Colin Montgomerie’s father talks Royal Troon history

James Montgomerie has lived and breathed Royal Troon for almost 60 years

James Montgomerie has lived and breathed Royal Troon for almost 60 years – 11 of them as the club’s secretary. He’s overseen two Royal Troon Opens, and the 86-year-old’s passion for the club, and the game, continues to burn brightly.

He still gets to grips with the famous old links twice a week, saying: “I try my best, though my legs are not as good as they used to be. I still enjoy it, especially going out and playing with a group of a similar standard. It’s pretty competitive stuff!

“It’s good company for me with my wife having died about 26 years ago – that’s one of the reasons why I carried on at the golf club because it was an interest, an outlet as I was retired at that stage. My family suggested I carried on here and I did and thoroughly enjoyed it.”

The first Open I went to as a spectator was when I went to see Henry Cotton win at Muirfield in 1948. I always remember that in particular because King George VI walked around the course accompanied by only two policemen. There were no barriers. It was quite remarkable how security wasn’t a problem in those days.

I was Troon’s secretary during the 1989 and 1997 Opens, though it has grown quite significantly since then. But luckily at Troon we have great facilities in terms of space for car parking and hospitality and everything else to cope. I think The Open is more or less becoming a 10-year exercise before it comes back again. To host it as a club is a great honour.

Ladies have the opportunity to play the course – despite what is sometimes said in the press. The ladies normally play on neighbouring sister course, the Portland, but they’re very welcome every day if they wish to play the Old Course. Visiting lady golfers can play as well. However, many find the difference off the tees, the deep bunkers and the rest of it just
too tough.

I grew up with golf. For many years my father played before me and I have two sons and I encouraged both of them to find their own level sports-wise. Colin eventually seemed to fall into golf, playing at Ilkley GC in West Yorkshire where I was captain in 1979 and my wife was ladies captain the following year.

Troon has a third course which used to be known as the Children’s course – it’s now the Craigend – and Colin and his brother regularly played on that with my wife. Colin learnt to play on there from an early age, four or five, before I moved down to Yorkshire for business. He’s an honorary Royal Troon member and always enjoys coming back and, fingers crossed, he’ll be able to qualify for the Open in July.

Troon is probably underrated. I’m biased, I know, but I would rate it right up there with Royal St George’s, Muirfield, Carnoustie – probably the toughest on the Open rota – and Royal Lytham. And we have a great relationship with all of them, which is very important to maintain because most of their problems are our problems, and vice-versa.

Winning the Open at Troon would be the pinnacle of his career, but realistically it’s so difficult to qualify these days with about 65 players playing for less than a dozen places so almost one bad putt can put you out. The standard now is quite remarkable. It’s moved on in every way. Colin is doing well on the Champions Tour now and, as he says, they can all play, too.

Americans in particular love this stretch of coastline and I always made it my business when I was involved to make the visitor programme as easy as we could. I wanted them to leave here and feel they had a good day because they then tell their friends. We were normally fully booked virtually a year in advance.