The late 1890s was a great time for the birth of golf on the Scotland island of Arran.
Arran remarkably boasts six golf courses founded within 11 years of each other, and up to the dawn of the 20th century.
They include – Lamlash (1889), the 9-hole Corrie (1892), Whiting Bay (1895), Shiskine (1896), Brodick (1897) and the 9-hole Machrie Bay (1900).
Six years later in 1906 the six clubs got together to form the Arran Golfers Association.
Our first introduction to golf in Arran was visiting The Corrie club.
Read: http://www.golfbytourmiss.com/2023/12/corrie-golf-club-the-corrie-hotel-on-the-isle-of-arran/
Whiting Bay is located in the south-east of Arran and looking at the map hereunder, you could see that Whiting Bay sits in the middle between the famed Scottish links gems of Machrihanish on the Kintyre peninsula and Royal Troon and Prestwick to the east.
Whiting Bay situated virtually midway if you drew a line from Machrihanish to Prestwick
Whiting Bay is named after the bay near the southern end of Arran’s east coast that the settlement sits on, and it’s the third largest settlement on Arran after Lamlash and Brodick.
The golf club was founded in 1895 and with our 2022 visit celebrating the club’s 127th year.
The golf course itself plays 4,451-yards and a par-63 off the white tees while it’s 4,092-yards off the yellow and the ladies are staring at 3,986-yards and also a par-63.
Off the white tees, the longest hole is the last, measuring 433-yards and is a great downhill hole all the way to the clubhouse. It’s ranked sixth hardest on the card and with the shortest hole being the par-3 fourth hole at 112-yards.
There’s no par-5s off either of the three tees thus presenting nine par-4s and the remaining nine par-3s, including four in a row from the second hole.
Whiting Bay is a very hilly course, carved out of the side of a mountain so be prepared for a good walk and with a number of challenging holes though the higher you climb, the more stunning are the views looking out over the Firth of Clyde.
And like all golf courses, whether they’re 4,451 yards like Whiting Bay or some brute playing to the low 7,000 yards mark, you still have to treat it with respect.
Whiting Bay GC celebrated it’s 100th birthday in 1995 – Image GolfByTourMiss
The opening hole at Whiting Bay – Image GolfByTourMiss
Looking back on the Whiting Bay clubhouse with the 18th green right in front of the clubhouse – Image GolfByTourMiss
Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
A great view of the Firth of Clyde from the 3rd green & with the clubhouse. Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The 4th hole green at the Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
Your author (with eyes closed) dressed as though it was the middle of summer – it was! Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
Great backdrop from this fourth green – Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The views just get more stunning the higher you climb at Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The devilish-looking No. 1 index hole – Par-4, 355-yard, 8th hole at Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The 10th green (red flag) and the ninth green – Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The 13th green and, again what a great backdrop at the Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
The 15th hole at Whiting Bay GC. Word of advice don’t be anywhere left and if you’ve found the fairway, and you have time, then you should wander over to see what you’ve missed left. I have never seen a gulley so deep and so stunning – Image GolfByTourMiss
Whiting Bay GC – Image GolfByTourMiss
Anhhhh … You just can’t keep him out of the photograph. Well done Ted. Go to his twitter page @Ted_Koala – Image GolfByTourMiss
And to the final hole at Whiting Bay – it’s all downhill to the clubhouse – Image GolfByTourMiss
The final green just in front of the clubhouse
The Whiting Bay clubhouse – Image GolfByTourMiss
Lastly, a very special thank you to Jennie Martin, Secretary at the club who very kindly arranged for us to visit the club and experience the great pleasure of playing Whiting Bay.
