‘Eastwood Twelve’ is the first of its kind, reviving a course that previously closed down in 2019 after struggling with rising costs and a fall in membership.
The new course looks to embrace a more modern feel to the game of golf, while retaining the history of Eastwood’s original layout, featuring nine of the old holes alongside a par 5 split into two, and a brand-new par 3.
Originally founded in 1891, Eastwood has a rich history that now lays the foundations for the current ‘Eastwood Twelve’. With its heritage in mind, the new course brings a well-loved, USPGA standard course back to life, with green-keeping staff who’ve proudly worked at Eastwood as far back as 1986.
The new course is one of only three 12-hole layouts in the UK, alongside Shiskine on Arran and Gogarburn near Edinburgh. Before heading out onto the course, Samantha Whitelaw and her family told us how they play a lot of their golf over on Shiskine – quite possibly the most famous 12-hole course out there.
Other than the family connection to Shiskine, why was the decision made to bring Eastwood back to life as 12-holes? The answer for the Whitelaw team is simple – they’re creating a modern golf space for every player, that’s both accessible and sustainable.
With less land to maintain, the overall running costs and materials required are lower, benefiting both the club and the environment. Alongside its green-keeping team, Eastwood Twelve has also installed two Husqvarna CEORA robotic mowers, which maintain the course 24 hours a day, 7-days a week.
But the reason behind this shorter course isn’t just for those running the club, but also with players in mind too. Situated just outside of Glasgow, Eastwood Twelve offers a welcoming space to golfers wanting to enjoy the game despite struggling with time constraints.
Want to see the full layout of the new Eastwood Twelve? Check out our course vlog where we team up to see how low we can go on one of Scotland’s newest courses!
Reducing the course from 18 to 12-holes now means golfers can expect to complete their round in under 3 hours, making it more accessible for those working full-time, or beginner golfers wanting to get out onto the course in a less daunting way.
This idea is backed by six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo, who advocates for shorter courses, previously telling the PGA: “I’ve been pushing that for years and it’s been blooming difficult!”. He added that he’s a “big fan of 12 holes”, as he doesn’t want to disappear from his family for the time it would take to get a full round of 18 in.
The tee sheet is now live, and membership options are available. The team proudly told us that they’ve seen a great amount of interest and enthusiasm from the local community throughout the process of restoring the course. In the lead up to open day, they hosted various ‘walk the course’ sessions, with impressive turnouts from golfers keen to see the new design after work began on the site in 2022.
With memberships already flooding in, they’ve seen a significant number of applications from under-30-year-olds, indicating their vision of a modern, accessible, and welcoming golf space is well and truly underway.
Samantha and the team kindly invited us out to check out the new course and hear their story. Given how many clubs we see having to close due to financial issues and struggling memberships, it’s a welcome change to hear the success story of Eastwood Twelve.
As the landscape of golf becomes more modern, constantly searching for new ways to be inclusive and accessible to members, it poses the question – could 12-hole courses be the new future of golf?
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