TROON, Scotland — An estimated 250,000 golf fans will flock to Royal Troon to watch the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods compete in the British Open.
The Kelly family, however, may have the best vantage point when the 152nd edition begins on Thursday. “Blackrock House” sits in the middle of the championship course and has views of five holes.
His private home, half of a two-family structure, has drawn particular attention this week because of the “for sale” signs posted around it.
The Kellys have watched three editions of the British Open from their front garden, including an epic duel in 2016 when Henrik Stenson beat Phil Mickelson.
“I was standing on that wall,” Andrew Kelly said, pointing to the concrete wall that separates one side of the property from the par-5 16th green, where Mickelson’s eagle putt stopped tantalizingly short and the crowd sighed.
“And watching them play on the 18th hole as well,” he said of the final tee, right in front of the house. “It’s fantastic, you’re right here and you have everything happening around you. You’re spoiled for choice, to be honest.”
Other views, either from the lawn or the upstairs bedroom, include the green on hole No. 2, as well as the tees on No. 3 and No. 17.
“There is no other house like this in the UK or potentially internationally that is located on a championship golf course right in the middle of it rather than backing onto it,” said John Kelly, Andrew’s brother.
The timing of the sale is an unfortunate coincidence. David and Isabel Kelly had bought it around 1990. David died less than two years ago at the age of 91. Isabel died unexpectedly only recently.
“This Open is different for us because our mother just passed away last month,” Andrew Kelly said.
“That’s why we’re selling the house. So this Open is going to be a bittersweet event for us,” he added. “We were going to sell it anyway, so we decided to stage it during the Open, as you can imagine, that’s probably the best time to do it. So we’re not going to move from here and remember our parents during the Open.”
Dad played at Hilton Head and Pebble Beach, as well as Troon. Mom also played and was a big fan. They are all members of Troon.
“We were still getting everything ready so my mum could enjoy the Open, because she loved being here,” Andrew said. “She loved it. She used to play golf when she was younger and go on golf holidays and things like that.”
Isabel’s credential for this week’s Open hangs in a front window.
So the million-dollar question: How much will it cost to buy the property? The Kellys declined to specify the asking price, saying the real estate company would release it this week.
The firm, Strutt and Parker, did not return a call and Royal Troon itself did not respond to an email asking if the club had shown interest in it. The owner of the other house has said the club had never contacted him to discuss buying it.
Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, has noticed the property but said it blends in somewhat with the large corporate tents set up behind the Open house.
“If I came here in six months, when there are no more shops and buildings, I think it would be much more unusual,” he said.
In 2007, the other side was bought for £705,000 ($915,000), although that was below the £850,000 ($1.1 million) sale price advertised in the Telegraph newspaper, which described a four-bedroom home with “a sunroom to watch the world’s top players splash past in the rain.”
Off the course, but overlooking the 17th hole, a house sold in 2013 for £950,000 ($1.2 million).
The word “Blackrock cottage” appears on maps in 1878, when Troon was established as a six-hole golf course.
In 1912 permission was granted for the construction of a single-family dwelling unit, although with some stipulations because Scotland was under a feudal system at the time.
Information about the property available at the Registers of Scotland (a government office that maintains land records) shows that William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, granted the property privately but “reserving to the said Duke of Portland and his heirs and successors all metals, coal, limestone, sandstone and minerals and fossils of every kind within the grounds…”
Unfortunately, as far as we know, no minerals were discovered, but the valuable views remained.
As well as golf, the property also offers views across the Firth of Clyde to the Isle of Arran. If you look closely, you can just make out the ‘Sleeping Warrior’ in the profile of the hills.
Although it is not for everyone.
“It’s not private enough for me,” Evelyn Russell said.
Evelyn and her husband, Gordon Russell, saw the “for sale” sign on the property Monday when they were walking through the field.
“It’s going to be crazy at the end of the week,” Gordon said.
In addition to the Open crowds — and the wind and rain, of course — there’s also the odd golf ball that lands on the patio when the regulars are playing.
The club’s Old Course scorecard specifies that the boundaries of the course include “the gardens of Blackrock House, off Crosbie Road. (A ball played into the gardens cannot be recovered).”
Isabel Kelly’s old Honda in the driveway shows evidence of stray gunfire.
“It’s just a little dent,” Andrew Kelly said.
They don’t care about crowds.
“It comes around once every few years, so you enjoy it while it’s here,” he said.