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Railways and golf courses

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Killingworth

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Gleneagles is famous for its railway hotel and three golf courses, all within about a mile of the station, probably unique in Britain unless anyone knows different.

Many golf courses are near stations. Are there any other stations within a mile of 3, or maybe more, 18 hole golf courses? There must be quite a few within a mile of two courses.

For the sake of the question, the club house is to be the measuring point.
 
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mailbyrail

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Gleneagles has its golf courses because the railway built them! The hotel and golf courses were promoted by a private company but the Caledonian Railway assumed responsibility to complete and then own them. Of course the government sold it along with the other BTH hotels in 1983.
Other railway owned hotels with their railway owned golf courses were Cruden Bay, Turnberry, Moretonhampstead, Felixstowe, Tregenna Castle St.Ives.
Besides the obvious Denham Golf Club which is still open, there were halts opened across the whole country specifically for golfers in the early years of the twentieth century.
The link between other courses and railways such as Llandudno and Sheringham are purely coincidental.
The Wirral had one golf club which had three stations serving it - Chester Golf Club, Birkenhead Junction Golf Club and Chester Junction Golf Club.
Another Wirral station closely linked with golf today is Hoylake which serves the Royal Liverpool course
 

Killingworth

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I would imagine quite a few, Llandudno and Sheringham immediately spring to mind

OK, for starters then;

At Llandudno there are 3, The North Wales GC, Maesdu GC and Great Orme GC (although the Great Orme might be just over a mile from the station by car or foot).

Sheringham has only the Sheringham Golf Course within a mile of the station as far as I can see.
 

Morayshire

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In terms of open stations, Carnoustie, Carnoustie Golf Street and Barry Links might fit.

Possibles too for Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven. Need to check distance though which I can't do till Monday at the earliest.

Including disused railways/closed stations, St Andrews Golf Hotel is partially built on the site of the former St Andrews goods yard. Elliot Junction just outside Arbroath might qualify (depends on when Elliot golf course came into existence).

Final former railway linked golf course would be Edzell. Station was located right next to the golf course.
 

Killingworth

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Southport must be one of the best places to get a variety of links courses, but the main station isn't within a mile of an 18 hole course.

Within Southport Hillside station fulfills the criteria of being within a mile of 3 club houses, Hillfoot GC, Southport and Ainsdale GC and Royal Birkdale GC.
 
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Taunton

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Another Wirral station closely linked with golf today is Hoylake which serves the Royal Liverpool course
And is immediately adjacent to Hoylake Golf Club, right alongside the line on the opposite side.
 
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West Byfleet station is within a mile of West Byfleet and New Zealand golf clubs. I’ll need to get a map out for others in the South East, though no three courses within a mile stations come immediately to mind.
 

Killingworth

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In terms of open stations, Carnoustie, Carnoustie Golf Street and Barry Links might fit.

Possibles too for Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven. Need to check distance though which I can't do till Monday at the earliest.

Including disused railways/closed stations, St Andrews Golf Hotel is partially built on the site of the former St Andrews goods yard. Elliot Junction just outside Arbroath might qualify (depends on when Elliot golf course came into existence).

Final former railway linked golf course would be Edzell. Station was located right next to the golf course.

Both Carnoustie and Golf Street stations are within a mile of 3 courses, the Championship, Buddon Links and Burneside.

Golf Street is a station with 4 stops a day and very few recorded users, 268 in 2017/18. Presumably players arrive by car and workers may walk or cycle but rail enthusiasts keep the station alive as they tick it off on their visited lists :)
 
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Traveller54

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Gleneagles has its golf courses because the railway built them! The hotel and golf courses were promoted by a private company but the Caledonian Railway assumed responsibility to complete and then own them. Of course the government sold it along with the other BTH hotels in 1983.
At one time, The hotel had its own railway siding, not sure how long it was in use for or whether it carried goods, hotel and golf guests or both. It would probably have come off the former Gleneagles to Crieff line. I saw it on an old OS map from the early 60s when this line was still open.
 

Western Lord

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Turnberry was owned by the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway, with the station being behind the hotel and linked to it by a covered way. In retrospect, it might have been better to have kept the Ayr-Turnberry-Girvan line, although that would have been at the expense of Maybole and Turnberry station would presumably be renamed Trump Turnberry!
 

SWTCommuter

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Weston-super-Mare station to Weston-super-Mare Golf Club: 0.8 miles
Weston Milton station to Worlebury Golf Club: 1.04 miles
Borth station to Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club: 0.43 miles
 

Kendalian

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Ansdell & Fairhaven is just next to Royal Lytham & St Annes, another Open venue. (Senior Open is there in a couple of weeks time).

