Course Guides

Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland

Forever remembered as the birthplace of the Open Championship, Prestwick and has hosted 24 Opens in all, the last one being 1926, after which the crowds were deemed too large. The original 12-hole layout played host to the first Open Championship in 1860 (won by Willie Park) for which the prize was a red Morocco leather belt with silver clasps costing the sum of £25. Over the next 12 years at Prestwick, the belt had been won 4 times by Old Tom Morris and 3 times in succession by Young Tom Morris, who subsequently became owner of the prized belt.

Expanded to 18 holes in 1883 with seven original greens remaining to this day, Prestwick has not changed much over the years. It's often controversial blind shots and misleadingly initial unkempt appearance bear witness to the members' aspirations that the course remain true to its origins.

Protected by the meandering waters of "Pow Burn", Prestwick boasts a unique array of holes with significant amounts of heather and gorse, which when combined with some typically hellish Scottish bunkers can often ruin an otherwise respectable score. Prestwick's fairways are for the most part narrow and its generally small and undulating greens, given certain pin placements, can make for some interesting approach shots. While Prestwick can be forgiving on calm days, when the wind rolls in from the Firth of Clyde, the golfer would be well advised to lower their aspirations to a low score.

Probably the best known hole at Prestwick is the par 5 third hole, which incorporates the infamous "Cardinal Bunker" — a vast expanse of sand divided by fairway and faced by railway sleepers or ties. However, whatever your woes at the end of the day — whether Pow Burn, Cardinal, Willie Campbell's Grave or the undulating greens, you are advised to try the best known local cure — "a brim-full schooner of Kummel"!