Prestwick Golf Club

Prestwick is the birthplace of the Open Championship. The first Open was played here on 17 October 1860 — eight professionals, three rounds of the original twelve-hole layout, one day. Willie Park Senior won. Old Tom Morris, who was Prestwick's first Keeper of the Green, came second. The club hosted the Open 24 times in total before the rota shifted away in 1925; the original Championship Belt and the early scoring records are still on display in the clubhouse.

The course itself is older than the modern game's idea of what a golf course should be. Blind tee shots are normal here, not exceptions. The 17th — the Alps — is the most famous: a downhill, blind par 4 with a bell-pull at the top of an enormous hill that you ring to signal the next group when you've cleared the green. Other holes routinely play across walls, around derelict railway carriages, and over Pow Burn. None of this is artifice. It's how the course has always been.

Visitor green fee is £225 in 2026. Caddies are strongly advised and routinely the best money you'll spend on a Scottish trip — the lines are not visible from most tees and a caddie who has carried for thirty years will save you four shots minimum. Visitors Monday to Friday, limited Saturdays, no Sundays. Handicap certificate required (men 24, women 30). Dress code is enforced; smart trousers and collared shirt at minimum.