Port Bannatyne Golf Club

About the club

Unique in Scotland Port Bannatyne has a 13 hole golf course,golfers play the first 12 holes and then repeat the first 5 holes with a separate 18th hole to finish with. Although we have a modern clubhouse with bar, locker rooms and showers, we have no full time steward. So golf is played using an honesty box. Access to the clubhouse is by members swipe-card. The course is set in the pretty seaside village of Port Bannatyne by the Kyles of Bute. Famed for being the home of the World war II midget submarine fleet the X Craft and overlooking Loch Striven where the famous bouncing bomb was tested. The Club was much saddened to hear of the death on 5th July of John Hogarth. John was Club Captain in 1981 and again in 1989. His natural dynamism, ebullience and enthusiasm made him a most popular leader at a time of rapid development at the Port, with a claim to be among the most successful Captains in the Club’s history. His sense of fun also saw him well able to lead in any 19th hole celebrations. He was responsible for the planting out of the trees at the third hole to make it play as a proper dog-leg, with his name being forever enshrined when the holes were renamed, with the 3rd becoming “Hogie’s Wood”. On the playing front he seemed destined to become club champion in 1992, when a birdie blitz towards the end of the morning round saw him go into lunch with a comfortable five hole lead over good friend Robert Turnbull. Another birdie at the 3rd hole of the afternoon round saw him extend his lead to 6 up with 15 to play. But if the morning inward half was significant for John, then the pendulum swung dramatically in the afternoon. Still four up at the turn, nerves seemed to get the better of John and his game went to pieces. Little better than par golf saw Robert one up after 16 and a superb chip into the cup at the 17th saw him the victor by 2 & 1, with his name on the championship trophy for the first time. Subsequent ill-health and the prospect of steep climbs on the course, meant that John was eventually restricted to family golf, depriving the Port of not only a steely competitor and good companion, but of one of its most able administrators.