Lochgreen, one of three municipal courses in the town of Troon, is the kind of modest layout overseas golfers might play only in a pinch—perhaps if they, like me, had just flown in and simply couldn’t wait any longer to strike a ball off Scottish turf. The opening holes plod over flattish, boggy ground, but as you jog up a rise to the fifth tee the scenery changes entirely: Pot bunkers and gorse define a linksy par four that parallels a rail line. Across the tracks lie the rumpled fairways of Royal Troon, and out at sea rises the Isle of Arran. Welcome to southwest Scotland.
That even a humble muni could paint such a stirring tableau testifies to the depth of quality golf along the Ayrshire coast. “As one approaches Prestwick,” Bernard Darwin once wrote, “the train seems to be voyaging through one endless and continuous golf course.” This dense concentration of excellent links is of great appeal, as with Gullane and St. Andrews to the east, but while you’re over here you almost have to add another leg to the journey and experience Machrihanish. The once-isolated village on the Kintyre Peninsula is now readily accessible by sea and air, and later this year David McLay Kidd’s Machrihanish Dunes will open next door to the historic Old Tom Morris links that for decades has been drawing golfers to this distant shore.
Where to Play
Prestwick Golf Club
After the Old Course at St. Andrews, Prestwick Golf Club may be the game’s greatest shrine. It was here that the first dozen Open Championships were contested, on a twelve-hole course laid out by Old Tom Morris. The course, long since extended to eighteen holes, sits on a wildly undulating piece of land that’s bisected by a burn and bounded by a railway on one side and the sea on the other. Having been declared untenable as an Open site because of its lack of space, Prestwick retains many of its wonderful original features. The Cardinal bunker on number three, with its facing of railroad ties, is of a scale seldom seen, and the “buried elephants” leading to the hole’s bunkerless green give the impression you’re walking through a fun house. Prestwick’s famous blind holes, the fifth (Himalayas) and the seventeenth (Alps), each requiring a shot of faith over a towering dune, have to be seen to be believed. On almost any other course, such quirkiness would feel contrived. Here, somehow, it all works.
2 Links Road, Prestwick, Ayrshire. Architects: Old Tom Morris, 1851, 1882; James Braid, 1908, 1913, 1922. Yardage: 6,778. Par: 71. Green Fees: $165–$282. Contact: 011-44/1292-479-483, prestwickgc.co.uk.
Royal Troon Golf Club
It can be hard to cozy up to Royal Troon. There’s an officiousness about the club (to play the championship Old Course, for example, you must also pay for a round on the lesser Portland Course) and a stern edge to its fabled links. The routing forges out and back through low dunes, leading to no precipitous cliffs or iconic lighthouse. Yet there is still much to admire. The Postage Stamp eighth, whose 123-yard carry can demand anything from a sand wedge to a fairway wood depending on the wind—avoid the coffin bunker on the left at all cost—deserves its acclaim. Far less discussed is the delightful mid-length par four that precedes it. The first hole to change direction, this dogleg right calls for a tee shot placed either within a pocket of fairway between four bunkers or beyond it and clear of two more pits on the left. The narrow green sits above a gully and clings to sand hills on either side. A highlight of the homeward stretch is the par-three seventeenth, which demands a long, straight shot into the prevailing wind to reach a plateau green with falloffs left and right.
Craigend Road, Troon, Ayrshire. Architects: George Strath, 1885; Willie Fernie, 1888; James Braid, 1923. Yardage: 7,150. Par: 71. Green Fee: $429 (includes lunch and a round on Troon’s Portland Course). Contact: 011-44/1292-311-555, royaltroon.co.uk.