Because the Blackpool South line was singled in the 1980s with no loops, when the Open is on a shuttle runs half hourly from Preston (usually the RES platform) to A&F every 30 min with a replacement bus to Blackpool South
 

Bald Rick

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Not sure if they are all under a mile, but Brookwood is pretty close to Woking, Worplesdon and West Hill GCs.
 

47271

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Slightly off topic, but quite amusing, my uncle once hit a duff shot at St Michael's near Leuchars. It found itself in a passing open freight wagon heading south, never to be seen again.
 

randyrippley

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Ansdell & Fairhaven is just next to Royal Lytham & St Annes, another Open venue. (Senior Open is there in a couple of weeks time).

Because the Blackpool South line was singled in the 1980s with no loops, when the Open is on a shuttle runs half hourly from Preston (usually the RES platform) to A&F every 30 min with a replacement bus to Blackpool South

you've got four courses in a couple of miles there
Royal Lytham St Annes
St Annes old links
Fairhaven
Lytham Green Drive

I don't know the actual distances
 

Killingworth

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you've got four courses in a couple of miles there
Royal Lytham St Annes
St Annes old links
Fairhaven
Lytham Green Drive

I don't know the actual distances

Certainly a lot of courses along that coast but only 2 within a mile of St Annes on Sea station.
 

Killingworth

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Weston-super-Mare station to Weston-super-Mare Golf Club: 0.8 miles
Weston Milton station to Worlebury Golf Club: 1.04 miles
Borth station to Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club: 0.43 miles

I'm afraid there aren't 3 golf club houses within a mile of any station in the Weston area.
 

Killingworth

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Troon station is right beside three courses, and probably less than a mile from Royal Troon and Portland courses

I think Troon is now the run away leader with at least 5 and probably unbeatable. That's plain greedy! Royal Troon with Old and Portland courses, Darley, Lochgreen, and Fullarton although I'm wondering if Welbeck maybe double counting to make 6?

Gleneagles, Llandudno, Carnoustie, Golf Street and Hillside stations are all within a mile of 3 courses. There must be more. I've looked at Metro station Regent Centre (formerly West Gosforth) where Gosforth and City of Newcastle are within the mile, but Northumberland GC in Gosforth Park is just outside
 
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Cameron Bowden

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Slightly off topic, but quite amusing, my uncle once hit a duff shot at St Michael's near Leuchars. It found itself in a passing open freight wagon heading south, never to be seen again.
It would be interesting to know how many drivers/ guards have been on a train that has been hit by a wayward golf ball?
 
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I did try at North Hants last year as I plonked it onto the South Western Main Line. No train coming. Incidentally I think the clubhouse is more than a mile from Fleet.
 

Traveller54

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I think Troon is now the run away leader with at least 5 and probably unbeatable. That's plain greedy! Royal Troon with Old and Portland courses, Darley, Lochgreen, and Fullarton although I'm wondering if Welbeck maybe double counting to make 6
Don’t think Welbeck would count as it’s a private club without its own course, they use Darley, Lochgreen and Fullarton. Let’s settle for 5!
 

ian1944

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In terms of clubs, North Berwick station has four within a mile, but three of them play on the same course. Conversely, Gullane has five courses with just three clubs, plus Archerfield (currently hosting the Scottish Open) almost exactly one mile away - but the station closed to passengers in 1932 and to freight in 1964. It did have a railway hotel, later the Scottish Fire Services College and now turned into flats.
 

Killingworth

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In terms of clubs, North Berwick station has four within a mile, but three of them play on the same course. Conversely, Gullane has five courses with just three clubs, plus Archerfield (currently hosting the Scottish Open) almost exactly one mile away - but the station closed to passengers in 1932 and to freight in 1964. It did have a railway hotel, later the Scottish Fire Services College and now turned into flats.

3 club houses on the same course won't qualify. Gullane might have done, but can't now without an active station. It's certainly a good stretch of coast for golf.

I've included Golf Street despite very few using that station, but Carnoustie still qualifies anyway under courses rather than club houses.

Interesting how many of these places have grown around golf courses, and that Carnoustie even has a second station including golf in its name. Several stations on this growing list owe a lot to golf for their foundation and the growth of settlements nearby.

Incidentally I said a mile because that's a reasonable distance to walk from a station. When many of these older courses were laid out few players had cars and they may have carried their clubs on their backs from home or the train to and from the course.

I know of one other station that qualifies for the 3 within a mile list, but will hold back until the country has been scoured to find more. There must be others?
 

Morayshire

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Monifieth is within 0.25 miles of the Grange Golf Club (Monifieth golf course)

Barry Links is within 1 mile of Panmure Golf Club.

Montrose has two maybe three golf club houses all next to each other within a mile of the station.

All distances above are straight lines measured using Google Earth
 
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