Golf Outings by TAXItravel
Picture this... playing on some of Scotland's finest courses and having someone else do all the driving, sound good?
Read about some of Scotland's finest golf courses below and easily get a quotation for each
Scotland's Golf Course's
While some say that Fife was the cradle of golf, others claim that Ayrshire, and in particular the coast which often enjoys a mild climate when the rest of Britain is shivering, is its heart.
Ayrshire is best known for its dazzling array of challenging links courses and two in particular – the Open Championship venues of Turnberry and Royal Troon. And it is also where the first Open Championship was staged at Prestwick.
Turnberry, which last hosted The Open in 2009, is an ideal location for a golfing holiday with two championship courses (the Ailsa and the Kintyre) overlooked by the impressive five-star hotel that can also offer private lodge accommodation for parties of golfers.
Ailsa's lighthouse hole is one of the most photographed in the world. Even if you're not playing it, take a look. The rocks are 390 million years old and from the green you can see the remains of Robert the Bruce's castle.
Just up the road is another classic, Royal Troon, an undulating links full of bumps and hollows and rated amongst the world's best. Founded in 1878, it is best known for its short eighth hole, known as the Postage Stamp. Only 126 yards, but it can take anything from a 3-iron to a wedge depending on the wind. Not everyone has enjoyed the experience. In the1950 Open, Herman Tissies, a German amateur, took 15 blows to get down.
Even if you are not contemplating playing it, visit Prestwick where the first Open was held in 1860. Take time to visit the stone cairn, close to the putting green, which is on the site of the original first tee. Imagine all those years ago Young Tom Morris, perhaps the first superstar of golf, facing the monster of the then first which stretched to 578 yards and ponder how, using hickory shaft and a gutty ball, he managed to hole out in three.
In Ayrshire you are spoilt for choice and some of the many courses worth playing are Kilmarnock Barassie, Irvine Bogside, Dundonald Links and the quirky Girvan.
And the island of Arran – a 55-minute ferry trip across the Firth of Clyde - is a golfing destination all on its own with seven courses, including the intriguing 12-hole Shiskine, all offering different challenges.
Golf Courses in Ayrshire & Arran
A challenging 18-hole par-course with a driving range and golf academy that includes a full children’s programme including expert tuition.Â
One of Britain’s finest public courses. A championship parkland/heathland course opened in 1927 with beech trees and a burn influencing shots. A good short game is needed here with large undulating greens, several on plateaux, protected by bunkers. Beautiful sea views. Designed by James Braid. Also the Seafield Course, a tight, hazardous course with some dangerous bunkers and smaller greens. A mixture of 10 parkland and 8 links holes. Wooded and rolling, it has only three holes that exceed 400 yards.
A classic Scottish links although a relative newcomer. Designer Kyle Phillips admits he set out to create a links that played as though it was an old, rediscovered course - and he succeeded. With all great courses there is a sting in the tail with the par-5 18th providing a testing finish. It's all about accuracy and a well-placed drive and the approach shot has to be spot-on because a burn meanders across the front and to the right of the green. When bought by the Loch Lomond Club in 2003 it was known as Southern Gailes and was renamed Dundonald Links to reflect the history of the site. Nearby there is a hill on which fortifications have been located dating back to the period 500 through 200 BC. During the Second World War it was known as Dundonald Camp and was used to rehearse the D Day landings.
This championship links course with heather-lined fairways, superb turf, fine greens and subtle qualities is the seaside course of the Glasgow Golf Club, which was established in 1787. The course was opened in 1892, making the Glasgow Club unique in having two courses 30 miles apart, although the current layout was completed in 1912 by Willie Park Jnr. It is a final qualifying course for the 2009 Open Championship and will be co-host to the 2012 Amateur Championship.
Very testing links/heathland course used as a final qualifying course when the Open Championship is held at Royal Troon or Turnberry. Established in 1887 and designed by James Braid. Along with Royal Troon co-hosted the 2003 British Amateur Championship.
Established in 1887, this relatively flat seaside course with much heather is a qualifying course for the Open Championship. It has great turf and small, fast greens and is more challenging than it might appear. Golfers can play three different configurations of the club`s 27 holes
If you are as interested in the history of golf as the playing of the game, then Prestwick, the birthplace of the Open Championship on the west coast of Scotland, demands a visit. Here you will be walking in the footsteps of legends. Although when the Open was first played in 1860 it was over a 12-hole course of 3,799 yards, with a par in the mid-50s, the distinctive flavour of the Prestwick Old Course remains and seven of the original greens are in the same place. Whether playing or just lunching at the vast table which stretches the length of the room with history all around you, take time to visit the stone cairn, close to the putting green, which is on the site of the original first tee. Imagine all those years ago Young Tom Morris, perhaps the first superstar of golf, facing the monster of the then first which stretched to 578 yards and ponder how, using hickory shaft and a gutty ball, he managed to hole out in three on what is now the 16th green. Be prepared for a devilish test of golf, and if the wind and rain get up, the best of luck.
Dramatic would perhaps be the best way to describe Royal Troon, which hosted the 1997 Open Championship. When the wind blows on the Old Course strange things can happen on this classic undulating links, which is full of bumps and hollows and rated amongst the world’s best. Founded in 1878 by 24 local enthusiasts, the course consisted of only five holes but it rapidly grew in stature and hosted the Open Championship five times between 1923 and 1989 â€" and every time there was high drama. No less so than in 1997 when the world expected the new golfing phenomenon Tiger Woods to follow up his runaway triumph in the US Masters with something special in Scotland. But it was another American, Justin Leonard, who took the honours pulling back Swede Jesper Parnevik’s five-shot lead to win by three. Also the Portland Course which resembles a moorland course but has the challenges of a links and a 9-hole par-3 course.
course, venue for the 2009 Open Championship, but its much younger sister, the Kintyre course, has its fans too. The two courses dominate Turnberry’s 800 acres and a non-golfer could from their hotel room keep track of their partner’s progress with a powerful pair of binoculars.The old Arran course was completely redesigned as the Kintyre by Donald Steel as a championship standard course. It incorporates Bains Hill, a stunning stretch of land extending to the coastline. In common with the Ailsa, the Kintrye offers undulating greens, tight tee shots, pot bunkers and thick Scottish rough. There are some excellent holes, especially the 8th with a drive from an elevated tee towards the sea and a blind second to the green set in a gully by the rocks.There is also the 9-hole Arran course.
Provided by Scotland's Golf Courses