Turnberry, Ailsa
Immortalized by the epic battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 Open—the first held at Turnberry—the Ailsa occupies one of golf’s most spectacular settings. At the par-three fourth, the course begins its bracing ascent up the rocky coast toward the romantic lighthouse, anticipation building with every hole until you reach the clifftop green at the eighth and step onto the pulpit tee at nine. Even many of the non-postcard holes, such as fifteen, a par three that plays over a ravine and into the prevailing wind, are exhilarating. In preparation for the Open’s return here, in 2009, the R&A recently added twenty-one fairway bunkers, including three on the tenth alone, and built mounding and planted gorse along the left side of sixteen, turning it from a straight hole into a dogleg right. Purists might question the wisdom of carrying out such extensive changes, but fortunately they take little away from the ground game: Only the par-five seventeenth no longer allows approach shots to run up.
Turnberry, Ayrshire. Architects: Willie Fernie, 1901; Philip Mackenzie Ross, 1951. Yardage: 7,224. Par: 70. Green Fees: $175–$390. Contact: 011-44/1655-334-032, turnberry.co.uk.
Machrihanish Golf Club
Brad Faxon once described Machrihanish as the “linksiest” course he’d ever seen, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone who has made the pilgrimage would disagree. This unspoiled stretch of coastline is defined by heaving dunes, encountered in the heart of the fairways as well as in the woolly rough. Drives don’t so much roll as bound off the steep and irregular slopes. The opening tee shot over a corner of the ocean speaks for itself, but it isn’t until the uphill approach on number two that the roller-coaster ride begins. The rest of the front nine romps through a succession of sand hills that lie above and at a slight remove from the water, exposing golfers to buffeting winds and yielding some mesmerizing views. At the par-four seventh, all but the longest drives leave blind approach shots that must be played over a series of ridges shaped like sea swells; the massive green, meanwhile, pitches from front to back. Although the course loses speed after turning inland at nine, it presents enough clever features—notably the green on the par-five twelfth, which is tucked around a dune—to hold a player’s attention.
Campbeltown, Argyll. Architects: Charles Hunter, 1876; Old Tom Morris, 1879. Yardage: 6,225. Par: 70. Green Fees: $50–$175. Contact: 011-44/1586-810-213, machgolf.com.
Western Gailes Golf Club
Ever since Gene Sarazen teed it up here in a 1923 exhibition, word of this invigorating links has spread among Americans in the know. Western Gailes was founded a generation earlier by a group of Glaswegian golfers who were attracted to the milder winters and unpolluted air that could be found an easy train ride away. The course they built extends along a narrow slice of dunes between the railway and the beach. It’s so brutally exposed to the elements that early on the club had to plant marram grass and ultimately erect a concrete barrier to stabilize the property’s seaward flank. Knobs and hollows abound here, including at the punchbowl second green. The course’s two finest holes come back to back: the par-five sixth, which crests a ridge between a pair of dunes and hurtles down to a green banked into a slope; and the minimalist one-shot seventh, simply an elevated tee and a well-bunkered green separated by more than one hundred and fifty yards of unmown ground.
Gailes, Irvine, Ayrshire. Architects: F. Morris, 1897; Fred Hawtree, 1978. Yardage: 6,899. Par: 71. Green Fees: $225–$245. Contact: 011-44/1294-311-649, westerngailes.com.
Dundonald Links
By most standards of links golf, Dundonald readily passes muster. The course, which is owned by Loch Lomond Golf Club and has been open to the public since early 2007, presents all the classic challenges: wind off the sea, hard-running fairways and heavily contoured greens whose aprons are closely shaved, sending noncommittal approaches trickling into the depths of burns and revetted bunkers. What’s lacking is the sense that the corridors were shaped by nature (instead of by man and machine, which in fact they were). The 170-yard par-three sixth, for example, is an excellent hole enclosed in amphitheater of dunes. If only it didn’t seem so perfect.
Ayr Road, Gailes, Ayrshire. Architect: Kyle Phillips, 2003. Yardage: 7,100. Par: 72. Green Fees: $97–$185. Contact: 011-44/1294-314-000, dundonaldlinks.com.
