Dundonald Links

About the course

Dundonald Links lies on the Ayrshire coast between Irvine and Troon, in the run of linksland known as the Gailes. It is a modern links shaped through a large dune system, and one unusual touch is the use of pine trees to frame some holes, alongside the more familiar gorse, deep rough and heavy undulation.

Golf first came to the site in 1911, when the 1883 Open champion Willie Fernie laid out a course that was exceptionally long for its time. After the two world wars that links fell into decline. In 2003 Loch Lomond Golf Club bought the land and asked Kyle Phillips, the architect of Kingsbarns, to create a new course that would give its members a traditional links experience. In 2017 Dundonald hosted both the men’s and the women’s Scottish Opens, and a major investment programme after 2019 brought the current clubhouse and accommodation.

Phillips kept the strongest natural landforms and built grander ones across the rest of the site, so the course feels bigger in scale than many of its older neighbours. The fairways are generous, but deep rough and gorse wait for anything wayward, and the greens demand well-judged approaches.

With wind coming in off the Firth of Clyde, even the shorter holes can turn into stern tests, and the choice of tees makes a real difference to how the course plays.

Why we recommend it

Dundonald Links is an ideal base for a golf week on the Ayrshire coast. It is a modern links among big dunes with views across the Firth of Clyde to Arran, and it has hosted the Women’s Scottish Open and Open Final Qualifying. Lodges and suites sit right next to the course, Western Gailes is just over the railway line, and Royal Troon and Prestwick are a short drive away. Glasgow is about 24 miles to the north.