Glasgow Gailes Golf Club
If, like people, golf courses are judged by the company they keep Glasgow Gailes Golf Club is in a very enviable neighborhood indeed. Set along Scotland’s well known Ayrshire Coast, Glasgow Gailes is in such renowned company as Royal Troon, Prestwick, Barassie, Irvine Bogside, Turnberry and Western Gailes. A golfing holiday to this part of Scotland would certainly include a round here along with the rest of them.
Glasgow Gailes is by no means the new kid on the block. The club dates back to 1787, making it the ninth oldest golf club in the world. The original layout was designed by Willie Park in 1912 and the current course is based pretty much on it. Further, despite being in august company of top golf courses the old adage of the grass being greener on the other side is not true. The turf at Glasgow Gailes is much softer and greener than many.
This traditional Scottish links course is less than an hour from Glasgow and has been used regularly used as a qualifying venue for the Open Championship. With its undulating fairways, outstanding greens and many subtle qualities that you would expect from leading links courses, Glasgow Gailes is a challenging course to play. Even though it is half a mile away from the shore, the golfer is subject to the famous strong, swirling firth winds. The heather lined fairways too call for a high level of accuracy and skill.
The par 71 course is of modest championship length of 6,535 yards. The greens are small and sloping and numerous bunkers come into play too. Several holes are fraught with danger with out of bounds lurking on other side of the railways lines and perimeter of the Glasgow Gailes course.
The game begins with four consecutive par fours, followed by the tough 536-yard par five, 5th hole, which is rated as the most difficult on the course. There are two par fives and three short holes in the entire course. A further challenge lurks at the 152-yard, par three, 6th hole which is small and compact and surrounded by bunkers. Golf anyone?
