How to Plan a Links Course Trip
Old TamApr 28, 2025
LD TAM LINKS GOLF
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In my mind the Ayrshire Coast, like St. Andrews could be the anchor of any Links Golf Trip. Either Royal Troon or Prestwick and you have a making of life-time memories. Combine them both, back-to-back, and it borders on epic.
A flight over the pond to Glasgow, and a mere one-hour drive or train ride south, and you are right in the thick of it. Only 15 miles and 25 minutes separate the towns of Irvine (North end), Troon, Prestwick and Ayr (farthest South and largest). Within that span are some of the greatest golf in Scotland: Western Gailes, Dundonald, Royal Troon, Prestwick Golf Club and St. Nicholas—another ten miles to the south lies Turnberry.
Choose your favorite village and book an Inn for a weekend or week. Royal Troon and Prestwick GC, which border each other, have hosted 24 Opens and welcome visitors to play with a member and walk their historic fairways. Classic links courses, out-and-in routing, and memorable holes—The Postage Stamp, The Railway, Cardinal, Himalaya, and Alps.
The (not so) hidden gem of Ayrshire for us was Western Gailes. The routing and dunes reminded me of Royal Troon and had my favorite greens in all of Scotland. The pro-shop attendant gave me a quiz as we checked in: “Our course, Western Gailes, is the second most difficult in all Scotland. Care to guess which one is first?”
“Carnoustie?” I responded
We did not play Its neighbor across the street, Dundonald Links, but it was hosting the Ladies Scottish Open that weekend. The Kyle Phillips design looked beautiful from what we could see, and it got great reviews from the folks we met in the pubs in the area.
The commonality between these courses? The train tracks to Glasgow that runs along their respective out of bounds and can wreak havoc on a score card.
The Ayrshire coast not only has great links courses, but it was a bit more laid back, relaxing and not as fast paced as the St. Andrews scene. It has magnificent views out to Arran, and south to Ailsa.
Here are details on the (3) courses that we played: Western Gailes, Prestwick GC, and Royal Troon.
Western Gailes
Gailes Rd, Irvine Scotland KA11 5AE Phone: 01294 311649
Western Gailes late afternoon
Our friend WillieB recommended Western (as he calls it) early on in our planning. “It will do you well.”
If Prestwick & Royal Troon are the main course, Western Gailes is a great appetizer. Take my word for it, Western Gailes is flat out, classic links golf. Out and in routing, through gorgeous heather-covered dunes, with the most beautiful sunsets that were second to none.
We played it on a Saturday, at 4:45 in the afternoon. That afternoon would give us the only short, slight drizzle of rain for the entire trip, then settle in with a light breeze off the Firth of Clyde.
Although Western’s greens were fun to putt, short misses could result in large scores. Many of the greens had thick, long fescue surrounding them, with equally as many bunkers as Royal Troon. The fairways almost seemed as though they were ‘sunk in’ below the first dune protecting the beach and water. It meant for more of an amphitheater-like feel with fluffy, beautiful dunes accentuating the rolls and undulating valleys.
The Railway skirted the course on the East side, away from the Firth, just like Prestwick. It was the most unique of all the scorecards in Ayrshire as it is a par-71, with only two par-5’s and three par-3’s. A longer than most 6,640 yards from the whites, and a difficult 7,014 from the blues.
We thought we were cruising along well until we turned back south on number 5. Little did we know how heavy the breeze was until it smacked us in the face for the next 9 holes along the beach.
The sixth, Lappock, had the coolest green complex on the course, nestled in a bowl between dunes and the Firth on the right.Then came my favorite par-3, the seventh, Sea, surrounded by six deep, menacing bunkers.Number thirteen, Barrassie, a par-3, ended up the stretch along the beach and Firth. A wicked target fronted by the burn, and 4 pot bunkers, topped off by two grass bunkers and a back-stop dune. No bail out!
The last highlight hole was number 17, Ridge, 470 from the tips, with a blind second over Himalayan mounds and ridges.
We were not able to enjoy the 19th hole as it closed by the time we finished out our round, but it looked amazing, looking out of the dunes to the Firth of Clyde and Arran beyond.
