Shotts is generally regarded as one of the best courses in Lanarkshire, with the acclaimed 4th hole - Devil's Elbow - being one of the toughest holes in Lanarkshire, if not Scotland. The course was designed by legendary course designer James Braid in 1936.

The course begins with a relatively easy downhill par 4, with a short iron normally required for the approach shot from the fairway. The course then runs alongside the Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line for the following two holes before taking a turn back up hill with the notoriously difficult par 4 4th. The course then returns to the club house and car park at the 8th green and 9th tee, before the first par 5, the right to left dogleg 10th hole. Hole 16 is a very long par 3, and if you earn a par there it is something to be more than delighted about. The course finishes with the relatively short par 4 17th, which dips into a hollow with the railway on the left, before a long uphill par 4 to finish, the 18th.