HOLE-BY-HOLE DESCRIPTION

For its eighth staging of the Open, Royal Troon will measure 7,175 yards, 96 yards longer than when Justin Leonard won the title in 1997.

1st (Seal), 370 yards, par 4: A new tee has been constructed back and 30 yards to the right towards the beach. Two new bunkers are added to the right of the fairway, the overall aim being to toughen up a hole which is driveable for the longer hitters in favourable conditions.

2nd (Black Rock), 391 yards, par 4: Three cross-bunkers 40 yards short of the green will rule out a driver for many players. Four more traps guard the front of the putting surface. Fairly friendly again and a bogey or worse really will hurt anybody with hopes of the title.

3rd (Gyaws), 379 yards, par 4: The name of the hole comes from the burn which crosses the fairway 285 yards from the tee and dictates what club has to be taken, especially if the course is running fast. Laying up well short should still leave no more than a short iron in.

4th (Dunure), 560 yards, par 5: New bunkers down the left make the drive a little more demanding, but it's yet another birdie chance. The fairway narrows in, though, and there is more sand to avoid with the second before the split-level green is encountered. There were 16 eagles in the 1989 Open.

5th (Greenan), 210 yards, par 3: Compared to Shinnecock Hills last month Troon's start has few terrors, but if the wind is up then this has the potential to bite back. With deep bunkers left and right and a drop-off to the beach on the right it will claim its victims.

6th (Turnberry), 601 yards, par 5: The longest hole on the Open rota, with the new tee adding 24 yards. There are bunkers on both sides around driving distance and the fairway puts a premium on straight-hitting. Anybody emulating Greg Norman's six-birdie start in 1989 will have worked hard here.

7th (Tel-el-Kebir), 405 yards, par 4: A spectacular-looking hole, named after a battle fought in 1882. It doglegs right and the angle narrows the landing area between the bunkers right and left. Laying up short of them is not a bad option sometimes, but the green is one of the trickiest ones.

8th (Postage Stamp), 123 yards, par 3: The most famous par three on any Open course. In 1950 German amateur Herman Tissies took 15, while in 1973 71-year-old Gene Sarazen holed-in-one. The green is a tiny target and the hole can make the best look silly. Club selection vital.

9th (The Monk), 423 yards, par 4: From the tee there is a choice of carrying the ball 290 yards beyond the bunkers, leaving a much shorter approach, or positioning a lay-up shot to the left for a view of the green. A diagonal step runs across the green and it drops away at the back.

10th (Sandhills), 438 yards, par 4: No bunkers, but it does not need them, as Tiger Woods found out last time. There is serious trouble on both sides of an undulating fairway and the green falls away sharply on the right. The gorse beyond the putting green is where Woods hit trouble.

11th (The Railway), 490 yards, par 4: The tee is back 27 yards from last time and it was already one of the toughest par fours in championship golf. Gorse everywhere and the railway line down the right. Jack Nicklaus had a 10 here and Max Faulkner an 11, but when Arnold Palmer won he played it in four under. It was a par five then, though.

12th (The Fox), 431 yards, par 4: Turning left before the long, fearsome run for home, this is no place to lose concentration. There is a generous driving area, but the second can find plenty of trouble. Mark Calcavecchia's outrageous chip-in was perhaps the most important shot in his win.

13th (Burmah), 472 yards, par 4: Again no bunkers, but that makes it harder to find a target to aim at from the tee. The hole turns to the right and there are humps and hollows waiting for anything wayward. Making the green from them can be a superhuman task and fours are valuable indeed.

14th (Alton), 178 yards, par 3: Bunkers right and left narrow the entrance to the green, but it is a large putting surface than it looks from the tee and unless the wind is howling this will see its fair share of birdies.

15th (Crosbie), 483 yards, par 4: The drive, from 26 yards further back now and more to the left, needs to be long and straight, setting up an approach to a low-lying green. What might look like a good shot in can take a funny bounce off the slopes in front, but coping with such things is part of the challenge of links golf.

16th (Well), 542 yards, par 5: The big decision on the tee is what club to take because of the ditch 280 yards out. Too safe a choice takes the green out of range, but if the wind is against then it becomes a three-shotter for the entire field. The green is a narrow target and has five bunkers down the sides.

17th (Rabbit), 222 yards, par 3: Time for a deep breath because this can ruin anyone's round. The ground slopes away on both sides and there is little margin for error. With the pressure on this is a real test of nerve as well as technique.

18th (Craigend), 457 yards, par 4: The bunker on the right is over 300 yards out, but such was his adrenaline that Greg Norman reached it with ease in the 1989 play-off and his hopes ended there. The three on the left look the bigger threat and there are three more around a green right in front of the clubhouse. The path there marks out of bounds.