Course: Crail Golf, Crail

As home to several of the worlds 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 doesnt 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 “Hells 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 golfers 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 golfers skills. Though not too long, Crail offers a tough challenge on a track that has been played on since 1650.

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.

Course: Turnberry Ailsa, Turnberry

Built on a land that was owned by a railway company a century ago, the Turnberry Golf Club, established in 1902, has been at the brink of extinction twice. The course fondly known as Scotlands Pebble Beach served as an airfield during both World Wars and on both occasions several of its holes were concretized to make way for an airfield! Thanks to the tenacity of its owners at that time and to the expert touch of Phillip Ross Mackenzie, Turnberry was returned to its former glory in 1951.

Set along the Irish Sea, Turnberry was one of the hot spots of golf in the early 1900s, marred only by the two wars. The popular, original championship course was designed by Willie Fernie of Troon at the behest of the Marquess of Ailsa and by the time the Turnberry Hotel opened in 1906, the course was at its zenith. With stunning views across the Isles of Mull and Arran, Turnberry was and is considered one of the most demanding links courses in the world.

Most holes on the course are framed by sand dunes except, surprisingly, for holes 4th to the 11th, that are fastened to the sea. This fact is appreciated by golfers when faced with the gushing sea wind on one of these holes making the challenge tougher. But this out and back layout makes for a hard test right from the opening three holes, which are all par 3 and make you sweat as soon as begin your round,.

The rugged coastline forms the periphery of the course and the dramatic sea view includes the Turnberry Lighthouse. By the time you reach the signature 9th and are set to tee off from its remote location on a rocky outcropping, the view becomes even more distracting. Capricious weather adds to your woes at Turnberry which is a tricky, unforgiving course demanding a skilled player.

Course: St. Andrews Links (Old) St. Andrews

Crafted by Mother Nature with post scripts added by Old Tom Morris and Dr. Alister Mackenzie, The Old Course at St. Andrews is the ultimate expression of the game of golf. Founded in 1764 as a 12-hole course, The Old Course made golfers deal with an anachronistic 22 holes tricky round, capricious weather and a captivating landscape. Sometime after 1764 The Society of St. Andrews Golfers decided to combine a few holes and reduce it to an 18-hole layout giving it the shape and layout it boasts today.

The layout has changed little since adjustments made by Old Tom Morris but the imposing sand dunes, the whistling winds and the goose bumps that come from playing in the birthplace of the great game remain intact. The Old Course is more than a golf course; it is a pilgrimage that every golfer aspires to make at least once in his lifetime€¦and mostly succeeds.

The first round at St. Andrews is certainly the most memorable one; every hole, every hazard has a story to tell. But the biggest surprise comes in the form of highly undulating fairways and gigantic greens that spring upon you unexpectedly. So it is no wonder most visitors choose to play the 6,566 yards as compared to the 7,000 yards on a track that has hosted more than 25 Open Championships and a series of other events over the years.

Playing at a par of 72 from the longest tees, the Old Course entrances you with 1st, 11th, 14th and the most widely celebrated €“ the 17th Road hole. If the 1st hole is awe inspiring, the rest will make you draw every club in your bag. Regardless of how often you get to walk away with a par, The Old Course at St. Andrews will beckon you again and again.

Course: St. Andrews Golf Course (New) - St. Andrews

The Old Course at St. Andrews has always been one of the most sought after tracks worldwide. But when in the late 19th century, a newly constructed railway service made it easier for golfers to flock the Old Course, things got a little out of hand. To accommodate this teeming crowd milling outside the gates of the Royal & Ancient the club decided to invest in the construction of a new course. This sponsorship was based on an understanding that the members of the R&A would have rights to starting times on the New Course. These rights were legalized by an Act of Parliament that still exits.

Old Tom Morris and B Hall Blyth did the honors of designing the layout and the New Course opened for play in 1895. Sitting right next door to the esteemed Old Course, the New Course at St. Andrews rapidly gained in popularity with the locals and visitors alike. A big reason for this, of course, was the availability of tee times but more importantly, the New Course offered a tighter layout with a well defined set of holes. There are several inevitable similarities to the Old Course including shared fairways and a double green at the 3rd and 15th but the New Course is still largely an independent entity.

Measuring a little more than 6,600 yards and set in the traditional nine out and back layout, the New Course boasts of widely undulating fairways, immaculate greens protected by bunkers and large expanses of flowering gorse. The initial, outward nine is not too difficult and allows the golfer to play at a leisurely pace. The back nine is more challenging as it meanders its way through huge sand dunes and leads to the finishing hole just near the club house.

It is often said that had it not been for the close proximity with the Old Course, the New at St. Andrews would have shone brighter. For a flock of faithful, the New Course is bright enough to keep returning to this classic links course.