Ayrshire Open history · Which to play
Prestwick Golf Club vs Royal Troon Old Course
The course that invented the Open against the one that still hosts it — three miles apart on the same coast.
| Prestwick Golf Club | Royal Troon Old Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Green fee (2026) | £170–£380 | £250–£395 |
| Location | Prestwick, Ayrshire | Troon, Ayrshire |
| Region | Ayrshire | Ayrshire |
| Type | Links | Links |
| Holes / par | 18 · par 71 | 18 · par 71 |
| Designer | Old Tom Morris, 1851 | Charlie Hunter 1878; Willie Fernie 1910; James Braid redesign 1923 |
The verdict
Which should you play?
Prestwick held the first Open Championship in 1860 and the next eleven after it, and stayed on the rota until 1925. Old Tom Morris laid it out in 1851 and the course has been left alone in a way that modern championship golf could not tolerate — blind shots, a railway boundary, the Himalayas, the Cardinal bunker. It is a historical document you are allowed to walk on, and it is a members' club that takes visitors rather than a public links.
Royal Troon is the working Open venue: Charlie Hunter in 1878, Willie Fernie in 1910, James Braid's redesign in 1923, and 7,385 yards off the back tees. It has the Postage Stamp, the shortest hole in Open golf and the most photographed par 3 in Britain, and it has the modern championship infrastructure that goes with an active rota place. Visitor access is limited and priced accordingly.
If you are choosing one, choose on temperament. Prestwick is the more interesting round and the better story — it is quirky in ways a course designed today would never be allowed to be, and that is precisely why it is worth the money. Troon is the better-conditioned, fairer, longer test and the one that will feel like championship golf. They are fifteen minutes apart, so the real answer for anyone on an Ayrshire trip is both.
Pick this one if…
Prestwick Golf Club
You care where the Open came from, you enjoy blind shots and quirk, and you want the round that could not be built today.
Pick this one if…
Royal Troon Old Course
You want a current Open venue in championship condition, and you want to stand on the Postage Stamp tee.
Green fees are the clubs' published 2026 visitor rates, shown as a range from the cheapest to the dearest tee time. They change; always confirm on the course profile before you book. We don't take a cut of your green fee — the verdict above is ours, not the pro shop's.
More: which should you play?