WHY PLAY

MURRAYSHALL GOLF

£60

SUMMARY

Long in the shadow of the 3 magnificent Gleneagles Courses in the area.   Murrayshall is a lovely Par 73 championship course set on 350 rolling acres of the beautiful Perthshire Estate.  Overlooking the vale of Strathmore and the mountains of Perthshire.  Golfers playing Murrayshall can expect to experience an enthralling layout, impeccable course conditions, and stunning panoramic views. The course has recently hosted the PGA under 25 and the Scottish Team Championships.

Designed by Hamilton J. Stutt, the grandson of James Braid’s right-hand man. The golf course, which opened in 1981, is built around the stunning Murrayshall Country Mansion which offers superb accommodation and hospitality in the Heartlands of Perthshire.

Expect tree-lined fairways, too many bunkers to count, and a number of challenging holes with tricky water hazards in play.  Accuracy is the name of the game and the course will provide an excellent challenge to golfers of all abilities. The Feature Hole is a 379-yard dogleg right, with a narrow entrance to the green, protected by dense trees and a lovely Scottish burn.

If you are on a golf tour,  another great warm-up option before you challenge Scotland’s best courses.  is Murrayshall’s Lynedoch Course.  The beautiful 10-hole parkland layout is ideal for golfers seeking a quick game of golf or for juniors and those new to the game. Shorter, but equally as challenging as the Murrayshall Course, the layout features slightly narrower fairways, framed by tall Scots pine trees.

WHY PLAY?

GLENEAGLES QUEENS COURSE

£250

SUMMARY

The World-Class Gleneagles Golf Estate is celebrated for having 3 of the top inland courses in Scotland.  Kings, Queens and PGA Centenary.  Over the years Gleneagles has played host to some of the world’s top golfers, celebrities, and championship golf tournaments.  The Queens Course, which was designed by renowned Scottish Architect James Braid,  is the shortest of Gleneagle’s three courses. Queen’s was designed to be a reprieve from the tougher and adjacent Kings course.  However despite having a front that plays just 3,192 yards long the challenge and difficulty of Queens are often underestimated.  Over the years some of the best golfers in the world have found the course to be a good test to make par into the predominant fresh southwesterly breeze.

Due to the Queen’s shortish length.  James Braid who was known as a designer who throws in plenty of challenges for golfers of all abilities did not disappoint.  The course follows the hollows of the land and threads through high ridges on the north and west sides of the estate.  Expect to experience beautiful woodland settings, lochs, ditches, and water hazards, as well as many moorland characteristics.

The Queen’s Course completed a renovation program in 2017. Eighty-nine bunkers of the original bunkers were rebuilt to improve drainage and enhance the sand line visibility on each of these hazards. Fairway mowing lines were also modified to return the course to James Braid’s original design plan. Additionally, the 16th green, which is laid out in a natural bowl shape, was also upgraded to improve drainage.

To sum up.  The Queen’s delivers many of the same ‘to die for’ scenery as the King’s course next door but has fewer blind shots. Many golfers and locals are torn between the Queens and The Kings as they are both unique and extraordinary in their own way.

WHERE IS THIS

GLENEAGLES GOLF KINGS COURSE

£250

SUMMARY

The world-class Gleneagles King’s Course, a Ryder Cup Venue,  is located in Perthshire just 60 minutes drive from St Andrews as you head North towards the Highlands of Scotland. This stunning course is widely regarded as the top Heathland style Course in all of Scotland. Its Sibling Courses, Queens and The PGA Centenary are also magnificent.

The King’s course screams everything Scottish. Elevation changes, monstrous bunkers, heather, great sightlines and some great golf holes   Braid employs Forrest, woods, water features, and utilises the lands natural hollows to shape out many of the holes.   Keeping with the Estates 5 Star Experience the course is always immaculately presented and a joy to play.

Expect huge deep bunkers, blind shots, and danger around every corner.  The course is not long with some superb short holes and an overall sense that this is the ideal amount of challenge you would want to experience in a round of golf.

