The Carrick promises to provide stern test, stunning beauty

Nestled among the most breathtaking scenery that Scotland has to offer, The Carrick is a traditional heathland course featuring revetted pot bunkers, closely mown chipping hollows and plantings of gorse and heather.

It is just three years since the The Carrick on Loch Lomond opened its fairways to the world, yet in that short space of time it has become one of the premier golfing resorts in Scotland.

And in September of 2009, the course will play host to the 24th PGA Cup, a Ryder Cup-inspired event featuring 10-man teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland competing in the premier international event for PGA Professionals.

Adjacent to the most breathtaking scenery that Scotland has to offer, The Carrick has the shores of Loch Lomond lapping at its fringes, while it is overlooked by the imposing Trossachs mountain range -- the gateway to the Highlands.

The course, designed and named after renowned Canadian golf architect Doug Carrick, was a labor of love, given it was the company's first venture in the home of golf. Being located in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, brought its own unique set of rules and regulations.

This included working with a team of archaeologists from the University of Glasgow, which unearthed artifacts dating back upwards of 4,000 years -- making it the most significant archaeological findings in Western Scotland to date.

What was created in the aftermath was a stunning championship course, a traditional Scottish heathland track possessing revetted pot bunkers, closely mown chipping hollows and plantings of gorse and heather.

Its 18 holes -- 5,200 yards, from the front tees, to 7,086 yards from the championship tees -- weave their way around the loch and the mountains with the ninth tee located in the Scottish Lowlands, while the green is in the Highlands. The front nine is relatively flat, while the back nine fits in with its Highland surroundings.

Water dominates the opening four holes, while the approach to the turn features two testing par 5s, including the eighth, which possesses no few than 15 bunkers.

The 14th, a 199-yard par 3 called "Tappet Doon," is the course's signature hole with an elevated tee offering tremendous views of Loch Lomond and the mountains. The green lies 60 feet below.

Great Britain & Ireland captain Gary Alliss was in awe of the course and believes it will offer both teams a real test of the skills.

"The par threes really stood out -- they were a really good mix, not just big boomers," he said. "The course also has some strong par fives, which we can push up if we want to make it exciting. It has a prevailing wind and it's going to be a challenge and a very fair challenge at that.

"Meanwhile the greens are undulating and tricky and players will really need to get the right club to get into right part of the green so club selection will be important for positioning."

The course, which has hosted two Scottish Ladies Open championships, is part of the five-star flagship De Vere Deluxe Cameron House resort.

Cameron House has been receiving visitors since the sixteenth century though parts of the cellars of the main House date back to the remains of an old keep built in the 1400's. In the 1650's the House came into the ownership of the Smollett family and remained with them until 1990 when the House became what is now known as Cameron House Hotel.