Glasgow (Gailes Links) - Ayrshire & Arran - Scotland

Had the pleasure of playing Glasgow Gailes recently. The wind was quite something, at least 4 clubs into us for most of the front nine and verging on the unplayable. The heather made for an additional interesting complication and I can safely say I wondered after the first three or four holes if we would have to call it a day. However, the course was nothing but fair all the way and when we reached the turn and had the wind on our tail it became a real pleasure to play! The course was straightforward but very well laid out and in fantastic condition - the greens were true, if a little slow. The course was not too hard a slog (wind excepting) and really was a delight to play. I would say it wasn't quite up there with Western Gailes but gave Dundonald a run for its money and knocked the socks off the Kintyre at Turnberry. A very welcoming bunch, good value and lovely little course. Just stay out of the heather and try and try not to play in the middle of a gale......

We visited as part of The Gailes Experience deal (£215 to play Dundonald, Western Gailes & Glasgow Gailes) and found the course in great nick. On arrival the staff were very welcoming and attentive to our needs. A special mention for the fairways which were like carpets, absolutely superb. The course is fair with any gorse or rough being a reasonable distance from the fairways. The greens were lovely, true but not overly fast. All in all a must visit course and if you visit using TGE and add 2 nights in a local hotel, you have a fantastic break for under £300.

While playing Turnberry or Royal Troon we added an afternoon at this famous golf course which is in demand and no wonder....following the recent announcement that the Royal and Ancient have selected Glasgow Gailes Links as the sole golf course in Scotland that will host the Final Open Qualifying from 2014 to 2017 playing off the championship tees (6,903 yards) In superb condition we enjoyed the round. A friendly welcome awaits and golf wear is acceptable . We played off the yellow tees 6,300 yardsGlasgow Golf Club Gailes Links course located along the coast from Troon. The club has an easy online booking facility

Our group greatly enjoyed our day at Glasgow Gailes. We played soon after the announcement that the course would be used as an Open qualifier for the next five years, an honor of which the members were justifiably proud. We found the course in excellent condition,and one of our group had an eagle on number three, the number one stroke index hole. The heather is pleasnat to the eye but should be avoided at all costs. It's just a very good golf course and may be at times overlooked by traveling groups like ours. I was glad we included it.

I returned to Glasgow Gailes seven years after first playing here and came away very impressed with the place. Forget the fact that the club has upgraded the clubhouse, installed an extensive practice area, tarmaced the car park and completely spruced up all paths and signage - though all of this has certainly elevated Gailes to the top tier of Scottish visitor venues, as befits one of the oldest clubs in the world. No, concentrate on the course itself and you will find that the current green fee of £40 a head for a visiting weekday fourball in the afternoon is one of THE genuine bargains of this or any other golfing season.

Golfers can tell from the tee box on the opening hole that accurate driving will be a key factor in scoring well at Gailes by surveying a relatively tight fairway with wispy grass on either flank - heather and gorse will encroach close to the short cut grass on many of the holes during the round. The first green also bodes well for true links lovers when they see a wonderfully shaven front apron that allows a running shot to be played between a pair of protective greenside bunkers - many of the greens will allow this type of traditional links stroke.

The course is laid out on largely level terrain but - at my favourite hole on the front nine - brilliant use of a ridge and dip in the landscape is employed at the 5th to hide a wickedly contoured green beyond a narrow neck of fairway that kinks slightly right of the line of play.

I wasn’t overly fussed by the loop of four holes around the turn at the northernmost part of the property (I like to have holes revealed to me as I arrive at them, rather than see what lies ahead) but the elevated greens at the short par four 8th and 9th were really tough to score on if an over hit approach was played at the former and an under hit shot was executed on the latter - which is precisely the manner in which I underachieved at both holes, of course!

I loved the two par threes on the back nine; the target at the 12th is more visible now due to the removal of gorse to the left of the hole and the semi blind 15th shows no mercy to any tee shot played long or left of the narrow green as the fall offs from the green are quite severe. Three solid par fours conclude the round at Gailes, the best of these being the short 17th where a semi blind approach over a ridge just might yield a birdie before turning towards the clubhouse.

Willie Park Jnr’s redesign of Gailes marks its centenary next year and it’s only fitting that a course of this quality should be used to co-host the Amateur Championship (along with Royal Troon) as well as providing the venue for the Men’s Home Internationals in 2012. Those top amateurs will be playing from back tees that measure 6903 yards in total (with a standard scratch rating of three over par) but you take my word for it that the regular gents markers are more than capable of testing your golfing abilities to the full. Jim McCann

Good solid course in excellent condition, well worth a visit.

nice course, which has more of a heathland feel than any of the nearby couses. Condition was the best of our mini tour on the Ayrshire coast. Par 3's were tough for the high handicappers with carries over bracken and gorse, but all the better for this. If there was one complaint it would be that all the holes were virtually straight and perhaps didnt have the variety of Western Gailes, but taking nothing away from G Gailes, it is still a great course.

I came to this course with great anticipation, having watched the 2009 open qualifiers tackle it's subtle features. The course, designed by Willie Park, is not ostentatious or dramatic, but it gives a true test of your game, especially if you are in the higher handicap category.There are few hilly inclines or blind shots, which appeals to me. The fairways are gently undulating, and the greens run subtle and true. I particularly enjoyed the long dog-legging par 5 5th hole, as I hit the green in three and rejoiced in my birdie four. The short 6th and 15th holes are both delightful par 3 holes, which need perfect judgement if you are to avoid the seas of swaying gorse. The closing holes, which I made in gente evening sunshine, wind you gracefully home in a satisfying climax to a truly great Ayrshire links course. Round completed, the friendliness of the staff and quality of the meal that awaits you is well worth a full day visit.Be assured, I will be back!

Over the winter months I seem to have been criss crossing the old Glasgow to Ayr railway line. Late last year I started by playing the magnificent Western Gailes followed shortly afterwards by Dundonald. I completed my Ayrshire odyssey by playing Glasgow Gailes. I had an inkling that Glasgow Gailes would be similar in style to Western Gailes and Irvine and, I am so glad to say, this pre conception turned out to be accurate. On a gloriously sunny and windless Ayrshire morning this understated gentleman’s club was just idyllic. I had heard that Gailes could be a little bit stuffy but I have to say I did not find this to be the case infact, the members and the pro-shop staff couldn’t have been more friendly or courteous.

I would take slight issue that there are no outstanding holes on the course as the three par 3’s are as good as I have played. Not one over 180 yards (take note course designers par 3’s don’t have to be over 200 yards to be difficult) with their defence coming from the ubiquitous calluna heather and gorse. This is a theme throughout the course. The rule is simple stay out of the gorse or be prepared to say adios muchachos to your score and many golf balls. I also thought holes 3,5,7 (but ignore the marker post as the true line is 20 – 30 yards right of the post), 10, 14 and 17 were well above average. It is difficult to find fault with Glasgow Gailes. The golfing authorities would seem to agree as this distinguished track will again act as a final qualifying course for this year’s Open it will also host next years Scottish Amateur Strokeplay and 2012 Home Internationals. It is a very fair test of golf on a course which simply oozes style and class and one I would be honoured to play again. MPPJ

I played this course for the second time on a warm, sunny September evening this year. It was a delight! The fairways were running firmly and the greens were in excellent condition, and the course was quiet. I think it’s a very good test of a golfer’s game, and I scored quite consistently, with the help of the useful sprinkler yardage markers. The welcome and care of the resident professional couldn’t have been better, and I will definitely return to this impressive course in the future.