Golf comes in no greater dramatic abundance than in
Scotland – the Home of Golf. This is where the great
game started and everyone wants to experience the
difficulties and delights of Scottish golf, especially the
links. All the key ingredients are here - towering dunes,
elevated greens, blind shots, deep pot bunkers, tumbling
fairways, slick putting surfaces, howling winds and the
taste of salt in the sea air. Some courses are old classics
laid out by legendary designers such as Old Tom Morris
and James Braid, whilst others are recent creations that
still look as though they have been part of the landscape
for centuries. Here’s a selection of top-quality links
throughout different regions of Scotland:
AYRSHIRE
Turnberry. The venue for the British Open
Championship 2009 came to international prominence
with the infamous ‘Duel in the Sun’ between Tom
Watson (champion) and Jack Nicklaus over four
sweltering days during July 1977. Since then, Greg
Norman (86), Nick Price (94) and most recently Stewart
Cink (09) (when Tom Watson narrowly missed out to
become the oldest winner in history) have made up
the quartet of golfers to lift the Claret Jug, and polls
now regularly acknowledge the Ailsa course as one of
Britain’s top three courses with regular rankings within
the world’s top 20.
The ninth (Bruce’s Castle) is a contender for Turnberry’s
trademark hole. Adjacent to the famous lighthouse and
the remains of Robert the Bruce’s Castle (Scottish King
from 1306-1329), this 452-yard par-4 has no bunkers, yet
is a daunting par-4 especially from the Championship
tee which is perched on a rocky premonitory on the
edge of the sea.
Other golfing options: Royal Troon, Prestwick, Western
Gailes.
13