Course: Crail Golf, Crail

As home to several of the world’s oldest golf clubs and courses, Scotland offers a deep look into the history of the game. One such course is the Balcomie track at Crail Golf Society – the 7th oldest golf club in the world. Starting with just 11 local golfers the Crail Golf Society was founded in 1786 and was originally located Sauchope, just outside the fishing village of Crail. Old Tom Morris re-designed the 9-hole layout originally designed by an unnamed local farmer and the course at Balcomie was born in 1894.

Old Tom Morris returned in 1898 to add another 9-holes to the original layout taking the length to 5,922 yards. Playing for a par of 69, Crail is not exactly a championship course, but testing nevertheless. The opening nine holes are stitched firmly to the shoreline and make for a pleasing yet challenging game. The back nine lies on solid, inland ground but again doesn’t let you off without a fight. The champion is the closing hole which leads you back to the sea shore and tests your golfing skills to their limits.

The outward nine is home to two successive par fours – the 4th and the 459 yard 5th, aptly named “Hell’s Hole”. An inaccurate shot could take you to the beach which was considered under threat during the First World War and consequently requisitioned for military use. The winds from the sea can wreak havoc and it pays to be thoughtful at this hole.

Although the back nine measures a mere 3000 yards, it offers a fine set of short holes comparable to the best. The 13th hole and the par three 14th are significant due to the challenge they pose to a golfer’s dexterity. The course is impeccably maintained with a solid terrain and fast, true-links greens. A pleasure to play on, the Balcomie at Crail is a fairly good test of a golfer’s skills. Though not too long, Crail offers a tough challenge on a track that has been played on since 1650.

Course: Carnoustie Golf Links, Carnoustie

Monster water hazards, formidable bunkers, three of the world’s most acclaimed closing holes and a course that is hard to find … Carnoustie is definitely one for the dogged golfer. Ranked 27th in the world for its demanding layout, Carnoustie is considered as one of the most difficult natural sea side links courses. Although there is little by way of dramatic scenery or a game-upstaging sea view, the beauty of the layout makes up for it.

Golf or “Gowff” has been played on these links since as far back as 1527 and there is evidence of a 10-hole course laid out in 1842. But the Carnoustie as we know it today was born of the labors of Old Tom Morris in 1857 with additions in 1926 by James Braid. “The Beast” hosted the British Open for the first time in 1931 and the championship has returned on five subsequent occasions since then.

The Championship course runs 6,941 yards par 72 and locks horns with Carnoustie’s famous Burns – the Jockey Burn and the Barry Burn – several times. The water hazards have ruined the day for one player a many and if it doesn’t go too well imagine Jean Van de Velde mulling over a shot, standing knee-deep in Barry Burn! If water is not on your mind at Carnoustie, the bunkering certainly will be. Most holes are guarded fiercely by bunkers making it a thinker’s game all throughout. Cases in point are the par five - 6th called the “Long” and “Hogan’s Alley”.

Carnoustie offers a memorable round with holes like the 15th, 16th and the 17th – some of the toughest closing holes in the world. However, despite the tough layout and the fiendish weather Carnoustie stays in the top ten list of every golfer’s wish list and is a true test of skills. 

Course: Western Gailes Golf Club – Irvine

The Western Gailes Golf Club in Irvine boasts of perhaps one of the most unusual golf tracks in Scotland. For one, the course is placed on the narrowest strips of linksland in Ayrshire between the Irvine Bay and railway tracks making it the northernmost links course on the Ayrshire coastline. Next, the clubhouse is located in what can only be described as the ‘middle’ of the course and finally there are the railway tracks - frankly, how often do you expect to find a railway track on a golf course?

In 1897, the father-son duo of Willie Park Sr. and Jr. were commissioned by four unknown Glaswegians to create a challenging course and the result was the Western Gailes Golf Club. During the mid – 70s, several holes were re-worked by Fred Hawtree when a new road construction ate into the original layout. However the essence of the course at Western Gailes is not lost at all and this 6,899 yards layout continues to enthrall the purists.

Playing for a par of 71, Western Gailes is essentially a nine out nine back course with the initial four holes face north running along the railway track with a heap of gorse and heather playing hazards. The next nine play to the sea and well kept greens are defended by fierce bunkers here. The closing five head back north towards the clubhouse and cross the railway track again.

Stiff winds can make this course difficult even for the most accomplished player as Harry Vardon found out when he won the first major tournament here in 1903. Since then Western Gailes has hosted many prominent events like the Curtis Cup, Scottish PGA Championships and the Scottish Amateur Championships.

With gently rolling fairways dissected by three burns and a ditch, lightening fast greens and several sand dunes, Western Gailes is a pleasure and a challenge.