Kilmarnock Barassie

The Barassie Links is the 18-hole offering at Kilmarnock Barassie, and one that has seen many a name be victorious...

The history of the club dates back to the 1880s, but the course at its current location was a product of the 1890s. In more recent years, 9 holes have been added to extend the original 18-hole layout, and to make Kilmarnock Barassie a 27-hole venue.

The Barassie Links now runs past 6,800 yards, and is in an incredible part of the world, bordering both Western Gailes and Dundonald Links. 

Visit Kilmarnock Barassie’s website here.

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The formation of Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club came in 1887, with the original 9-hole layout located at Holmes Farm.

Less than a decade later, the club moved to its current location between the railway lines, with space for an 18-hole golf course.

Although the club celebrated its centenary back in 1987 however, it has undergone significant change in the years since. The decision was taken to add nine new holes, partly to ensure the existing course never became outdated and partly to secure the future of a portion of land that might otherwise one day have become housing or an industrial estate.

Over the years, the Barassie Links has held many prestigious tournaments. Both Boys & Girls Amateur Championships, the Junior Open Championship, Scottish Women’s Amateur Championship, along with Final Qualifying for both the Open Championship and Senior Open Championship, have all been heled at KBGC.

As you would expect with this part of the country, the Barassie Links is a proper links layout. Thanks to the addition of those new holes, the Barassie Links has been extended to more than 6,850 yards from the tips. There is plenty of gorse around, along with some tree-lined fairways on the flatter and newer section of the course. Throw in the railway line and plenty of holes where OOB comes into play, and it is a very good layout to test your game on.

The first three holes of the new layout use the 3rd, 4th and 5th from the original. The relatively gentle former opener is therefore dispensed with, meaning a start of 509, 394 and 430 yards playing into and across the prevailing wind. On a calm day, it’s not too severe, with a generous fairway awaiting the opening drive. With a breeze up, a good round can be ruined by the time the burn that traverses the 2nd fairway has been safely negotiated. The 3rd hole used to be rated the hardest on the course and it’s still one of the most dangerous, with out of bounds running up its entire right side.

After that it’s across to the new holes, which run on more open land all the way to the boundary with Dundonald Links. First comes the relative respite of a small par 3, before a whole host of doglegs, ranging in length from a drive and a pitch to substantial three-shotters. 5 moves slightly from right to left, but at 366 yards, this is one of the easier par 4s you will come to on the new ground at KBGC. After the short par 3 6th, a 150-yard hole that has a green surrounded by no fewer than six pot bunkers, you come to the 7th, where you aim your drive at the railway line. The hole then turns to the right, running parallel to the train tracks. At 440 yards, though, it is a brute of a par 4.

So special is this golfing region, it even inspired a verse from a particularly happy group of travelling golfers: “Troon and Prestwick – old and classy, Bogside, Dundonald, Gailes, Barassie. Prestwick St Nicholas, Western Gailes, St Cuthbert, Portland – memory fails. Troon Municipal (three links there) Prestwick Municipal, Irvine, Ayr. They faced the list with delighted smiles: Sixteen courses within 10 miles!”

8 is a par 5 of 540 yards, and a true three-shotter. It first moves to the left around a bunker on the inside corner, before then turning sharp right before the green. It is a hole that requires thought, and not just sheer power! The 9th turns to the left, and it is a par 4 that can be scored on, but only if you can avoid the four fairway bunkers that guard the corner. The 10th is almost a 90-degree dog-leg to the left. It is 387 yards, and requires two solid shots, even if the first is travelling almost away from green. The 11th is somewhat similar, but at 400 yards and with four bunkers on the corner, it is another tricky tee shot to find the short grass. There are no traps by the green, with gorse as the danger instead. The 12th is the last challenge in the new section on the Barassie Links, and it is the only straight par 4. It is 440 yards, though, so it requires a good drive to put yourself into a position where you can even reach the green.

After nine holes in succession on the new ground, it’s back across the wall to what used to be the 6th, 7th and 8th, and what is now the beginning of a strong run of closing holes. 13 is a slight dog-leg right, and made that way thanks to the burn that runs in front of the tee and then down the right side of the fairway. It also runs behind the green, so make sure your approach does not go long. The 14th is the last and longest of the par 3s on the course. At 185 yards, it requires a solid shot with a long iron or hybrid to a green guarded by four pot bunkers. 15 has a generous fairway, but there is a burn running down the right side if you push your tee shot too far.

The 16th is a par 5 that can be reached in two strong shots. However, the six bunkers within the last 50 yards might put you off from going for it. It is followed by a long, straight par 4 that simply demands shots of a similar description. What the closing hole lacks in length it makes up for in subtlety, with what is arguably the most awkward green on the course awaiting. Its severe contours mean two-putts here are never a formality, as you return to the clubhouse with members and guests watching on.

Where is Kilmarnock Barassie located?

Kilmarnock Barassie is situated on the Ayrshire coastline, in what can only be described as a golfing paradise in the west of Scotland. The club sits between Gailes and Troon, and is just inland from the western coastline of the country. There are no sea views, but there are two railway lines – one on either side of the property. The town of Kilmarnock is around ten miles inland from the venue, while the A78 – which runs from Greenock to Monkton – is close by as well.

Barassie Station is just a couple of hundred yards away on foot from the entrance to the golf club. Trains run through the station between Ayr and Glasgow Central on a regular basis. For international visitors, Glasgow Prestwick Airport is less than eight miles from Kilmarnock Barassie, while Glasgow International Airport – the second busiest airport in the country – is 30 miles to the northeast.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

Kilmarnock Barassie is one of several incredible golf courses on the Ayrshire coastline, many of which are on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. Dundonald Links and Western Gailes are both neighbours of Barassie, while the likes of Gailes Links, Irvine, Prestwick, Prestwick St Nicholas and Royal Troon – with its Old Course and Portland Course – are all within ten miles.

What golf facilities does Kilmarnock Barassie offer?

Along with the Barassie Links, the club also has the 9-hole Hillhouse Course, which was part of the original layout. Although there is no driving range, the club does have hitting nets to the side of the clubhouse, along with a lovely putting green which sits in front of the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Kilmarnock Barassie?

The price of a green fee at Kilmarnock Barassie 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 Kilmarnock Barassie, visit their website here.