The Renaissance Club

When Kingsbarns opened for play almost a decade ago, I was blown away. I thought it was a one-off miracle that a new course could look and play so good. Every now and again a course will open with similar ambitions of grandeur, but none ever live up to the marketing hype. That is until I played 18 holes at The Renaissance Club near Muirfield towards the end of last summer.

Along with a couple of my friends from Scotland and a few others from Georgia, I enjoyed a very hospitable day out at the new private club with it's founding principal, Derek Siewert. The day got off to the best possible start with a few early morning 'sharpeners', and some food from the outdoor grill. The clubhouse and lodge were still under construction, but even from the temporary facilities you could sense that this place certainly had the makings of a successful private members' club. Even as guests, we were made to feel right at home.

Normally, a combination of golf and rain doesn't really excite me too much. But on this occasion I had a ball. Tom Doak (responsible for Pacific Dunes in Oregon and Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand) was the chosen architect because the management team felt he could deliver justice to the land's natural beauty. I can understand their thought process. Doak is regarded as the founder of the minimalist movement when it comes to golf course design, and when you have a special piece of land such as this, why over-complicate things? The result is a classical, aesthetically pleasing and challenging layout. It doesn't have the drama of Old Head for example, but a more traditional kind of beauty provides eye candy for the connoisseur. I wouldn't class the course as out-and-out links, but it comes very close. I tend to reserve this term for the fiery terrain associated with the likes of St Andrews or Prestwick, but this doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the course. There are certainly holes that invite a low, running approach shot, and I was also impressed with the rugged styling of the bunkers.

A testing opening nine calls for shot-making and an emphasis is placed on accuracy from the tee. The 236 yard 2nd lets you know from the outset that you have to work hard for level numbers. I thought the 6th was an excellent par 5. At 577 yards, and with the dogleg positioned perfectly, this is a true three shot test. The 9th is a silent assassin. So many courses now just throw in a bunch of boring generic-looking short holes. The trick with this hole is hitting the correct part of the green. Pin placement is all important. Leave yourself on the wrong side of the green, and you can pencil in a four before you leave the tee.

The course really begins to bare it's teeth at the turn. A string of uphill, demanding holes leads up to a terrific panoramic view of the Firth of Forth. The views from the 12th green are particularly amazing. The par 5 14th is a lot of fun. Downhill, and reachable in two, I'm sure this will prove to be a terrific matchplay hole. The changes in elevation and the camber of the fairways throughout this section of the course are truly beautiful. It's one of those courses that when you play it for the first time, you find yourself checking the hole number on every tee hoping that No.18 is still some way off.

Prospective members are required to buy a non-interest bearing Membership Bond, which is currently valued at £45,000. If I had that kind of dough burning a hole in my back pocket, the Range Rover Sport could find itself slipping further down the wish list. The Renaissance Club is a fabulous course, and if like me you don't have a spare 45K, you better start getting friendly with someone that does!