Greenock Golf Club

Greenock Golf Club occupies high ground above the town, with the Clyde Estuary and the Argyll hills visible from much of the layout. The main eighteen-hole course took its present shape during 1924, when James Braid, a former Open champion, was brought in to advise on rebuilding it over farmland the club had leased and later bought outright; the rework, together with a companion nine-hole layout, was finished by 1927. Locally this eighteen is known simply as the big course, while the shorter nine, threaded through gorse and among the trees that line its neighbour's fairways, is called the wee course. Its eighth hole, a notorious ravine crossing known as the Gully, has a reputation among members despite the absence of a par five anywhere on the shorter round. Ground here is moorland, with trees marking out the boundaries of many holes. The clubhouse, on Forsyth Street, holds a bar and lounge along with function rooms used for private and corporate events; the club counts more than five hundred members and hosts a steady stream of visiting parties through the season. Both courses remain open to non-members, with separate booking arrangements for the big and wee layouts.