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[Tony_Muldoon]

I don’t follow the UK golf mags much these days as there isn't any interest in courses, but I’ve seen no publicity over here since it opened.  I was among a lucky few from GCA who recieved a tour from Tom Doak when it was in construction, but since then nothing.

Have I missed a thread on here?

I can’t get the pictures to show on the website

http://www.trcaa.com/index.php

The normally reliable UK-golf guide doesn’t know it exists!

http://www.uk-golfguide.com/scotland/east_lothian.html

And these guys vote 2:1 in favour.

http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=1512


Has anyone here played it?  I would love to see and hear more.

[Brian_Ewen]

Works for me .

http://www.trcaa.com/golf_course_gallery/index.html

[Niall Carlton]

Tony,

I know a few people who have played the course and were very complimentary about it. I had heard that the club were struggling to get members, which is perhaps not surprising in the current climate, and that the opening of the clubhouse had been delayed. How much is true and how much is rumour I can't really say.

Niall

[Rob Chesnut]

There was a thread a few months ago about it.  I played it last summer, it's a very good golf course, but I had such high expectations going into it that I came away a little disappointed.  To be fair, I caught it on a very windy day and the rough hadn't been cut, so it was tough going out there.  Not surprised that they're struggling to get members, they opened just as the US economy was starting to tank and they were asking a pretty high initiation fee. 

[Brian_Ewen]

I take it there is no pay for play ?

[Ally Mcintosh]

I played it last year and found it thoroughly enjoyable.

It's quite a subtle course. Aside from the ideal location, I guess it's not the most dramatic site that Renaissance have worked with.

So all publicity I've seen has referred to those three holes (10,11,12) that are nearest the sea. They are all excellent holes but there are plenty other features and challenges not to be ignored.

Maybe this is why there has been less hype about the place.

For your UK Golfmag interest Tony, they dropped it in to the Top 200 at Golf World without giving it the nod for Top 100.

[Jim Nugent]

It's quite a subtle course. Aside from the ideal location, I guess it's not the most dramatic site that Renaissance have worked with. 

Is that true of TOC as well?  I know some top players were a bit underwhelmed when they first saw/played it.  I wonder how many other players react the same way.  i.e. how much does TOC require repeat play to appreciate it? 

[Jonathan Cummings]

Looking forward to seeing it in July...  JC

[Steve Salmen]

A friend of mine in North Berwick invited my wife and I to play it last October.  He's a tough to impress old Scot who had not played it yet and we all walked away pleased.   The course had been less than a year old, yet looked as if it had been there for years.

I was particularly impressed with the short par 4 that required some negotiation with an ancient stone wall.  It reminded me of Hanse's routing of Craighead.  The early holes on the back nine in the exposed dunes were the best for me. 

The professional, Mr. Armitage, was most gracious and invited us back.  It's definitely worth effort to play.

[Tom_Doak]

I have tried from the beginning of that project to manage people's expectations.  It's not like we had the land for Barnbougle Dunes, which I think people expected, and it was not our intention to "manufacture" dunes on the gentler parts of the ground.

I have been very pleased with the locals' reaction to the course and surprised at the enthusiasm of some of the early American visitors, but I don't know if either of those will sell $100k memberships in this economy.  We do look forward to playing The Renaissance Cup there in July (the week after The Open Championship) and seeing what our friends think of it.

[Niall Carlton]

I have been very pleased with the locals' reaction to the course and surprised at the enthusiasm of some of the early American visitors, but I don't know if either of those will sell $100k memberships in this economy.  We do look forward to playing The Renaissance Cup there in July (the week after The Open Championship) and seeing what our friends think of it.

Tom,

I'm not sure who there target market is, I suspect not the locals at any rate. As you know this type of club is rare in Scotland with Loch Lomond and Archerfield being the two obvious examples of other clubs like it. I'm pretty sure that Archerfield is a lot less expensive although still very very very expensive by Scottish standards. That said, it seems to be promoting itself by having the odd golf day for societies and the like and thereby becoming known by word of mouth. The Renaissance doesn't seem to be doing this so not really talked about locally.

The other aspect is that of the locals, a lot of people who could afford the subs might already be members of Loch Lomond and about to get there fingers burned, which certainly won't help with the marketing.

Niall

[TEPaul]

One architectural critic I rely on played it and was really impressed with the architecture.