Prestwick Golf Club

About the course

Prestwick Golf Club lies on the Ayrshire coast at the northern edge of the town of Prestwick, on a narrow strip of linksland squeezed between the railway and the sea. The holes twist back and forth through rough, tumbling dunes and rippled fairways, and the first is played with a high stone wall and the railway line tight along its right-hand side.

The club was founded in 1851, and Old Tom Morris came from St Andrews to be keeper of the green and lay out the original twelve-hole course. In 1860 Prestwick staged the first Open, and the first twelve playings of the championship were all held here. The course was extended to eighteen holes in 1882, and the last of its Opens was played in 1925, after which crowds became too large for the confined site.

Many of the original holes survive in some form, and several are known by name. The fifth, the Himalayas, is a par 3 played blind over a huge sand dune to a green that cannot be seen from the tee. Elsewhere the course is full of holes where the target is hidden behind a ridge, approaches have to be judged off marker posts, and greens sit in hollows or tilt sharply.

The burn that winds across the property comes into play on several holes, and the turf is firm and fast, so the ball often finishes some distance from where it lands. Prestwick asks golfers to plan each shot around the shape of the ground rather than simply the yardage.

Why we recommend it

Prestwick is where the Open began, and a round here feels like playing through golf history rather than just visiting it. Blind shots over the Alps, the huge Cardinal bunker and greens tucked among the dunes make it quirky and unforgettable, so it rewards imagination more than raw power. Visitors can book on most days of the week. It lies right next to Royal Troon and a few minutes from Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which makes it an easy start or finish to an Ayrshire trip.

Photo gallery