Gailes Links

Gailes Links is a fine links golf course, situated in the golfing paradise that is the Ayrshire coastline.
 

It is a true test of your golfing ability, both long and narrow at times and with wispy rough and plenty of bunkers, you never have a moment’s rest. 

Add to that the wind coming off the sea and the railway line that runs along the side of the golf course, and it is an incredible place to spend an afternoon playing 18 holes.

 

 

 

Visit Gailes Links' website here.
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The history of Gailes Links starts well before the course and club were founded. It goes back to the Glasgow Golf Club, which was first founded in 1787. A century on, and its members started looking for a second site to play as the golf club was becoming too crowded.

They eventually settled on the land that Gailes Links now calls home, with the club being founded in 1892. Two years later, trains started stopping outside the club to make it easier for golfers to get to the course on the Glasgow-Ayr line.

Willie Fernie was also brought in to revamp the course and update its layout at around the same time, with Willie Park Jr redesigning the course shortly before the First World War. The layout remains as he drew it up to this day, only with some of the holes being lengthened to deal with improving technology in clubs and balls.

The oldest open amateur strokeplay event in golf takes place at Gailes Links each year - the Tennant Cup. The club has also played host to the Home Internationals, Scottish Amateur and PGA Championships, and has been a host of Final Qualifying for the Open Championship as well.
 

Gailes Links, one of two venues as part of Glasgow Golf Club, is a proper links test. Relatively flat, but with enough bumps and hollows to make sure you're always facing something different with your stance, and then throw in a few pot bunkers and the railway line that comes into play, and you have your archetypal links layout. It can push to 6,900 yards from the tips, playing as a par 71. 

 

The course opens with a gentle dog-leg left par 4, with the clubhouse on your right hand side as you tee off. Out of bounds from the driving range also comes into play further down the hole, but a fairway wood or long iron should leave a short iron or wedge into a large green. Birdie on the first?

The 2nd is 400 yards from the back tees, before you come to the hardest hole on the property, the 467 yard par 4 3rd. A slight dog-leg to the right with three strategically placed bunkers down the left side of the fairway, beware of all the heather down the right as you steer clear of the bunkers. The tough holes keep coming, as the 4th is the longest par 4 at Gailes Links, measuring over 470 yards. The hole is arrow straight with several bunkers guarding it from fairway to green. 

The par 5 5th runs the opposite way, with the 4th on its left. That is the safer miss on this 593 yard hole. Don’t go right, as you’ll struggle to find your ball in the thick heather and gorse. The first par 3 on the course measures in at just 152 yards before the par 4 7th takes you away to the far corner of the property. Two short par 4s bring the front nine to a close, both of which provide birdie opportunities. 
 

The back nine then kicks off with two par 4s which are both over 400 yards, where you will be happy to come through both level par. The 12th is the longest of the par 3s at Gailes Links, measuring 220 yards from the back tees. A thin green awaits, with a bunker on the front left and front right. Another reachable par 4 for the big hitters follows, as 330 yards, but beware if you go for the green, as there are six bunkers guarding it, five being pot bunkers in a line down the right side. 
 

The par 5 14th plays at over 560 yards, and requires a blind approach to the green. A par is a very good score considering there is some guesswork on your second or third shots. The 152 yard 15th is the last par 3 on the golf course, and the last bit of respite perhaps, as Gailes Links concludes with three par 4s that are all more than 400 yards in length.

 

Don’t go right off the tee on 16, as you’ll find yourself on the railway track and having to tee up again. The track runs all the way down the right side of the 16th. Coming home, the last two par 4s are tricky but can yield opportunities. Par both and you’ll be happy walking back into the clubhouse.
 

Where is Gailes Links located?
Gailes Links is located in a truly wonderful region for golf, on the western coast of Scotland. Kilmarnock is less than ten miles to the east of Gailes Links, while Ayr is around 15 miles to the south, along the coastline. The city of Glasgow, Scotland's most populous city, is 30 miles to the northeast.

 

For international visitors, Glasgow Prestwick Airport is just ten miles to the southeast from the club, but Glasgow Airport – which is 40 miles north – provides a much wider array of flights and destinations. Rail users are best placed to stop off at either Irvine or Barassie, both of which are on the line that runs between Glasgow and Ayr. Both stations are around two miles from the golf club.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?
The Ayrshire coastline has several stunning venues that all make the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. The likes of Dundonald Links, Prestwick, Kilmarnock Barassie, Western Gailes, West Kilbride, and Trump Turnberry - with its Ailsa Course and King Robert the Bruce Course - are all on the same stretch of coastline.

What golf facilities does Gailes Links offer?  
Along with the stunning championship layout, Gailes Links is also home to a full-length driving range with both grass and matted tees, a short game area and putting green next to the clubhouse and 1st tee.
 

What are the green fees at Gailes Links?
The price of a green fee at Gailes Links changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

 

For more information on current green fees at Gailes Links, visit their website here. 

 

 

Visit Gailes Links' website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.