Hawick Golf Club

Hawick Golf Course is a par 68 of 5,933 yards or about 5,425 metres high on Vertish Hill above the town. The club presents the course as a James Braid Borders masterpiece: moorland, natural slopes, gorse, Cheviot views and short holes whose difficulty comes from land and wind rather than raw length.

Hawick Golf Club was founded in 1877, making it the oldest club in the Scottish Borders. The course developed on Vertish Hill and James Braid later reshaped and strengthened the design through lines, exposed greens and ground movement. Club culture includes notable matches involving Harry Vardon and Braid, then Nick Faldo against Tony Jacklin in 1989 and Colin Montgomerie in 1993. Faldo also recorded a 64. Vertish Hill rises above Hawick within the volcanic hills and Teviotdale valleys. Views extend toward Ruberslaw, the Cheviots and wider Borders. Open gorse and rough replace dense woodland. Slopes are continuous and can change distance by several clubs. Wind is persistent and difficult to read from lower folds.

Par 68 consists of four par threes and fourteen par fours, with no par fives—a rare structure concentrating the examination on driving and iron play. The opening hole is already a par three of roughly 195 yards to a raised, upturned green with out of bounds right. The ninth supplies a major panorama, fourteen looks toward Ruberslaw and the Cheviots, and the downhill sixteenth is named McLaren’s Miracle after Bill McLaren’s hole-in-one. At 5,933 yards the course appears short, but the absence of par fives and repeated par fours make scoring demanding. Sloping lies are common and exposed greens become quick. Targets often sit above the fairway or beyond a crest. Gorse and moorland rough reduce control from the sides. Downhill holes run; uphill holes play far longer in cool hill air.

Hawick is a members’ club closely connected with the town, providing clubhouse, dining, visitor welcome and booking. The climb to Vertish Hill is part of the day, followed by a round above the rooftops. Bill McLaren, Nick Faldo and exhibition history give the clubhouse cultural importance beyond golf. It suits walkers, view-seekers and sports-history enthusiasts.

Play it for a rare par-68 structure without a par five. Hawick demands accuracy and consistency while land and wind prevent repetition. Views, club age and McLaren and Faldo stories make it one of the Borders’ most engaging courses. 18 holes; par 68; 5,933 yards or about 5,425 metres; club founded 1877, the oldest in the Scottish Borders; Vertish Hill course associated with James Braid; four par threes and fourteen par fours, no par fives; course record 64 by Nick Faldo; sixteenth McLaren’s Miracle.

Historic exhibition matches, Borders championships, club opens and regional amateur events — Club founded 1877; Faldo–Jacklin exhibition 1989; Faldo–Montgomerie exhibition 1993; annual calendar Nick Faldo set a course record of 64; the downhill 16th was renamed McLaren’s Miracle after commentator Bill McLaren made a hole-in-one