Belleisle - Ayrshire & Arran - Scotland

Ayrshire arguably boasts the best set of municipal courses in the land and many consider Belleisle the jewel in that crown. It is a serious test of your game with par fives bookending the layout and a series of long par fours. For balance, Belleisle has five par threes of which the 3rd and 17th stand out. The Slaphouse burn intrudes on several holes and contributes to the difficulty. At £30 (summer 2020) per round Belleisle sits comfortably in the middle tier of decent, affordable Scottish courses.

Belle isle is gorgeous. This a true parkland course. So it's municipal but what a great layout and what a setting; It's not for the golf snobs who want all the clubhouse razzmatazz. For a good value round of golf this is hard to beat.

David Laird

This may be one of the best muni's but it still very much a muni !!Not a bad layout, good in fact, but the general presentation looks like a council track and the off course facilities were non-existant.I did not feel this place lived up to its rankings although I think it could be if it was looked after and returned to private ownership

A good course for a municipal parkland, which I found in good condition for the time of year, during the springtime of 2011. However, its flaws were also evident. The greens were of mediocre condition but I am happy to concede the time of year was a major factor. The course is parkland in the strictest sense: it resembles a Victorian-era park with some golf holes spread around. It has a few standout holes such as the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 18th, which all have great design. However, the rest of the holes lack definition, as if the local council is almost ashamed to be using municipal land for golf. In this respect Belleisle reminds me of a particular municipal in London, although Ayr council looks after Belleisle much better. However, you feel that with a light touch of sympathetic renovation the original Braid design could be brought up closer to the level of this master’s more timeless layouts. Good but not great in my view although the green fee is reasonable for what is on offer but I have played courses in Scotland with a lower ranking that I rate more highly.

OK, Belleisle is a public municipal course and if you are a golfing snob, you might not want to be seen here. If you want to play a top class parkland course that is immaculately maintained and excellent value for money, you are at the right place. There are not too many public courses that have hosted professional tournaments, but Belleisle, along with St Andrews falls into that category. This tough parkland course opens up with back-to-back par fives and measuring some 6,500 yards this is no pushover. I’ve played plenty of Top 100 courses but for me Belleisle matches up to them and it won’t make a huge dent in your wallet.

played at short notice and was impressed for a muni. Condition of fairways was very good although greens not quits so good. Got the feeling that if money was thrown at it, it could be one of the best parklands in Scotland. For me slight downside was that it was probably a little to open and didnt reward the better drives, although i appreciate it is for the general public. Also couldnt find any 150 markers. But all said good course and great value at 22 pounds

This being my home course this review may be biased, but i genuinely think is is difficult to come across a better parkland layout in Scotland, maybe Britain. The par 5 first is a good birdie opportunity but trees encroach on the tee shot on the left and right, it is then played uphill to a well bunkered green. The second is also a par 5 with cross bunkers stopping you hitting it down the hill for an easy approach. OB at the rear of the green, bunker short right and banking sloping away on the left, make this large but not overly contoured green well guarded. The third is a long uphill par three played through a tunnel of trees to again a well bunkered green. The course continues in the same way with large subtle greens and lot of bunkers. The back nine starts of with a benign par three, but then the 11th, 12th, and 13th are long par fours with the 12th being my favourite hole. A good tee shot will place you just short of two banks of trees, leaving you a mid to long iron to a steeply uphill green, guarded by a massive oak at the back of the green. The 16th is another favourite with a hybrid needed to lay up short of the 'Slaphouse' burn with then another hybrid needed to reach the green. This is a real gem of a course and having played many great tracks around Europe, nothing can beat a saturday afternoon game round Belleisle. This is a real James Braid classic and deserves to be in the top 5o at least in scotland. With a well stocked pro shop and new green keepers that are working hard to keep Belleisle at a great standard this should be a must play for everyone visiting Ayrshire.

I haven’t played Belleisle for almost 4.5 years so it was nice to reacquaint myself with an old friend. The course was in remarkable fettle considering that it had been shut for the previous 2 days, the rain being that heavy the Man from Atlantis wouldn’t have got out of his bed. I am not saying that it was immaculate, it was damp and boggy in places but the state of the greens and bunkers were terrific, a testament to the groundstaff who were buzzing about repairing things during our round. Ironically, its popularity may be to its detriment because overplay may never give the course time to recover properly making its current condition all the more startling. Don’t let the fact that there is plenty of room fool you. At a touch over 6000 yards from the regulars, there is plenty to test you and catch you out. This starts at the first, one of two par 5s to start your round, both require good ball placement to stop you being blocked out by trees. The third is a tricky par 3 which is played uphill to a green which can’t be seen from the tee box, only the flag is visible behind typical Braid bunkering. Talking on bunkering Mr Braid has excelled himself here, as the bunkering is so tough throughout. The stretch of holes between 4 and 7 is my favourite part of the course, the 7th in particular with bunkering which can destroy you I know, I was that golfer. The back 9 is equally challenging again with the par 3’s all different, all testing, all with, you will not be surprised, killer bunkers. Any par gained, very gratefully received. I enjoyed the 16th, Ca’ Canny, which sees you having to go over a tree and then cross a burn. Your round ends just as you started with a tough par 5. Belleisle prides itself on being a municipal course a la St Andrews and I feel that pride is fully justified however, as I have stated previously the slight downside of its popularity is that the course can be overplayed but this celebrated gem is a course not to be missed and one, in my opinion, worthy of inclusion in Scotland’s top 100. MPPJ

Played here in August 2003 and was impressed by the condition of what is essentially a "council course". Set in a large wooded estate, Belleisle has a lovely parkland feel, with generous faiways and large greens. For the amount of traffic that must pass through, it was in remarkable nick so late in the season. If you baulk at the fee to be paid at the more upmarket coastal courses in Ayrshire then the modest green fee here represents great value.

One of the best courses i have played in the central belt and i would definately reccomend it. A real bargain!