Prestwick St Nicholas - Ayrshire & Arran - Scotland

A round at PSN is pure enjoyment! There is a wide variety of holes, some classic, some quirky and some bland. The Firth of Clyde is visible on every hole and on a sunny day this is a lovely place to be. The very best holes here are scattered through the course: the wonderful par three 2nd, the 3rd played towards the sea and two venerable stone cottages, the terrific 8th round a water-filled quarry, the lovely par three 10th and the extraordinarily hard 16th. The quirkiness lies in the final stretch which is squeezed into a very narrow piece of land between the clubhouse and the houses. The 17th in particular suffers from this proximity, although the gorse down down the right is brutal. I can not say I like the 18th - a long uphill par 3 with bushes down the left and (horror of horrors) the car park on the right! When you play here be sure to park at the far side of said car park as many a ball must surely find its way there! Assuming your vehicle (and you) survive unscathed you will leave PSN determined to return.

Prestwick St Nicholas is a good course at the start and finish. The first 3 holes are great, as are the last 3 or 4. The holes in the middle are flat and a bit boring. Worth playing for the right price.

St Nicholas is a quality, very enjoyable Links course and fits in nicely with a trip to the nearby star attractions. It's nice to have fun on a shorter, traditional links, with a more affordable and less taxing day in between the highlights. In some ways the course mirrors that - the highlights come at the start and finish of the round. However, this works well in that you can relax a little in the middle of the round but still finish on a high - much better than uneven quality nines, or weak start and finish as with so many Links where the architect had to get you out to the golfing ground.

The more links golf I play, the more I like courses like this. They are one of a kind and simply not made anymore. The start and finish (1-3, 16-18) on the clubhouse side of Maryborough Road are the quirkiest and most dramatic. However, the other holes (4-15) provide both variety and solid quality golf and round the cocktail off well. The challenge of two 450-yard plus par 4s like Coila (7) and Tam Jack’s (13) with fairly straightforward green sites are balanced by two short ones like Bellrock (6) and Kingcase (15), where you can easily have little chance of par after an ill-judged tee shot. Let others dismiss the par of 69, their loss!

Not an obvious choice for a first-time visitor, but I believe the best golf trips are the most varied ones. Therefore, my recommendation is to combine a longer heather-framed course (Glasgow Gailes, Kilmarnock Barassie or Dundonald) with a quirky, undulated course like this one or Western Gailes, or if available and within your budget, Old Prestwick itself.

One last thing: watch out where you park your car, if you drive here. A sliced tee shot on the last long par 3 (227 yards) can easily find its way into the car park and then you do not want your car to be first in line....

Prestwick St. Nicholas is one of those links courses that you just cannot fail to fall in love with.

Even before you reach the car park you catch a glimpse of the course and its humpy-bumpy linksland. As it transpires these are the 17th and 18th holes so you must wait a little bit longer to enjoy these, but it is worth the wait and the journey to get there is just as enjoyable.

Holes one to three and 16 to 18 lie on one side of a small road that dissect these from the majority of the course and because these holes are indeed superb, and enjoy the best of the terrain, it’s very easy to say that Prestwick St. Nicholas has a great start and a great finish, and simply leave it at that.

Prestwick St. Nicholas will probably never be seen by a number of golfers heading to Ayrshire who are just interested in playing the big names and this can therefore rightly be called a hidden gem. Holes two, three, 15, 16 and 18 are of exceptional quality and although there are a few ‘filler’ holes out on the flatter part of the course this is a true links that I whole heartedly suggest you play. Don’t be fooled by the par of 69 and a yardage of just 6,044 as it plays every bit of its length and requires plenty of creative shot-making.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

What better way to spend a sunny Bank Holiday Monday than out on the links enjoying a 4-ball with three of your golfing mates? I just love this wee course – and PSN really was a wee course for some reason today, with the regular markers played from forward tee positions on many of the holes, reducing the overall length to well under the 6,044 yards indicated on the scorecard.

