Ayrshire Coast/Glasgow Area hidden gems

[3_Jack_Par]

Trip planned for September

Hi All -- I'm making my first trip to Scotland next month, and I've got the go-ahead from the missus to play three times in the two weeks that we're in the UK. I've nailed down that I'm going to try to play the Old Course and Royal Dornoch, but I'm still up in the air for the third round. I'm thinking that the best area of the country for the last round will be when we're in the Ayrshire/Glasgow area toward the end of the trip. I'm familiar with the big names like Royal Troon, Prestwick, Western Gailes, and Turnberry, but I'm looking for something a little more budget friendly. Any suggestions for a challenging, fun course in that area?

Or is really worth it to shell out the big bucks for one of the big name courses?

Thanks!

[parpar41]

BUMP - i would also like some leads to reasonably priced courses in the Glasgow area.

[3_Jack_Par]

I ended up booking at Glasgow Gailes. It's not super cheap at 75 pounds, but compared to some of the big boys in the area, it's pretty reasonable. We're leaving for the UK on Friday, so I'll try to post pics and a review when I get back in a couple of weeks.

[sabram]

Sorry I didn't see your post earlier, I haven't visited this site in a long time. Glasgow Gailes is a good choice a, nice course with a wonderful membership that will make you feel at home. I had a great day there both on the course and in the clubhouse. However, if I could choose just one course on the Ayrshire coast, which has excellent links from end to end, it would be Western Gailes, which is located just next door to Glasgow Gales. Western Gailes is one of the best links in the world and not much more expensive than GG, and lunch is included with the green fee. Some excellent, lesser known courses within 15 minutes of these 2 are Barassie, Irvine, Bellseise and Darley. I think these are less expensive than WG or GG. Barrasie and Irvine are well respected clubs like WG and GG that allow visitor play. I believe that Bellisle and Darley are municpal courses.

[url="http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2508687980100544033covUQE"]http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2508687980100544033covUQE[/url]

(On the first tee at Glasgow Gales)

[3_Jack_Par]

[quote name='sabram' post='1974239' date='Sep 27 2009, 08:34 AM']Sorry I didn't see your post earlier, I haven't visited this site in a long time. Glasgow Gales is a good choice a, nice course with a wonderful membership that will make you feel at home. I had a great day there both on the course and in the clubhouse. However, if I could choose just one course on the Ayrshire coast, which has excellent links from end to end, it would be Western Gales, which is located just next door to Glasgow Gales. Western Gales is one of the best links in the world and not much more expensive than GG, and lunch is included with the green fee. Some excellent, lesser known courses within 15 minutes of these 2 are Barassie, Irvine, Bellseise and Darley. I think these are less expensive than WG or GG. Barrasie and Irvine are well respected clubs like WG and GG that allow visitor play. I believe that Bellisle and Darley are municpal courses.

[url="http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2508687980100544033covUQE"]http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2508687980100544033covUQE[/url]

(On the first tee at Glasgow Gales)[/quote]
Glasgow Gailes was a nice course, and if I hadn't played the Old Course and Royal Dornoch previously during my trip, it would have probably seemed even better. It was quite challenging, with quite a lot of heather and gorse in play if you miss the fairway by a significant margin. I played alone on a Tuesday morning, and didn't realize until I was chatting with the pro afterward that I wasn't supposed to play from the championship tees, but that definitely added to the challenge. The course lacks the scenery of the coastal links, but it plays similarly.
The staff was extrely welcoming, and couldn't have been nicer, and the foursome that I played through was very friendly (it helped that I hit a dart with a hybrid on a 230 yard par-3, so they were pretty complimentary). The pro is a great guy, too. He took the time to talk to me for about 15 minutes after my round while I was waiting for my wife to pick me up.

Regarding some of the other options, I looked into playing Western Gailes, but they don't allow visitor play on the day I was in the area, and Barrassie also wasn't able to offer me a tee time that worked with my schedule. There was something about Irvine that made that not an option, too, but the reason escapes me.

Looking back on it, I kind of wish I'd broken down and played Troon -- we stayed in the Piersland House hotel which is right across the street. I had fun at GG, and the people were great, but it would have been a better experience, I'm sure, if I'd played it before playing the other two great courses, rather than afterward.