Southwest
Golf Courses
Links golf courses:
Kilmarnock
Barrassie Golf Club | Machrihanish
Golf Club | Prestwick
Old Course | Royal
Troon Golf Club | Western
Gailes | Turnberry, Ailsa Course |
Kilmarnock,
Barrassie Golf Club
An Open qualifier it offers a
good test of links golf. Huge slick greens, a wandering
burn, railway lines, heather and fierce gorse plus fairway
bunkers, all mean you have to be wary especially if
there is a 'wee' wind blowing off the coast. A beautiful
links golf course that is just waiting to be enjoyed
by those in the know.
Machrihanish
Golf Club
One of the greatest thrills in
World golf is to stand on the 1st tee at the wonderful
Machrihanish GC. Continuously voted the best opening
hole in golf it has a 'get out' carry of 150 yards across
the bay with the Atlantic Ocean pounding onto the beach
to your left. If you take on too much of this 428 yard
dog-leg left and do not quite connect, your going to
be either building sand castles on the beach or having
a wee paddle in search of the ball.
This is another truly brilliant
natural links course, always in immaculate condition,
with many blind shots and lovely greens that will require
all your skills to master. On his first visit to Machrihanish
to extend the course, in 1879, Old Tom Morris commented
that "The Almichity had gowff in his e’e
(eye) when he made this place”.
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Prestwick
Old Course
This is where it all started
in relation to the Open Championship back in 1860. An
extraordinary introduction to links golf for the uninitiated
and a delight for those who have been to Scotland before.
Remember to listen to your caddie
as you will find that line and club selection are paramount.
A fantastic challenge.
Royal
Troon Golf Club
Venue for the 2004 Open Championship
it has the classic links out and in layout. The first
six are straight out from the clubhouse it then turns
left, right and back on itself for six more, which includes
one of Scotland's, if not the worlds, most famous par
3s, the 8th 'Postage Stamp'. The final six return to
the clubhouse and a well earned rest as generally you
will have been playing into the wind, if blowing, on
the way home.
A superb course which is reflected
in the calibre of it's past Open Champions Locke, Palmer,
Wieskopf, Watson, Calcavecchia and Leonard. The 2004
Open winner Todd Hamilton, although relatively unknown
outside of the Asian Golf Tour, certainly proved his
credentials by challenging and overcoming not only his
playing partner, Ernie Els but also 2004 Masters Champion
Phil Mickelson, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.
A fantastic tournament with golfers producing great
golf over a classic links course that played hard and
fair.
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Western
Gailes
Regarded as one of Scotland’s
top links with many magnificent golfing holes. The course
has a multitude of wee grasping pot bunkers, scattered
across undulating fairways, which are waiting patiently
for the wayward. The greens are wonderfully protected
and every shot you have ever practiced will be called
into play.
Western Gailes has held several
Scottish Amateur Championships, the PGA Championship
and is regularly used as a final qualifier for the Open.
see also:
Map Page | Kingdom of
Golf | Highland Golf Courses
| Southeast Golf Courses
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