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AYRSHIRE, Scotland - The Open Championship returns this summer to the west coast of Scotland, where some of major championship golf's most memorable moments have occurred.
Three of golf's most thrilling tussles have taken place at Royal Troon, where Henrik Stenson outlasted Phil Mickelson in 2016; and Trump Turnberry's Ailsa Course, where Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus in the retro classic "Duel in the Sun" in 1977, 32 years before losing to Stewart Cink in a 2009 playoff.
The best part of The Open Championship rota is any golfer can play the host courses, unlike the exclusive private clubs that traditionally hold most U.S. Opens and PGA Championships. You can play at Troon and Turnberry - the undisputed kings of golf in Ayrshire. Beyond that dynamic duo, though, a plethora of interesting and fun lesser-known links dot the coastline south of Glasgow.
I've been lucky enough to play most of them in two separate trips to the region almost a decade apart. Although most Americans give Ayrshire the driveby treatment, I'd recommend bedding down for the week and playing them all. I'm guessing a few golf tourists are doing exactly that in the next couple of weeks with The Open returning to Royal Troon for the 10th time. Tee times can be booked for many of these links right from the pictures in this article or you can book either of the two golf packages we offer to Ayrshire (see below).
Here's my ranking of the best golf courses along Scotland's Ayrshire Coast:
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Trump Turnberry Resort - Ailsa Course
Politics aside, I don't think too many people will argue with one of the most scenic links in the world being No. 1. For me, it's a personal choice. I've experienced heaven - a hole in one on the old 11th after staying in the Tom Watson suite the night before - and hell - collapsing in a match on the newly redesigned routing nine years later. It's hard to focus on the golf with so much else to see - the iconic lighthouse, views of Ailsa Craig offshore and the cross, a war memorial on the back nine honoring the men who perished serving Turnberry's airstrips during the first and second World Wars.
What Ayrshire links do you love best? Share your stories with us in the comments below.
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Royal Troon - Old Course
Two of golf's most famous holes reside at Royal Troon - the 123-yard 'Postage Stamp' par 3 at No. 8 and 'Railway' at No. 11, a narrow par 4 pinched by train tracks and gorse. The links is flat and forgiving to start during the opening holes along the water before a climb into some dunes ups the ante starting at the seventh. A minefield of pot bunkers makes navigating the course in the wind the biggest challenge.
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Western Gailes
![Western Gailes GC: #6]()
Built on one of the narrowest plots of land for golf in the world, Western Gailes is wedged between railroad tracks and the sea, never more than two holes wide. This routing might sound predictable, but with a mix of dunes, deep pots and a few burns (streams), Western Gailes beguiles and inspires at the same time.
![Ailsa Golf Course at Trump Turnberry, a Luxury Collection Resort]()
West Coast Scotland Open Championship Golf PackageTroon , ScotlandSOUTHWEST SCOTLAND | Enjoy 7 nights' accommodations at the Marine Hotel in Troon and 5 rounds of golf at Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club, Prestwick Golf Club, Ailsa Golf Course at Trump Turnberry, a Luxury Collection Resort, Dundonald Links, and Western Gailes Golf Club. -
Prestwick Golf Club
![Prestwick Golf Club]()
It's hard to rank Prestwick this low because of its incredible history and one-of-a-kind playing experience. The club hosted the first Open in 1860 and went on to host 23 more before it dropped off the rota in 1925. Its severe collection of blind shots aren't every golfer's cup of tea, but playing it once on a bucket-list trip leaves most visitors wanting more.
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Dundonald Links
In the past few years, new owners have invested heavily in Dundonald, a modern links by Kyle Phillips that's grown into a resort of sorts with comfortable accommodations and a new clubhouse that is home to a fantastic restaurant and spa-like facilities in the locker rooms. The links, dissected by burns that define its toughest holes, has hosted both men's and women's Scottish Opens.
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Trump Turnberry - King Robert the Bruce Course
Turnberry, South AyrshireResortA 2017 overhaul by Donald Steel and Martin Ebert transformed the old Kintyre Course into the scenic King Robert the Bruce Course, named after the 14th-century Scottish king who led Scotland's fight for independence against England. It's got more parkland features than its sister course but still delivers some outstanding views of the water, lighthouse and Ailsa Craig.
