Lanark

Established on 4 October 1851, Lanark is the world's oldest inland course and the 25th oldest golf club anywhere. 

Our visit allowed us to return to my wife's spiritual homeland, as her parents hailed from Carluke, just a few miles down the road. 

We stayed there before tackling this beautiful, hidden gem. 

While Scotland's golf scene is dominated by famous links with only high-end venues like Gleneagles and Loch Lomond luring travelling golfers away from the coast, 

Lanark, which missed out on having Gleneagles' exclusive hotel by just one vote back in the day, proves we should broaden our horizons.

The course's current layout, largely unchanged since it was refined by golf legends like Old Tom Morris and James Braid, is a testament to their enduring design skill.

On a bright Monday morning, the course was bustling with golfers and greenkeepers beginning their maintenance week. 

We arrived early, which gave us time to practise at the chipping area—there's also a nine-hole 'Wee' short course for a quick warm-up.

The first hole features a wide, inviting fairway that ascends to a green which falls sharply from back to front. 

The opening and closing holes are on relatively tight land, so golfers must be mindful of others who may cross their path. 

This is especially true on the second, a lovely dogleg par-four that shares part of its fairway with the 15th.

The gorgeous, short par-four fifth has a railway track behind its green. After a central drive, I proved how a seed of doubt can prompt players to go short, landing my ball squarely in a greenside bunker.

The sixth is devilish. It ascends sharply, with a forest separating the fairway from the railway on the left. Its green is perched high, with a dramatic drop-off down the right.

Lanark boasts three high-quality and distinct par-threes. The seventh is a steeply downhill clip of just 130 yards into a green surrounded by bunkers—and I can personally attest to how easy it is to find the sand. 

Meanwhile, the eighth is the course's only par-five. I was licking my lips at the prospect of a good score after two solid shots, but my approach was short and slipped into a deep pot bunker, resulting in a frustrating zero Stableford points.

The 11th is a terrific strategic hole. This long par-four dips down before a blind shot into the green over a burn and a grassy hillock. 

Only two holes on the course follow the same direction as the one before them, meaning the player is never entirely comfortable playing in the wind. 

Clever use of the breeze is crucial on holes like the 12th, where the approach must be precise, up the bank and onto the green, navigating the slope on its left-hand side. 

The gradient into the 14th is even more intense. I clubbed up, but not enough to prevent my approach from slipping down the slope into a pot bunker on the left. The putting surface here runs quickly from back to front.

The variety of holes at Lanark is striking, so it's no surprise that the next four feel like they're on entirely different land.

Nevertheless, the 16th is a corking short par-four with trees lining the fairway and a stream just in front of a sloping green that sits above three bunkers.

The final hole is the club’s trademark—a 200-yard par-three across the first fairway and over a path, with the green located right next to the clubhouse. 

It's a fitting end, as the first and last holes are the only ones that remain from the club's original six-hole course.

I felt no shame in choosing a driver, guiding the ball to within 15 feet of the hole. We stayed for lunch after our game, and I didn't see anyone do better.

Sadly, I misread the birdie putt and couldn't claim I was very close to glory.

Regardless, this was a heck of a finish to a surprising round at a club with the ambition to climb the rankings.