The place Royal Troon’s ‘The Railway’ ranks amongst 50 hardest Open holes of twenty first century


So far as Open Championship venues go, Royal Troon isn’t notably stout, rating because the third best on the rota.

It’d be a lot simpler if not for “The Railway.”

The par-4 eleventh gap has traditionally been the hardest gap on property, together with in 2016, the final time the Open visited Troon, when its 4.561 scoring common ranked it as essentially the most troublesome gap on the PGA Tour that season.

What makes this gap so punishing? Let’s begin with the tee shot; at 490 yards and often taking part in instantly right into a northwest wind, it’s onerous to go away the lumber within the bag. Railroad tracks run down the whole thing of the proper facet of the outlet, and at about 300 yards from the tee, the boundary wall sits simply 20 yards from the proper fringe of the golf green. After all, there isn’t a bailout left, both; thick gorse litters the left facet of the golf green, which is barely about 30 yards broad within the touchdown space for many of those gamers.

The tracks are in play on the second shot, too, with the wall simply steps from the proper fringe of the inexperienced. There’s additionally a deep, greenside pot bunker simply off the front-left portion of the placing floor.

“11 is a good instance, simply get that one on the golf green,” Bryson DeChambeau stated. “It’s a really troublesome, troublesome gap. If the wind picks up, it could be driver. There are occasions the place it must be driver. You possibly can’t hit 3-wood or 5-wood; it’s simply too brief. I may hit a 3-wood, and if it’s 15, 20 miles an hour into the wind, it may go 250 yards, 240 yards relying on the peak. If it’s raining too, that performs an enormous issue, as nicely.

“So, there are occasions the place you might be compelled to hit driver, and also you’ve simply obtained to suck it up and hit a superb drive.”

“The Railway” has produced its fair proportion of disasters, together with in 1962 when Jack Nicklaus carded a ’10′ on the outlet. Extra just lately, Thomas Pieters delivered one of many extra memorable moments of frustration, snapping his membership over his knee and chucking each items of iron into some gorse.

However the place does Troon’s intimidating No. 11 rank amongst all holes on this championship since 2001? Here’s a checklist of the 50 hardest of the twenty first century to this point; 2016’s model of “The Railway” cracks the highest 10, although simply barely:

YEAR COURSE HOLE PAR YARDS AVG OVER PAR
2008 Royal Birkdale 6 4 499 0.764
2010 St. Andrews 17 4 495 0.665
2015 St. Andrews 17 4 495 0.655
2005 St. Andrews 17 4 455 0.626
2007 Carnoustie 18 4 487 0.611
2003 Royal St. George’s 8 4 455 0.575
2016 Royal Troon 11 4 482 0.561
2011 Royal St. George’s 4 4 495 0.521
2008 Royal Birkdale 1 4 450 0.513
2003 Royal St. George’s 17 4 428 0.489
2012 Royal Lytham 6 4 492 0.478
2003 Royal St. George’s 18 4 460 0.478
2012 Royal Lytham 3 4 478 0.472
2022 St. Andrews 17 4 495 0.456
2009 Turnberry 5 4 474 0.453
2003 Royal St. George’s 1 4 442 0.443
2008 Royal Birkdale 11 4 436 0.437
2001 Royal Lytham 15 4 465 0.433
2017 Royal Birkdale 6 4 499 0.427
2018 Carnoustie 12 4 503 0.426
2008 Royal Birkdale 10 4 408 0.42
2012 Royal Lytham 15 4 462 0.415
2004 Royal Troon 11 4 490 0.413
2013 Muirfield 8 4 443 0.406
2001 Royal Lytham 3 4 458 0.404
2016 Royal Troon 15 4 499 0.403
2013 Muirfield 4 3 213 0.398
2013 Muirfield 6 4 469 0.398
2008 Royal Birkdale 16 4 439 0.395
2007 Carnoustie 12 4 479 0.389
2005 St. Andrews 13 4 465 0.389
2003 Royal St. George’s 15 4 475 0.388
2013 Muirfield 18 4 448 0.387
2013 Muirfield 14 4 449 0.383
2013 Muirfield 10 4 475 0.373
2013 Muirfield 15 4 415 0.373
2002 Muirfield 1 4 447 0.37
2016 Royal Troon 10 4 451 0.369
2011 Royal St. George’s 8 4 453 0.369
2014 Royal Liverpool 7 4 480 0.367
2001 Royal Lytham 17 4 467 0.362
2008 Royal Birkdale 2 4 421 0.361
2013 Muirfield 16 3 186 0.36
2018 Carnoustie 16 3 248 0.358
2002 Muirfield 10 4 475 0.355
2006 Royal Liverpool 12 4 448 0.353
2019 Royal Portrush 11 4 474 0.352
2019 Royal Portrush 14 4 473 0.349
2023 Royal Liverpool 14 4 454 0.347



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