One of the coldest places in golf? This historic hotel overlooks Royal Troon

Nothing compares to a round of golf played on a classic Scottish links course. The experience has long been cherished by both budding golf veterans, and every year the telecast of the Open Championship reminds those avid players of the unique pleasure that a golf getaway “across the pond” can provide.

And it just so happens that every summer, in mid-July, avid golfers around the world find themselves wanting to book a getaway to the best links courses across the British Isles. Unless, of course, Mother Nature delivers warm, winter-like weather during that tournament week, which she usually does. In those circumstances, the prospect of a Scottish golf holiday loses its luster, at least in the eyes of some. But that’s a different story for another time.

If the usual Open Effect continues this year, golf enthusiasts will soon be clamoring for flights to Glasgow and tee times at all the bucket-list golf clubs up and down the Ayrshire coast. Many of those hard-and-fast courses are equal in their merits, but when it comes to luxury accommodations, one historic golf hotel stands tall (both literally and figuratively) above all others in downtown and seaside Troon.

You may not see much during the TV broadcast of The Open (which says a lot about the elevated nature of the grandstands temporarily built around the links course designed by James Braid), but with its red brick facade. overlooking the Old Course’s 18th fairway, the Marine Troon Hotel commands your attention. Although the Royal Troon was conceived 16 years earlier, it is not an easy thing to call a golf club and this 89-room property (first opened in 1894 and known as The Marine Hotel) grew at the same time.

As one of five hotels currently open within the Marine & Lawn portfolio of properties, Marine Troon exudes an interior design aesthetic that is highly in line with many of those hotels – a collection that includes Rusacks St. Andrews, Dornoch Station in the Scottish Highlands. and Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland. Unlike those other buildings, however, Marine Troon is a little less decorated when it comes to text, photos or other memorabilia that depicts golf. Instead, artistic sea scenes line the walls, while woven sea grass and driftwood chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The pitches do more to reflect Troon’s centuries-old appeal as a seaside retreat than the town’s position near a prominent golf tournament on Scotland’s west coast.

According to Phillip Allen, president of Marine & Lawn: “It’s a historic way of sailing on the Ayrshire coast.”

That doesn’t mean hotel guests won’t get some subtle tips for a golfing cap. The bespoke, jewel-toned tapestry carpets that line the hallways and staircases, for example, are decorated with images of golf clubs and the Claret Jug. There’s one undisguised golfing feature at the hotel, too: a more than 4,000-square-foot artificial putting green (courtesy of Celebrity Greens) that rolls like glass and offers guests a first-class spot to practice a one-and-done short game. part of the prestigious course this year hosting the Open Championship for the tenth time.

Inside the hotel, the flavors are served on plates and glasses that are as unique as the scenery. Venison fillets and pan-seared Ayrshire scallops represent two of the many standout dishes guests may find on the menu at The Rabbit, the hotel’s upscale restaurant; while Curtis McConnell, manager of The Seal Bar, leads the cocktail party featuring Scotch whisky. One of his creations, the Tam O’Shandy, is sure to please a large portion of golfers. It starts by combining Aberfeldy 12-year-old single malt whiskey with Grand Marnier, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a splash of simple syrup, then is topped off with Tennent’s lager.

“Tennent is one of those draft beers that the Scottish public likes to pretend they hate,” says McConnell, who explains that the cocktail shines with its ability to “balance the citrus notes of Tennent with the squeezed lemon juice and stone fruit notes of the whiskey.”

Enjoying all these things, perhaps with a dog lying at your feet – Marine Troon, like all the brand’s hotels, is dog-friendly – may feel absurd. But that relaxed feeling of luxury is a testament to both the location and the brand’s ownership group’s vision. After all, as Allen explained, it was Marine & Lawn’s mission to develop world-class hotels near some of the world’s most famous and historic golf courses.

“We are trying to create a treatment that suits our guests on the golf courses which are beautiful structures that our hotels are close to,” he said.

At the end of the 18th hole of this year’s 152nd Open Championship course, the brand did just that.