Ben Hogan and the Panmure Golf Club. An unlikely pairing, yet one whose story is forever etched in the pages of golf history.

In 1953, fresh off his Masters and U.S. Open victories, Ben Hogan journeyed to Scotland for what would be his one and only start in The Open Championship. The tournament was held at Carnoustie, so Hogan spent two weeks learning the links game in relative seclusion at nearby Panmure.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hogan was quoted as saying that he wanted to be remembered as a gentleman first and a golfer second. A mantra that revealed itself many times over during his visit. Although he had a standing invitation from the Club Secretary to dine with the members, Hogan instead chose to take his meals behind closed doors with the Club Professional and Steward as a show of respect to them. Having borrowed a mower to cut his practice green to the same speed as those at Carnoustie, Mr. Hogan returned it to the greenskeeper thoroughly cleaned and fully serviced.

Of course “The Hawk” went on to win the Claret Jug by four shots, becoming the only player in history to win the first three legs of the modern Grand Slam in a calendar year. When asked after the tournament which hole had been his favorite, Mr. Hogan coyly responded “The 6th at Panmure.”

The story of Panmure begins over a century prior to Ben Hogan’s triumphant visit. In 1845, a group of seventeen gentlemen golfers formed a new club, and promptly brought Allan Robertson – “Champion Golfer of Scotland” – up from St. Andrews to lay out a proper links. The original course near Montifieth proved so popular, overcrowding eventually forced the Panmure club to move to its present location. James Braid was eventually commissioned to layout the course we play today. A new clubhouse was also built, the architecture of which is a lasting tribute to the former ties of the club’s membership to the jute trade of India.

Although it is well removed from the shore, Panmure has many of the delightful characteristics of a true seaside links. The terrain humps and heaves its way through a variety of gorse and bracken that will swallow balls with great efficiency. Like many links courses, some might say that Panmure begins and ends on a rather blasé note. At the heart of the course, however, is stern and memorable golf, highlighted by some of the finest putting surfaces in Scotland. A longtime friend of H&B once quipped that the greens of Panmure were like a James Joyce novel: they’re both impossible to read.

When the day at Panmure comes to a close, the only thing which will match the satisfaction derived from this enjoyable course is the gracious hospitality of the club’s membership. Panmure is a proud club, with a rich history to boast, yet it is free of the pretension which one might expect to encounter elsewhere on Scotland golf tours. Perhaps a perfect example of why Panmure and Ben Hogan got along so well.

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For more insight on planning your golf trip to Scotland, visit the pages below, read our Scotland golf trip reviews, or have a look through our Yardage Book, where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.

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