Now to the many readers of Lux Golf Pilrimage, you have probably noticed a pattern. Weekends are about a golf course, midweek something else. This will end eventually as I’ll run out of golf courses about which I have any personal knowledge long before I run out of other stuff I can philosophize about.
This week we are leaving Fife and crossing the Firth of Tay to Angus. Here we will find many great courses along the coast, the most famous of which is Carnoustie. However the subject of today’s blog is Panmure Golf Club It is situated between the fine courses at Monifieth and Carnoustie. Founded in 1845, it was laid out on land leased from Lord Panmure, thus the name. The original architect is unknown but the present design is largely unchanged since significant modifications in the 1930s based on the recommendations of James Braid.
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My favorite part of the club’s storied history concerns Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan made only one trip to Britain to compete in the Open. It was in 1953, that glorious year in which he won the US Open, Masters and Open tournaments. Mr. Hogan was unaccustomed to the smaller British ball and to the peculiarities of links golf. So he arrived at Carnoustie several weeks early. Remember he didn’t fly on a jumbo jet, he took an ocean liner. Talk about a time commitment. His practice times became common knowledge and consequently were drawing large crowds. To escape the spectators and media at Carnoustie, Mr. Hogan asked if he could practice at Panmure Golf Club where he was warmly welcomed. The conditions here were virtually identical to Carnoustie. He used the seventeenth fairway and green as a practice area. Finding the greens weren’t as fast as those at Carnoustie he asked if he could cut the seventeenth green shorter, to match the pace at Carnoustie. He was granted permission and it is said that when he was done mowing, he thoroughly cleaned the mower before returning it.
He played a round with the club secretary and commented on his fondness for the sixth hole but pointed out that a bunker on the front right side of the green would appreciably strengthen the hole. Shortly thereafter a bunker was constructed that is still referred to as ‘Hogan’s bunker’. The hole is named ‘Hogan’; what else could it be called? Mr. Hogan went on to win at Carnoustie and following that great victory he was asked what was his favorite hole. He responded it was the sixth, at Panmure!
The sixth is a delightful hole, a dogleg left that plays to 414 yards from the back tees. It offers classic risk-reward elements. If you limit your drive to 250 yards or less, there is a broad landing areas, shared with the seventh hole. From here you need a long shot into a slightly elevated green guarded by Hogan’s bunker. However, if you choose to drive beyond this landing area where the fairway narrows considerably, you’re rewarded with a much shorter approach to the green.
Sorry I have no photos of the course as it was a dreary day when we played. It has aspects similar to links, parkland and heathland courses. There are holes like ‘Hillocks’ (#8) that have a true links feel, but others like ‘Pines’ (#3), seem more heathland or parkland.. However the only labels that needed is that it is an enjoyable and challenging course. Coming inward on holes like 14 or ‘Lucky Daddy’ you’ll see high speed trains flying by on the rails to the right. I recently found this Youtube video about Pamure from the folks at Hidden Links Golf Tours.
Another thing I really like about Panmure is the club’s symbol or crest. Club crests may be simple or complex and often take into account some historical aspect of the club, town or region, and often the date that the club was founded. At Panmure it’s a simple inverted scallop shell with the date 1845 across the top. I regret that I didn’t buy a golf towel or jumper (sweater) when I was there in 2008.
To learn more about Mr. Hogan I recommend ‘Ben Hogan ‘An American Life’ by James Dodson. If you are a fan of Mr. Hogan like myself it’s required reading. To learn about Panmure go to their website: www.panmuregolfclub.co.uk .
ODL
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