Scooter on the Tee
The Benefits of Teeing Off late afternoon
Western Gailes Number 9 – Halfway
Home Stretch, Western Gailes
Prestwick
I was looking forward to Prestwick as I had been reading about it for years. Founded in 1851 and designed by Old Tom himself, it had a rich history. It was the birthplace of The Open Championship having hosted the first 12 and 24 all told. The Moroccan red leather championship belt being its coveted prize. Wille Park triumphed over Old Tom to win the first Open by two strokes in 1860.
Prestwick fell off The Open Rota in 1925 because it is too short for modern-day professionals and too tight and cramped to support large galleries. That said it is unique, iconic, and the collection of golf holes remains legendary.
Its initial design by Old Tom included 12 holes that crisscrossed over approximately 50 acres of beautiful linksland—and I think remarkably like the land at Machrihanish GC, pure, natural, dream-like. Our caddies made a point to show us the old boundary wall that defined the initial twelve holes.
Phase two began in 1882 after the game standardized to eighteen holes. Prestwick’s then head-professional Charles Hunter reconfigured the course and added six holes north of the boundary wall. By heading north from the third green, this phase added some of its best holes. They included number 1, Railway (can you say breakfast ball?), the fourth, Bridge, and my favorite, the par-3 fifth Himalayas—demanding a solid 180-200-yard blast uphill, over a giant dune to a blind green.
Subsequently, in 1922 James Braid and Harold Hilton completed the evolution of the course and it took its final form. My caddie Danny explained to us that number 17, Alps, is the oldest existing hole on The Open Rota—how is that for history?
I thought about the 100’s of 1000s of golfers that had walked those hallowed grounds before me. Mackenzie’s description of “pleasurable excitement” certainly applies here. The reason I say that Prestwick is a must for every fan of links golf is twofold: First off, the course is unique and natural, and still belongs to a bygone era with its rippling fairways, burns, giant bunkers, a stone wall and valleys defined by large, beautiful dunes. Secondly, the club itself. It exudes family, camaraderie and history. Forget the scorecard, and let your mind wonder back to the time of hickories and featheries.
Walk steps out of the clubhouse and look left at the miniature wicker baskets on the practice green, right to the first tee, and beyond it, the nostalgia of the Railroad tracks. Do not worry, you will for certain have an audience when you tee it up for the first shot of the day.
My research found that Prestwick indeed inspired Merion’s wicker baskets. Turns out it was due to a painting of Prestwick from 1903 where a young caddie is holding a wicker basket flagstick in an international match between Scotland and England while Harry Vardon was putting.
Prestwick is golf’s version of a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, or the Great Pyramid of Giza.
When you go, remember a few things:
It is not a big property, designed 175 years ago, so as such it is past its day of hosting an Open, and being a challenge to the best pros in the game at ~6,500 yards from the whites, and not much more from the tips. But, oh my, is it special!
Leave your thoughts behind on modern architecture and design, and immerse yourself in the history, old-school route, shot making and the quirks and difficulties of links golf.
Prestwick’s famous #17, Alps
Prestwick’s Locker Room exudes history
The close-in “quarters” of the first tee and practice green
Royal Troon - Old
The second leg of the Epic two of Ayrshire is Royal Troon which borders Prestwick to the north.
WillieB was out front when we arrived. We had a quick 50 minutes till we were on the tee, so we dropped our bags outside. He showed us the lay of the land, and then we moved to the hallway of club history, memorabilia, and photographs. It gave me goosebumps looking at all the past Open Champions at Troon. They included Havers (’23), Locke (’50), The King (’62), Weiskopf (’73), Watson (’82), Calcavechia (’89), Leonard (’97), Hamilton (’04) and most recently Henrik Stenson (’16).
Royal Troon Front 9
It was James Braid that lengthened the course and added, more and deeper menacing pot bunkers—changing the dynamic of The Postage Stamp specifically.
Modern day adjustments (2016) were made by MacKenzie and Ebert including major changes to the 9th, 10th and 15th holes.
It is also thought that Alistair MacKenzie gave some advice on the 10th hole while he was consulting
Royal Troon - 18 Craigend
When we made our way around back past the Members’ pro shop toward the first tee, we ran into Rene and his Aussie friends coming off eighteen—whom we had lunch with at Prestwick the day before.