Golf on the Isle of Arran and the Kintyre Peninsula
Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club: Teeing up the world's greatest 12-hole course in Scotland![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 4]()
The scenery overload hits hard on the fourth hole of the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - Honesty Box]()
There's an Honesty Box if the pro shop is closed at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - first tee]()
Teeing off on no. 1 of the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club launches a links journey unlike any other. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 1]()
The 385-yard first hole is the longest of the four par 4s at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 2]()
Beware of the burn guarding the second green at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 3]()
The blind par-3 third hole at Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club is called "Crows Nest". Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - third green]()
When golfers crest the hill, the tiny third green at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club is revealed. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 4 views]()
The downhill, par-3 fourth is one of the most dramatic moments at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 4 walking path]()
The walk to the fourth green at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club is memorable. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 5]()
The 244-yard tee shot on no. 5 at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club requires driver and often plays into the wind. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 6]()
The blind sixth hole at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club ends in a bowl at this green. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 7]()
After putting out on no. 7 at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club, golfers pull this level to signal to the group behind that they can hit their blind tee shots over the hill. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 9]()
The 509-yard ninth is the only par 5 at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 10]()
No. 10 is called "Paradise" at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - walkers]()
Being only 12 holes, the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club is a pleasant walk. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - hole 12]()
Even on a gloomy day, the views are spectacular at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - clubhouse]()
The Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club's clubhouse is tiny and understated, just like the course. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass![Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club - Crow's Nest Restaurant]()
The Crow's Nest Restaurant at the Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club sits above the clubhouse featuring nice views. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPassWhile the links in Ayrshire are as good as anywhere in Great Britain & Ireland, golfers visiting the west coast of Scotland can also expand their territory to explore the Isle of Arran or the Kintyre Peninsula . Both are reachable by CalMac ferry from Ayrshire's Ardrossan harbour. I explored Arran in 2022, playing two of its seven golf courses - Broderick near the ferry terminal and the celebrated Shiskine Golf & Tennis, the most stunning 12-hole course in the world.
When I played the highly ranked duo of Machrihanish and Machrihanish Dunes in 2013, I rode the car ferry to Campbeltown and drove the three hours back to Glasgow to catch a flight home. Both links complement one another so well with Machrihanish's historic Old Tom Morris roots dating to 1878 and the Dunes a modern links by David McLay Kidd that debuted more than a century later in 2009.
![Shiskine Golf & Tennis: #6]()
Blackwaterfoot, Isle of Arran![Brodick GC: Fairway View]()
Brodick, Isle of Arran![14th hole at Machrihanish Dunes]()
Machrihanish, Argyll![Machrihanish GC - Championship: #2]()
Campbeltown, Argyll![Corrie GC: #1]()
Corrie, Isle of Arran![Lamlash GC]()
Lamlash, Isle of Arran![Lochranza GC]()
Lochranza, Isle of Arran![Machrie Bay GC: #1]()
Machrie Bay, Isle of Arran![Whiting Bay GC]()
Whiting Bay, Isle of Arran![Machrihanish GC]()
Campbeltown, Argyll -
The Irvine Golf Club
When it comes to quirky fun links golf, the Irvine Golf Club (sometimes called "Irvine Bogside" by the locals) delivers the goods. Holes 3 through 6 are incredibly tricky. A treacherous pit swallows up misses short or left of the third green. The fourth plays to an elevated green banked against a stone wall of the railway. The fifth climbs to the heavens, a 287-yard hole that seems to play 350 yards. The second shot on the sixth hole falls off a steep ridge to a blind fairway and green below. It's a thrilling rollercoaster ride that continues for all 18 holes.
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Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club
![Kilmarnock (Barassie) GC - The Barassie Links: #4]()
Troon, South AyrshireKilmarnock Barassie, a proud semi-private club dating to 1887 that allows overseas visitors, is located adjacent to both Dundonald and Western Gailes, so it sometimes gets lost in such a competitive local golf scene. The club, which has produced a solid line of Walker Cup players, has tweaked its routing in recent years. Holes 5 and 7 run along the railway that separates the links from Western Gailes.
![Western Gailes Golf Club]()
West Coast Scotland Hidden Gems Golf PackageTroon , ScotlandSOUTHWEST SCOTLAND | Enjoy 7 nights' accommodations at Piersland House Hotel and 5 rounds of golf at Western Gailes Golf Club, Dundonald Links, Gailes Links, Prestwick Golf Club, and Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club. -
Glasgow Golf Club - Gailes Links
Glasgow Gailes (dating to 1892) lacks some of the charisma of the other local links, but its championship pedigree as an Open qualifying site from 2014-17, friendly staff and members and generally great conditions help to overcome that weakness. Snaking fairways are lined with fescue rough and gorse bushes ready to snatch anything too crooked.
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Prestwick St. Nicholas
A par 69 playing roughly 6,000 yards, Prestwick St. Nicholas has ties to Old Tom Morris and touts a claim as being the 26th-oldest club in the world. It's also likely Ayrshire's best value play, although the Troon city munis - Fullerton, Darling and Lochgreen - are in that conversation as well.
![Troon Links - Lochgreen]()
Troon, South Ayrshire![Troon Links - Fullarton's 13th green]()
Troon, South Ayrshire![Troon Links - Darley's 6th green]()
Troon, South Ayrshire