Turnberry, Kintyre
Playing a supporting role to Turnberry’s Ailsa is no easy task, but by and large the Kintyre performs it with aplomb. Donald Steel’s refashioning of the former Arran layout (after the acquisition of additional land) has heady scenes that prove it belongs in the Ailsa’s company, yet not so many as to upstage the star. After a string of solid if unremarkable inland holes, the Kintyre begins to climb Bains Hill, a former cattle farm that stitches the rest of the course to the breathtaking coast. Its greatest moment arrives at the short par-four eighth, where, after a sensible layup off the tee, the second shot is played to a green hidden in a cove below. It looks and feels as if you’re hitting straight out to sea.
Turnberry, Ayrshire. Architects: Willie Fernie, 1910; James Alexander, 1954; Donald Steel, 2000. Yardage: 6,861. Par: 72. Green Fees: $136–$253. Contact: 011-44/1655-334-032, turnberry.co.uk.
Best of the Rest
Prestwick St. Nicholas Golf Club (prestwickstnicholas.com) occupies a splendid if hemmed-in stretch of linksland a half mile south of its illustrious neighbor. The opening and closing holes steer through gorse-studded dunes and give one the pleasant feeling of playing through town. The James Braid–designed Irvine Golf Club Bogside (theirvinegolfclub.co.uk) is full of quirk, including back-to-back par fours under three hundred yards followed by a hefty two-shotter that ascends a ridge and then plunges to a river flat. Braid also brought his artistry to Belleisle Golf Course (golfsouthayrshire.com) in Ayr, a gentle parkland layout on a verdant country estate. The downhill par-four twelfth, its green shaded by a majestic beech, is itself worth the trip. Glasgow Gailes (glasgowgailes-golf.com), near Western Gailes and Dundonald, is a straightforward links on plainer terrain, with few blind shots and more heather than gorse. Just north of Troon, Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club (kbgc.co.uk) has no shortage of defenses: fields of heather, deep bunkers and large wavy greens. Its “standard scratch score” (or course rating) of seventy-four makes it a formidable site for final Open qualifying.
Where to Stay
Brig O’ Doon House
Any visitor with even a passing interest in Robert Burns will delight in staying at this small roadside guesthouse in Alloway, the birthplace of the beloved bard. Just beyond the back door rises the actual Brig o’ Doon, the keystone bridge over the River Doon where the climactic scene in “Tam o’ Shanter” takes place. And those unfamiliar with Burns will have no trouble appreciating the inn’s richly furnished bedrooms (the tartan carpets are a nice touch) as well as its hidden tearoom.
Alloway, Ayr, Ayrshire. Rooms: $165–$292. Contact: 011-44/1292-442-466, costley-hotels.co.uk.
Craigard House
Until the developers of Machrihanish Dunes complete their renovations on two nearby hotels, this homey Victorian-era mansion remains the finest lodging in southern Kintyre. Built as a whisky distiller’s residence and later converted to a maternity home (there are separate guest books for the mothers and babies of Craigard), the inn overlooks Campbeltown Loch. Its dinner menu showcases the local catch.
Low Askomil, Campbeltown, Argyll. Rooms: $107–$234. Contact: 011-44/1586-554-242, craigard-house.co.uk.
Lochgreen House
The U.K.’s respected AA (Automobile Association) named this forty-room manor on the outskirts of Troon Scotland’s hotel of the year in 2004, and it’s easy to see why. Surrounded by thirty acres of woodlands and gardens, Lochgreen House rings with bucolic charm. A crackling hearth greets guests as they walk in; the properly British study has a well-stocked bar; and the main restaurant, the Tapestry, celebrates seasonal produce.
Monktonhill Road, Southwood, Troon, Ayrshire. Rooms: $282–$545. Contact: 011-44/1292-313-343, costley-hotels.co.uk.
Marine hotel
This red-stone edifice, sometimes mistaken for the clubhouse at Royal Troon, stands magnificently beside the eighteenth fairway of the championship links. The Marine recently underwent a $7.8 million renovation, and its eighty-nine rooms, fully appointed spa and indoor pool, and upholstered bar all bear the markings of modern luxury.