“Hugh was on fire today,” Mark said, with a wind-burned face, “must have shot a 75.”
To which Hugh grimaced, “it was more like a 90!!”
WillieB was on the first tee with a couple of trolleys. His bursitis was flaring up so he would not be able to join us but walked the first couple holes. The wind had picked up in the past hour, and the clouds looked a bit ominous. But we only got a few quick drops and missed all the rain.
The first two holes, Seal and Black Rock were somewhat of a gentle handshake to get you into the round—except for the killer pot bunkers! WillieB’s bode farewell as we approached our tee shots on #2.
“Hope to catch you for a drink afterward, if at all possible, Lads.”
The day before, Danny, my caddie at Prestwick, had told me that holes seven through thirteen were the best stretch at Royal Troon, and he was right on target. Number seven, Tel-el-Kebir, was a visually appealing par-4, with a downhill drive then slight dogleg right back uphill toward an elevated green complex with a bunker on the front left large enough to accommodate a school bus or two.
Number eight is the most famous par-3 in all of golf, The Postage Stamp, and it is everything that it is cracked-up to be. A menacing short 123-yards, downhill to a small target surrounded on every side by deep pot bunkers. A gut-wrencher of a tee shot in the wind—which was blowing that day. My result? I tugged it into the left-front bunker, took two to get out, and walked off with a double.
I loved the par-4 stretch of 9-12, The Monk, Sandhills, The Railway (brutal) and The Fox. Troon fits my eye just like Western Gailes did, and Royal Dornoch and Cruden Bay would later that week.
Best-Of lists can be a cliché, but Royal Troon ties for second, behind Cruden Bay and Royal Dornoch, for my “if you only had one course to play the rest of your life.” List.
It was during that stretch of holes that I had my epiphany that the holy grail of links golf is indeed the walk. It is all about the walk, and what a wonderful walk Royal Troon turned out to be.
Just like its neighbor to the south, Troon’s after golf experience was truly epic as well. The members’ bar and dining room was a delight. We sat in the comfortable leather chairs and gazed out to the 18th green to our right, and the Marine Hotel in the background to the left.
As we raised out glasses of Springbank Whiskys, we toasted to how fortunate we were to play Prestwick and Royal Troon, back-to-back, certainly the memory of a lifetime.
Royal Troon, Postage Stamp, 8
Home Stretch, Royal Troon
Lodging:
Number 17 – a short walk to Prestwick’s clubhouse. 8 rooms + a Captain’s Suite, from £125 to £210 https://www.prestwickgc.co.uk/number-17/
The Golf View Guest House,Prestwick -6-room Inn, cozy, close to the action, 5-min walk to the 1st tee at Prestwick
Marine Hotel -Troon – this is the gorgeous hotel that you see overlooking the course when The Open is at Troon—the same owners as Rusacks in St. Andrews and Slieve Donard at Royal County Down
https://marineandlawn.com/marinetroon/
The Gailes Hotel & Spa
In Irvine, Convenient to Western Gailes, Dundonald and Royal Troon
The Lodges at Dundonald Links, 2-4-6 Bedroom luxury lodges
https://dundonaldlinks.com/stay/lodges/
Restaurants & Pubs:
Whereas I am a firm believer that most 19th holes restaurants at the courses we play are anything from good to exceptional, here are a few others
Lido (Troon) https://www.lido-troon.co.uk/ Mediterranean, Pizza, Barbeque, Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
The Red Lion Inn (Prestwick) – Where The (British) Open was born. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
http://redlionprestwick.co.uk/
The Prestwick Pioneer (Pub) https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/the-prestwick-pioneer-prestwick
Smith’s Pub (Ayr) Where we met Chris McBride, “The Last Caddie”https://smithsbarayr.co.uk/
Dog friendly, outside patio, near the Train Station
The Seal Bar at the Marine Hotel – Open all day, great pub food, short walk to Royal Troon
https://marineandlawn.com/marinetroon/dining-the-seal-bar/
→Other courses in the area to round out a trip:
