Very little earth was moved in the construction of the course. The design embraced the original dunes landscape, typical of true links golf. Tom Doak and his team incorporated these contours into the course while leaving certain significant trees to enhance the beauty and challenges of play. The course has a truly distinctive style; windswept and open dunes land with trees coming into play on a truly coastal links course in Scotland.
The memorable tee shot off the practise putting green, leaves the golfer in no doubt as to the immaculate conditions they are about to experience. The fescue which flanks the hole and surrounds the well placed bunkers forms a stark contrast to the yellow tinged fairway. A clever use of layering hides a widening fairway over the left hand bunkers. The first timer may be intimidated on the tee but the member will soon relish this gentle opener, with greenside bunkers that hug the gentle rolls of the firm and fast approach.
Red fescue frames the foreground on the 2nd hole. The longest par 3 on the course plays slightly downhill and the firm approach allows for a traditional ground approach familiar with all links golf. The undulating green is typically large in size with run offs that gather into well placed bunkers both left and right of the target.
Playing back towards the Members’ Lodge the 3rd hole makes the most of the natural undulations to tilt the fairway left to right. The bunker on the right entices the long hitter to risk all for the prime angle to a huge green, with many smaller pockets making for interesting pin positions.
A stunning hole both visually and in terms of challenge. The fescue once again frames the fairway beautifully, with bunkers and a giant pine obstructing any second shot after a drive that goes left. The green complex is fun and sporty. A large mound on the left of the green provides a sideboard that can be used to access the back pin positions. A putters delight awaits those who successfully hit the green in two.
The elevated 5th tees provide an outstanding view of the surrounding landscape and the magnificent clubhouse to the rear of the green. A generous landing area for the drive sets the golfer up for one of the most challenging approach shots on the course. With a long club in hand, any shots pushed or pulled will usually result in a sand shot for the 3rd. The raised green gives many options for those just around it. Again, the firm surrounds allow for running shots as holding an aerial shot to any of the firm greens is a challenge. Once on the green the golfer will again note the vast size and many large undulations and tiers.
Deer are a common site through the triangle of land which forms the 6th and 7th holes. The early morning and late evening golfer will be best placed to catch a glimpse of these majestic creatures as they make their way from one area of woodland cover to the next. A very strategic par 5 is a genuine ‘Members hole’, it takes a few plays to form your strategy thanks to the challenging drive. After the corner of the dogleg the hole opens out to an inviting green with a bowl on the left.
The first of 2 shorter, strategic par 4s. A left to right dogleg requires a drive that avoids the bunkers on the right but does not run out of fairway on the left. Golf balls that finish in the left portion of the fairway may be challenged by the large tree on the front of the green guarding a left pin. The elevated green requires an accurate approach over the false front without overshooting into the rough beyond.
When walking from the 7th green through to the 8th hole the stand of sea-buckthorn gives the first feel of being on a true coastal landscape. This typically Scottish, short par 4 has all the hallmarks of golf in this area. The walls being the East Lothian influence, the solitary bunker providing a challenge off the tee, and the green is regarded by many as similar to the 12th at the Old Course in St. Andrews. The green is one of the wildest on the course with any miss right resulting in a very challenging putt or chip back onto the green
The vista across the Firth of Forth at the 9th hole is one of the most memorable in the region and certainly one of the visual highlights of a round of golf at Renaissance. The Forth road and rail bridges can be seen in the background but one must not be distracted by the view. The shortest of the par 3s arguably provides the biggest challenge. A green shaped like an upside-down pear means that any wayward shot to a front pin is likely to find a sandy grave. The beautiful bunker work frames the hole and even if the golfer sneaks round them, he is faced with a bump and run that is a do or die shot in terms of recovery.
The back tees at the 10th are hard against the boundary wall we share with the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers . The golfer is greeted with views of the 5th, 6th and 11th holes at Muirfield, along with Gullane hill and the first full views of the Firth of Forth to the North. This long par 5 channels through the trees and has the unique feature of no bunkers within 180 yards of the green. The green is no less challenging to reach in 2 with significant drop offs both left and long and a very unusual greensite on the back of a large mound. A very interesting hole architecturally that asks questions of the golfer from tee to green.
The dominant feature through the early part of the 11th hole is the Strathkellen mound. This Bronze Age burial mound is a significant archaeological feature on the East Lothian coast and has been improved and protected through the development of The Renaissance course. The hole itself is a beast of a par 4 that creeps uphill and doglegs left to right. A drive down the left navigates a large tree midway down the right hand rough, that can impede any second shots hit from the right. The approach is one of the most memorable in golf. An ancient stone boundary wall extends along the right of the green with a large dune home to two bunkers protecting the left. A second shot that carries the front left short bunker should run out onto a severely undulating green. The hole will perplex many and impress all.
A centre line bunker provides options off the tee; left will result in a blind second shot but with a slightly shorter carry, while the right opens up the green but means you have to carry a heavy sloped fairway leading up to the green. Any shots short and right will be left with a tough shot back up the hill but with plenty of options due to the copious amounts of short grass surrounding the green. Once on the green you will experience one of the finest views in East Lothian - Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat to the West, Fife and the Firth of Forth to the North.
The view to the back and left of the 13th tee is a true highlight of the course. Take a moment before teeing off to absorb the breathtaking views of the extremely diverse and ecologically important sand dune system. A gentle par 3 awaits with a another large undulating green, a deep pot bunker lurking front right.
A long downhill par 5 give the opportunity for many to make a good score. A generous fairway leads to a large, heavily shaped green. Any misses right leave a demanding chip or putt from off the green but golfers will see this as a chance to take a breather before a solid finish.
This demanding par 4 requires a solid drive to negotiate a sizeable hill that slopes from left to right. The longer hitter can take advantage of this and get a favourable kick past all the fairway bunkers with an accurate drive down the left hand side of the fairway. The green is slightly raised and features 2 bunkers on the front right. The run offs that surround the green take any misjudged shot away from the putting surface but again the short grass gives options.
Fine swathes of open grassland dominate the foreground of the 16th hole with majestic pine protruding to the back and right of the hole as we move down the fairway. Pot bunkers dominate the fairway which need to be avoid to provide a view of the green for the second shot. Another large surface with some large but not overly severe movement completes this solid par 4.
The grassy mounds provide superb definition to this short hole which plays over the site of an ancient settlement. The two tiered green requires some serious imagination when putting. The bank at the rear of the green can be put to good use, even if you are already on the green!
The finishing hole is a stern test of golf. This lengthy par 4 requires an accurate drive down the left of a bunker complex that resembles the Principal’s Nose at St. Andrews. Again the infamous East Lothian walls, that are so prevalent at North Berwick West Links, add to the challenge of a second shot that has to reach a long, narrow green. A tricky green with a fantastic, final day tournament pin on a raised back left plateau. In a neighbourhood surrounded by some of the finest links courses in the world, the Renaissance Club stands tall with an identity of its own.