8 Crosbie Road, Troon, Ayrshire. Rooms: $240–$465. Contact: 011-44/1292-314-444, paramount-hotels.co.uk.
Piersland House Hotel
The most affordable of Troon’s upscale accommodations, this century-old Tudor-style manor was designed by a noted Scottish architect for the grandson of Johnnie Walker. It sits on a lush estate within walking distance of Royal Troon. The thirty rooms and cottage suites aren’t quite lavish, but they offer plenty of comfort for weary travelers. Fittingly, the hotel’s Walker Bar, the more traditional of its two restaurants, maintains an enticing variety of blends and single malts.
Craigend Road, Troon, Ayrshire. Rooms: $190–$447. Contact: 011-44/1292-314-747, piersland.co.uk.
Westin Turnberry Resort
Built just over a hundred years ago on a hillside above the rugged South Ayrshire coast, this massive Edwardian hotel remains one of the grand lodgings in golf. Its long hallways and dormered guest rooms practically echo with conversations of travelers past, and its beds will be the softest you’ll sleep on during the entire trip. Westin’s parent, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, recently put the property up for sale, but no matter who the next owner is, it’s hard to imagine the resort and its state-of-the-art spa being anything short of regal.
Turnberry, Ayrshire. Rooms: $450–$772. Contact: 011-44/1655-331-000, turnberry.co.uk.
Where to Eat
Elliots (Scottish contemporary)
With its vases of orchids, its attractive young waitstaff and its appetizer of “Scottish tapas,” Elliots epitomizes a kind of fashionable eatery that hardly existed here a decade ago. But whether you welcome trendiness or try to avoid it, you’re apt to appreciate the restaurant’s sophisticated food. And for all its of-the-moment dishes, some of the best feature local ingredients, such as Ayrshire lamb and west coast langoustines.
132 Main Street, Prestwick, Ayrshire; 011-44/1292-677-677, elliots-prestwick.com. $$$
George Hotel (Gastropub)
If hunger calls during the lengthy drive between Glasgow and Machrihanish, this is the place to stop and replenish. For six generations, members of the Clark family have welcomed wayfarers to their spirited haunt in the lochside town of Inveraray. The snug, low-ceilinged bar offers a selection of cask-conditioned ales and more than a hundred whiskies. An adjoining pub, warmed by peat and log fires and hung with coats of arms, serves appropriately hearty fare.
Main Street East, Inveraray, Argyll; 011-44/1499-302-111, thegeorgehotel.co.uk. $$
MacCallums Oyster Bar (Seafood)
Few restaurants in Ayrshire are more enjoyable than this one, housed in a converted brick building at the far end of Troon’s working harbor. The freshness of the seafood is suggested by the whiff of brine off the water as you approach the front door. It’s fully announced in nimbly rendered classics such as raw oysters with shallot dressing, as well as Cullen skink, Scotland’s traditional smoked-haddock chowder.
The Harbour, Troon, Ayrshire; 011-44/1292-319-339. $$$
Wheatsheaf Inn (Scottish)
There’s much to be said about the updating of Scottish cuisine, but sometimes a visitor craves food informed by tradition rather than infused with the latest exotic spice. At this cozy seventeenth-century inn, popular offerings include warm smoked salmon and chicken breast stuffed with haggis. The Wheatsheaf is ten minutes from Royal Troon and Prestwick, and the proprietors count Seve Ballesteros and Tom Lehman among their notable guests.
3 Main Street, Symington, Ayrshire; 011-44/1563-830-307, wheatsheafsymington.co.uk. $$
Wildings (Scottish contemporary)
This modern restaurant just up the road from Turnberry features an impressive, fairly priced menu and wine list. The spacious dining room, furnished with striped banquettes and a blue-tile bar, may be a bit too brightly lit, but savory entrées including rack of lamb and peppercorn-encrusted duck are food for the soul.
Harbour Road, Maidens, Ayrshire; 011-44/1655-331-401, wildingsrestaurant.co.uk. $$$$