The firm and fast playing conditions meant every green could be reached in regulation, apart from maybe the long par four 7th and 13th, which are tough enough to get on in two at the best of times. The greens, as ever, were in great condition so my only gripe was with the aesthetics of having fairways cut in a striped pattern – surely that’s a parkland characteristic and not one to be used on a links, where “half and half” mowing lines are the accepted norm?

The opening and closing holes are still the best on the course, though the short, doglegged par fours at the 6th and 15th are also a couple of very fine holes. Regarding the long par three finishing hole, I wonder how many cars get damaged in the car park from sliced tee shots as golf balls twice clattered into the side of the clubhouse after we finishing our round.

In these days of Health & Safety, I’m surprised there’s no protective netting in place because there’s a real danger of being hit by a stray tee shot. Bear that in mind when you next play here – it's maybe best to park in the street outside and keep your wits about you as you walk through the car park to the pro shop!

Jim McCann

Although it measures just 6044 yards, there are some tight drives through gorse and there is almost always the wind to take into contention. The first three and last three holes are on the clubhouse side of Marlborough Road and feature some very undulating fairways.

You will be acutely aware of out of bounds on many holes. A big slice on the par four 1st will see you over the fence and heading for the sea. Behind the 1st green are the ‘Salt Pan’ buildings which were constructed in approximately 1790 and were used to extract salt after boiling the sea water.

The land is somewhat different on the other side of the road. The 7th and 8th holes play around a lake that was once a quarry. The 7th is a good hole – a long par four and rated index 1. The tee is right beside the adjacent beach and is very exposed to the elements. Accuracy is needed for the second shot on the 8th as your line is over the edge of the water.

The back nine opens with a par three, a par five and then another par three. The 11th has out of bounds along the right but if you play safe down the left then you need to avoid four bunkers. Holes 13 to 15 are probably the least interesting part of the links.

However, the last three are intriguing. Sixteen and seventeen have gorse and then out of bounds along the right and the 18th, a long par three of 227 yards, has out of bounds by way of the car park on the right.

This review is an edited extract from Another Journey through the Links, which has been reproduced with David Worley’s kind permission. The author has exclusively rated for us every Scottish course featured in his book. Another Journey through the Links is available for Australian buyers via www.golfbooks.com.au and through Amazon for buyers from other countries.

I really enjoyed my round here. I knew I would after such a warm welcome from the starter and looking at the parcel of holes near the clubhouse which are great little links holes. Personally I preferred this course to Barassie and it is on a par with Troon Portland (ranking 9 and 10 in Aryshire IMHO). Too short for the pros but a great tactical test of links golf with risk and reward features e.g. which club to play from the beautiful 16th tee.

The club offers a warm welcome and a good test of golf as well as being good value for money. The traditional links design can be considered a little flat, both in elevation and inspiration for the holes located far from the clubhouse. These holes though should offer some respite in the event of high winds with greater margin for error. Holes 6-9 are of good better quality. The reservoir on the 8th is not the norm for a links course but makes a nice addition to the challenge, even though it should be out of play. The course’s crowing glories are the standout holes near the clubhouse: 1-3 and 16-18. The bright yellow gorse bushes add beauty, definition and challenge, especially the clump in the middle of the 16th which mandate a clear choice being made on the tee – left, right, short, or carry – making it a great golf hole. The 18th is an absolute nerve-jangler of a long par 3. Out-of-bounds right for the entire length of the hole plus the closeness of so many windscreens in the car park make a closing par feel like a birdie.

To date this is one of the most underated golf couse I have played in Scotland. Despite the harsh November conditions nothing could take the smile from my face as I drove the 40-mil journey home. Pound for pound this course holds its own with its many nearby alleged superiours. £25 winter fees offer a bargain that cannot be missed. The excellent condition of the greens cannot be exagerated. The welcome offerd by the highly experienced starter sets the trend for a most enjoyable alround experience.

Jim McCann