Share
Gailes Links
Year Established
1892
Designed by
Willie Park of Musselburgh
Location
West Coast
Address
Gailes Road, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, KA11 5AE
About Gailes Links
Home to the 9th oldest golf club in the world, Gailes deserves a place on any decent golfing itinerary. Designed by Willie Park Jnr of Musselburgh, the course opened for play in 1892 and still provides traditional links golf at its best, testing players of all abilities.
Gailes Links is a course spectacularly beautiful in its simplicity. Park wasn’t a believer in creating greens with dramatic slopes, and he didn't favour blind shots. He died believing Gailes Links to be one of his best creations, and it seems subsequent generations quite agree. Gailes Links splendid West Coast setting adds extra drama to your game, and the links' remarkable condition means it's the perfect golfing destination all year round.
As an R&A Preferred Championship Links, this is a genuine world class golf course, attracting top players from all over the world. Gailes Links has been an Open Championship Final Qualifying course since 1973 and was judged “terrific” by three-time Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallagher.
A Brief History
- Opened in May 1892 by Glasgow Golf Club, which itself dates to 1787
- Proved so popular with Glaswegian golfers that a special railway line was built to service the course in 1894
- In 1912 Willie Park Jr, Open Championship winner in 1887 and 1889, and the club's pro Tulloch, re-designed the layout. which remains to this day
- Home of the Edward Trophy game
- The only Open Final Qualifying course in Scotland on behalf of the R&A until 2017
Featured hole – Hole 6
Glasgow Gailes Links delivers constant thrills and spills. The signature hole is number six, 152 yards long with a stroke index of 17. This is a relatively short par 3, where you play from a high tee to a rolling basin-like green surrounded by six pot bunkers. You also face a dramatic drop from the right side of the green. Achieve that on or under par and you can be rightly proud.
Known For: A Tough Yet Classic Layout
Gailes offers a truly classic layout, tough yet fair and Scottish through and through. It's 6903 yards long and delivers satisfyingly challenging golf for players of every ability. Heather and gorse define the fairways, and the greens are protected by strategic bunkers. Testament to the course’s reputation, every time The Open has been at Royal Troon and Turnberry, the R&A has chosen Gailes as a final qualifying venue.