The Gleneagles area of Scotland is spectacular.  Some of the views you will experience will live with you forever.  The Course and its beginnings are steeped in Golf history.  In 1921 there the first-ever International Golf challenge between America and Britain took place on The Queens Course.  The British team made up of many Scots, including Braid himself, defeated the team of American amateurs.  Shortly after it the challenge became a regular event and this is believed by many to have evolved into what is now The (Sam) Ryder Cup.

If you are planning on heading up to the Scottish Highlands to Play Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, or one of the other Hidden Gems like Boat o Garten.  Then you might want to stop en route and spend an evening at the world-class Gleneagles Golf Resort.  The Queen’s course was designed by Renowned Scottish Golf Architect James Braid. The PGA Centenary is a Jack Nicklaus Design.

WHY PLAY?

GLENEAGLES CENTENARY COURSE

£250

SUMMARY

If you are looking to discover one of Scotland’s very best golfing gems. Gleneagles with its magnificent 5 Star Hotel and 3 Championship courses is a stunning location.  Any trip to the Scottish Highlands would not be complete without a visit to the world-class Golf Resort that is Gleneagles.

Located in the heart of Perthshire, just 60 minutes from St Andrews. Over the years in addition to hosting many Championships. The resort has become a playground for some of the world’s top golfers and the rich and famous. The PGA Centenary, The Queen’s, and The King’s Courses are all rated as amongst the Top 10 best non-links golf courses in Scotland.

The Centenary Course at Gleneagles was designed and created by Jack Nicklaus and the eyes of the golfing world were on his new course when it staged the 2014 Ryder Cup. Unlike the neighbouring King’s and Queen’s Courses, the PGA course has a North American parkland design did invoke some controversy as the Ryder Cup was being hosted on a non-Scottish course layout for the first time.  However, since hosting the Ryder Cup the course has grown in popularity.

Nicklaus’s new PGA Centenary Course offers a stark contrast to the original and more established King’s and Queen’s Courses and is a great addition to the Gleneagles Golf Resort. One thing all 3 courses have in common is the same ‘to die for’ spectacular views of the beautiful Perthshire countryside. The Centenary is currently the longest non-links course in Scotland Measuring well in excess of 7,000 yards.  The course has 5 tee blocks to provide a great test for golfers of all abilities.

In keeping with the goto characteristics of a Nicklaus design.  Big hitters can be aggressive off the tee as there is plenty of fairway to hit.  That said the Centenary course is truly a 2nd Shot course.  Once you have located your drive the real fun begins. Now to hit the green you need to avoid the Huge Undulating greens, deep, well-placed bunkers, and the strategically placed water hazards. Manage these obstacles and your round and time spent at Gleneagles will be an unforgettable experience that you will always treasure.

WHY PLAY?

THE DUKES

£100

SUMMARY

The Dukes Golf Course has a Story to tell.  St Andrews only Heathland course was actually the brainchild of The St Andrews Old Course Hotel.  Despite its world-class location overlooking the Old Course, the hotel has no privileged access to the Old Course and its Tee Times.  As a five-star hotel whose clientele is synonymous with elite golf.  It was deemed essential to be able to offer guests guaranteed tee times on a superb Championship course. The only way to do that was to build The Dukes.

The Duke’s was carefully planned and designed to complement the classic links courses along the coastline and to enhance St Andrew’s standing as the leading destination for golfers.  Originally designed by 5 Times Champion Golfer Peter Thomson and his partner Ross Perrett. Their concept for the course was simple  “a golf course should grow out of the land’.  Together they created a course that would be shaped by the elements, challenging and have 5 tee decks making it scalable for all golfers. One of Par 4s, Braw View provides golfers with an unparalleled and unforgettable panoramic view of the Skyline of St Andrews.

The Duke’s Course in St Andrews opened for play in July 1995 to great Fanfare. HRH The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, who played an inaugural round with British Lions and Scottish Rugby Captain Gavin Hastings OBE.

The course was improved further in 2006 by Tim Liddy, a then student of Pete Dye the renowned golf course architect.  Liddy changed the course to a more traditional Heathland style making improvements to the bunker layouts, drainage, and adding three new finishing holes.

The Duke’s Course has matured over the last 25 years and now offers golfers 18 magnificent holes in a spectacular location overlooking the historic university town and Fife’s beautiful coastline.