Course: Prestwick Golf Club “ Prestwick

The Prestwick Golf Club was founded in 1851as a 12-hole course with Old Tom Morris as the keeper of the green. If this did not augur greater things for the course, then the British Open Championship was born at Prestwick in 1860 and raised lovingly for 13 years till it passed on to St. Andrews in 1873.

Located on the renowned golfing landscape of the Ayrshire Coast, Prestwick hosted the Championship 24 times, except for in 1871, when there no trophy to play for! The Claret Jug was purchased for a princely sum of £30 and the next championship was promptly won by Young Tom Morris who was on a winning spree.

The course was expanded by 6 holes in 1883 and the new 18-hole track has remained unaltered since then. At least seven of the original greens are still intact and are often hidden in hollows leading to blind shots or sitting on elevated grounds. The greens are fast and firm and required a skilled hand to negotiate through.

The Pow Burn makes several appearances as a water hazard on a unique set of interesting holes protected by heather and gorse. Add some wicked Scots style bunkers to the scenery and you have the recipe for a blemished scorecard. The layout is a sinuous series of holes winding in and out of rugged sand hills and undulating fairways and it is no easy walk in the garden here.

While the initial hole called the Railway is considered one of the most ferocious holes in golf, you also need to protect your game at the 3rd called the Cardinal Bunker and the blind par three 5th called the Himalayas featuring a gigantic sand dune. The rest of the 6,544 yards layout features equally unique holes each demanding a different strategy and plan. Ultimately, this classic links course is an experience unparalleled by any of its relatives and needs to be played to live and tell.