The Scottish Ayrshire Coast

26th May – 2nd June 2012

ROYAL TROON - founded in 1878. Venue of eight British Open Championships as well as the British Senior Open Championship, The British Amateur, The Internationals Championship, and The Scottish Championship

Royal Troon is home to both the longest and shortest holes in Open Championship golf. The par-3 8th hole, "Postage Stamp", measures a short 123 yards and is regarded as one of the top holes in the world, while the par-5 6th, "Turnberry" is 601 yards long. The Course was created in combination with the best of links course ingredients and the expertise of Braid, McKenzie and Pennick. The Old course is an exceptionally demanding one and recognized throughout the Golfing World as one of the toughest tests on the British Open rota.

The course is rated 21st in the Top 100 courses of the British Isles.

WESTERN GAILES - Formed in 1897, the Club has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments, including the Scottish Amateur Championship, which returned for the eighth time to Western Gailes  in 2011, the 1972 Curtis Cup, the 1964 PGA Championship, and in 2007 was host to the European Men's Amateur Team Championship. The course is used for final qualifying when the Open is played at Turnberry or Royal Troon, and also as a final qualifying venue for the Seniors Open. This is pure unspoiled and traditional Scottish links with wonderful greens and crisp turf on the fairways. Once regarded as somewhat of a hidden gem, Western Gailes today stands shoulder to shoulder in terms of quality (if not yet recognition) with its illustrious neighbors at Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry and is recognized as one of the truest tests of links golf in Scotland.

The course is highly rated and is 35th in the Top 100 courses of the British Isles.

KILMARNOCK BARASSIE is a links course that measures 6817 yards off the medal tees. The course is tough, but is typically what Scottish Links golf is about - large undulating greens, deep bunkers and doglegs. The course was host for the Open Championship Final Qualifying, the British Amateur Championships, the European Youths Championships and the Junior Open Championship. Kilmarnock Barassie Links remains to many one of the clichéd Hidden Gems of Scottish Golf. For those who have played it however it simply becomes a mystery as to why more haven’t.

PRESTWICK GOLF CLUB was founded in 1851. This is where the greatest championship of them all began, the birthplace of “The Open Championship” in 1860 and where it was its host for another 12 times. It has staged other professional and amateur tournaments, including the Scottish Amateur Championship. Prestwick is steeped with history and tradition and is a mecca for golfers who love the history of the game. The Himalayas and the Alps are two holes which have been copied repeatedly, but no replica has ever matched the original. With blind shots, humps, streams and sleepered bunkers, this is not a course for the modernist. The Club is situated on a stretch of land unequalled anywhere in the world for prime golfing terrain. Prestwick is every sense a true seaside course with traditional links turf.

The course is highly rated and is 42nd in the Top 100 courses of the British Isles.

THE PORTLAND COURSE at ROYAL TROON GOLF CLUB - came about in June of 1895. It is a links golf course, and is more sheltered and shorter than Royal Troon, with holes that make their way over land covered by gorse and broom and has five par-3 holes. The back nine has the golf course's par-5 holes - all four of them.

The cost is £1975 and includes:

• All golf - 5 rounds and pull trolleys
• All meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Seven nights accommodation
• Program events
• Local transportation




Please book early as the group will be limited to a maximum size of twenty.

We can't wait to go back . . . and hope you will be by our side. We hope to hear from you soon! Joan, Vin and John