The Open 2016: How to prepare a Links course for The Open

Troon’s veteran course manager Billy McLachlan reveals what his team’s been doing to prepare the links for an Open

With 35 years under his belt, Troon course manager Billy McLachlan is well versed in setting up a course for a Major. He has overseen four Open Championships at Royal Troon and this year will be his third in charge of the greenkeeping team.

But what can we expect when golf’s biggest names descend on Ayrshire?

How is the course shaping up?
So far, so good. We had a rubbish winter and we experienced significant flooding. There are areas just short of the green on 15 where the turf was submerged by water. But overall we are on schedule and just fine tuning everything now.

How does the course compare to the last time the Open was here?
There are a few more bunkers now and 15 has undergone a redesign as well. The whole scenery has improved remarkably and the fairways and greens will be playing a lot firmer this year. But in terms of setup, it won’t be that different from how our members play the course week in, week out. The greens will be running anywhere between 10 and 11 on the stimpmeter.

Any interesting pin positions planned?
The front and back pins on the Postage Stamp could throw up some very interesting scores as the landing area is very narrow. The R&A are actually considering moving the 8th tee forward and reducing the yardage to under 100 yards for one of the four days. Over the last three years, we have extended the green forward and we can now position a pin very close to the front bunker.

Which holes do they need to be wary of?
The fairways are very tight and if you don’t hit it straight off the tee on 10, 11, 12 and 13, the likelihood is that you are playing out of the jungle. There are plenty of small pot bunkers lining the fairways as well. If there is a prevailing north-westerly wind, which is usually the case, it could make reaching the greens in regulation a real challenge.