Historical Links & Island
Beauty
Duration: 7
days
Start itinerary with the historic
atmosphere at Prestwick GC where the first Open Championship was
played in 1860 - after lunch in the clubhouse take the short trip
round to Prestwick St Nicholas GC an excellent links course with
spectacular views over the sea.
Play the Open Championship course for 2004 -
Royal Troon. A truly challenging links course with
superb views of the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig - play the Old
course in the morning and after a relaxing buffet lunch which is
included in your day ticket, experience a round on the
Portland course in the afternoon.
Drive to Ardrossan and take the Cal Mac ferry to
Brodick on the Isle of Arran and discover some island gems. Drive
round the Island to Blackwaterfoot and experience the delights of
the little 12 hole course at Shiskine Golf Club.
You have the choice of either spending the night on Arran and
taking the ferry across to the Mull of Kintyre the next morning or
driving straight to Lochranza for the ferry to Clanaig that
evening.
Taking the ferry from Lochranza to Clanaig will
have you landing back on the mainland on the famous peninsula - the
Mull of Kintyre. A round of golf at Machrihanish
is a must for all discerning golfers, with its exceptionally
beautiful scenery looking out over the Atlantic and its very famous
opening hole driving across the beach if you dare!
Drive up towards Tarbert to catch the ferry at
Kennacraig to the beautiful Isle of Islay.
Another island 'gem' is the links course at the
Machrie Golf Links on Islay that is an experience
not to be missed. Designed by Willie Campbell from the natural
terrain alongside Laggan Bay, this traditional links course rates
high as a must for discerning golfers.
Take the Cal Mac ferry back the mainland and
drive up the A83 via Lochgilphead and Iverarary and join up with
the A83 down past Loch Lomond.
West Kilbride GC situated close
to the town of Largs is worth stopping for. A traditional, flat
seaside links course designed by old Tom Morris and enhanced later
by James Braid. A half hour drive down the coast brings you to the
Open qualifying course of Irvine Bogside for an
afternoon of golf. Irvine Bogside is renowned for its velvet
greens.
There can be no better way to round off a week of
golf than by playing first of all Western Gailes
GC in the morning followed by 18 holes after lunch on
Glasgow GC, both Open qualifying courses.
