Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland's western Lowlands. It's famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city's 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Today it's a national cultural hub, home to institutions including the Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and National Theatre of Scotland, as well as acclaimed museums and a thriving music scene.
Dundonald Links, which opened in 2003, often flies under the radar. Look for that to change as it hosts the 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
The links of Ayrshire along the west coast of Scotland were created for well heeled vacationers traveling by train from Glasgow and Edinburgh more than a century ago. Many of the railway stops have been lost to history, but the cherished links live on. Of the dozen or more links courses in Ayrshire, Jason Scott Deegan offers up the five best places to tee it up for a trip to remember.
Because the Open Championship was first played at Prestwick, the southwest of Scotland occupies a special place in the hearts of many. Although Prestwick is no longer on the Open rota, Troon and Turnberry most definitely are, and there are probably more outstanding golf courses in this most beautiful corner of the country than there are anywhere in the world.
Will newcomers complain about the changes made to the historic Turnberry hotel under Donald Trump's watch? No. Jason Scott Deegan has more from South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Golfers the world over know St. Andrews is where the game began, but golfing in Scotland does not end with St. Andrews. Here, Clive Agran begins his series of "Scotland Beyond St. Andrews" with a look at golf in southwest Scotland, including Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry Resort, host of the epic "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in the 1977 British Open.
Fans of British Open history and scholarly disciples of Romantic poetry alike will find their own song along the southwest coast of Ayrshire in Scotland. Turnberry, Royal Troon and Prestwick next door anchor this region for traveling golfers, but there are plenty other links worth visiting while you're here -- enough for a week or more.
Brandon Tucker recently spent two days at Turnberry Resort and moments from the 2009 Open kept racing through his mind, from Tom Watson's demise on the 72nd hole, to Tiger Woods' meltdown and missed cut. Tucker shares more on his first visit to Turnberry Resort since 2006 -- three years before the Open and the resort's extensive renovations.
Since 2014, Donald Trump has completely transformed the iconic Turnberry Resort in Scotland. The debut of the King Robert The Bruce Golf Course is just another step in creating one of the best links golf resorts in the world.
Dundonald Links might be young compared to its historic neighbors -- Royal Troon, Western Gailes and Prestwick -- but the site does have some interesting history. There was an early course named the Dundonald Golf Club from 1911-1936 before the land was taken over by the military. Architect Kyle Phillips brought golf back here, creating a 7,100-yard modern links that opened in 2003. He uses wide fairways cut through man-made dunes to make players feel confident before tightening the shot-making demands on the approach.
Without any views of the water, the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club tends to be overlooked by golfers touring Scotland's west coast. It's not so easily dismissed by the R&A, however. The Gailes Links has been named the only Scottish links that will host the final Open Championship qualifier for four consecutive years, beginning in 2014. Long grass and gorse pinches its fairways. With only two par 5s and three par 3s, players must churn out pars on one tough par 4 after another for a decent score.
Although it doesn't have a history of Open Championships, Western Gailes Golf Club still seduces golfers into loving this narrow links just as much -- if not more -- than its prestigious neighbors, Royal Troon and Prestwick. Founded in 1897, Western Gailes serves as a qualifying site whenever the Open visits Royal Troon or Turnberry. It plays every bit as tough as other Open venues when the wind kicks up.
Royal Troon Golf Club, a 7,202-yard par-71 course dating to 1878, will host its ninth Open Championship in 2016. Royal Troon features the "Postage Stamp" hole -- the iconic, pint-sized, par-3 eighth -- but the closing stretch is among the toughest in golf. It's here that Open Championships are won and lost. When the wind blows off the Firth, there is no tougher closing championship test.
Prestwick Golf Club hasn't held an Open Championship in nearly 90 years, yet only the Old Course at St. Andrews has hosted more Opens than this venerable club. Prestwick might be too short and too quirky to host an Open today, but golfers shouldn't pass up the chance to play such a historic treasure. Old and Young Tom Morris, Willie Park and Harry Vardon have all won at Prestwick.
Just a few minutes south of Loch Lomond G.C. is a resort course anyone can play: The Carrick on Loch Lomond, part of the luxurious Cameron House Hotel. The golf course opened in 2007 and was designed by Canadian architect Doug Carrick. It plays to 7,082 yards from the back set of five tee boxes.
One of the world's great links -- the Ailsa Course at Trump Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire, Scotland -- has emerged from an eight-month renovation better than ever.
If you polled the lucky few who have played all nine Open Championship venues, it's likely the Ailsa Course at Turnberry Resort would end up as the favorite links. Few courses can match wits with the Ailsa's magical combination of scenery and tournament lore of four Opens.