed a shot left, he would have over-cut it but it would land soft. The rough on the right is brutal, like US Open-type thickness, but it is also quite tall and then there’s the railway line out of bounds to the right.

In 2016 it ranked as the hardest hole on the PGA Tour. The second shot is equally as tough with a narrow green and the wall just a few paces to the right of the green and, should you miss it left, you have a small collection of trees and the ball will funnel down six feet below the level of the green. It’s just one of those great holes where you just have to hit two great shots.

15th tee shot – par 4, 502 yards

They shifted the fairway to the left here a few years ago and it used to be a straight par 4 with an upturned fairway.

There are two bunkers up the right which will be in play from the back tee – these are simply one-shot penalties if you find them – and there are two bunkers further up the left. The rough down both sides is brutal and you’d be lucky to get a lie to go for it in two.

Troon favours a fade off the tee on several holes – 4, 7, 9, 11, 12 and 13 – where a left-to-right shape is definitely beneficial. There are lots of humps and bumps on this fairway this is the longest of all the par 4s.

17th tee shot – par 3, 242 yards

This is an amazing hole and my personal favourite, particularly where it comes in the round. They’ve added 20 yards to this and, again, it has a narrow entrance into the green and is slightly raised.

It’s very exposed so you’re getting all the elements here and there are two bunkers on either side short of the green. If the pin is hanging off the right and you miss it right, it’s an impossible up and down unless you hole a big putt and it’s the same on the left.

It’s also easy to under or over-hit your chip. It requires a great shot with the right club and four shots in the middle of the green will serve you very well.

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