The architect · James Braid
James Braid's Scottish courses
Five Open Championships, then more than 200 golf courses — and he never learned to drive a car. These are the 32 Scottish courses we cover that James Braid designed or remodelled, from the Gleneagles King's to a £30 municipal on the Ayr seafront.
James Braid (1870–1950) was a Fife joiner's apprentice who became one of the finest golfers of his age — part of the 'Great Triumvirate' with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, and the winner of five Opens between 1901 and 1910. Then, in his playing prime, he turned to design, and over the next forty years laid out or remodelled more courses than anyone in Scottish history.
He worked almost entirely by train — he was famously nervous of motor cars — arriving at a site for a single day, walking the ground, and sketching a routing that made the most of whatever nature had left. He is credited with popularising the dogleg, and his courses share a recognisable intelligence: cross-bunkers that ask a question off the tee, greens set on plateaus and tiers that punish the lazy approach, and a way of turning awkward, humpy ground into strategic golf. You can play a Braid course without knowing it's his and simply think: this is a really good, fair, interesting course.
The James Braid Golfing Society keeps his memory alive — based at Brora, one of his most beloved links — and an afternoon spent ticking off his courses is one of the best ways to understand Scottish golf architecture. Here's where to start.
The headline courses
If you only play a handful, make them these — the masterpieces, the Open venues, and the links the society is named around.
Perthshire · highland
Gleneagles King's Course
His Perthshire masterpiece — the King's Course, 1919.
£260–£405
Angus · links
Carnoustie Championship Course
Braid's 1926 reshaping created the modern Open layout.
£249–£360
Ayrshire · links
Royal Troon Old Course
Braid's 1923 redesign of the Open venue.
£250–£395
Perthshire · heathland
Blairgowrie (Rosemount Course)
The classic Perthshire heathland Braid, 1934.
£95–£140
Highlands · links
Brora Golf Club
Braid's 1924 links — home of the James Braid Golfing Society.
£80–£180
Highlands · heathland
Boat of Garten Golf Club
Braid, 1930 — 'the Gleneagles of the North'.
£45–£115
Every James Braid course we cover
The complete list, from championship links to town and municipal courses — proof of how much of Scotland's everyday golf came off Braid's drawing board.
| Course | Region | Credential | Green fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gleneagles King's Course | Perthshire | His Perthshire masterpiece — the King's Course, 1919. | £260–£405 |
| Carnoustie Championship Course | Angus | Braid's 1926 reshaping created the modern Open layout. | £249–£360 |
| Royal Troon Old Course | Ayrshire | Braid's 1923 redesign of the Open venue. | £250–£395 |
| Blairgowrie (Rosemount Course) | Perthshire | The classic Perthshire heathland Braid, 1934. | £95–£140 |
| Brora Golf Club | Highlands | Braid's 1924 links — home of the James Braid Golfing Society. | £80–£180 |
| Boat of Garten Golf Club | Highlands | Braid, 1930 — 'the Gleneagles of the North'. | £45–£115 |
| Gleneagles Queen's Course | Perthshire | Braid's 1919 Queen's, the King's gentler sibling. | £100–£325 |
| The Nairn Golf Club | Highlands | Braid and Ben Sayers extended the championship links. | £100–£350 |
| Lundin Golf Club | Fife | Braid redesign, 1909. | £60–£175 |
| Scotscraig Golf Club | Fife | Braid remodel, 1923 — one of Scotland's oldest clubs. | £75–£125 |
| Dunbar Golf Club | East Lothian | Braid and Ben Sayers, 1922–24. | £120–£225 |
| The Glen Golf Club, North Berwick | East Lothian | Braid and Ben Sayers, 1905–08. | £60–£135 |
| Longniddry Golf Club | East Lothian | Braid improvements to H.S. Colt's 1921 layout. | £70–£140 |
| Panmure Golf Club | Angus | Braid's 1920s redesign — where Hogan prepared for the 1953 Open. | £85–£195 |
| Forfar Golf Club | Angus | Braid heathland design, 1926 — an Open qualifying course. | £69–£89 |
| Stonehaven Golf Club | Aberdeenshire | Braid and Archie Simpson improvements, 1906. | £22–£85 |
| Fraserburgh Golf Club | Aberdeenshire | Braid redesign, 1922. | £150 |
| Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club | Highlands | Braid redesign, 1932 — on the Black Isle peninsula. | £35–£125 |
| Golspie Golf Club | Highlands | Braid's 1926 revision — links, heath and parkland in one round. | £50–£120 |
| Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club | Highlands | Braid improvements, 1921. | £39–£49 |
| Hawick Golf Club | Scottish Borders | Braid completed the 18 holes, 1894. | £35–£50 |
| Kelso Golf Club | Scottish Borders | Braid redesign, 1930 — inside the racecourse. | £25–£40 |
| Ayr Belleisle | Ayrshire | Braid, 1927 — arguably Scotland's finest municipal parkland. | £30–£45 |
| Irvine Golf Club (Bogside) | Ayrshire | Braid, 1925–26. | £90–£125 |
| Powfoot Golf Club | Dumfries & Galloway | Braid modifications, 1923 — on the Solway. | £40–£80 |
| Stranraer Golf Club | Dumfries & Galloway | Braid's final course design, 1950 (opened 1952). | £45–£50 |
| Duddingston Golf Club | Edinburgh | Willie Park Jr. parkland under Arthur's Seat; Braid advised in the 1920s. | £40–£120 |
| Dalmahoy Hotel (East Course) | Edinburgh | Braid's East Course, 1927. | £65–£100 |
| Cathkin Braes Golf Club | Glasgow | Founded 1888; Braid reworked the opening holes in 1921. | £25–£85 |
| Buchanan Castle Golf Club | Stirlingshire | Braid laid out the current parkland course, 1936. | £30–£50 |
| Alloa Golf Club | Stirlingshire | Braid's Schawpark layout in the Ochil foothills. | £25–£55 |
| Glenbervie Golf Club | Stirlingshire | A Braid design — the pick of the Falkirk-area courses. | £75–£125 |
James Braid's Scotland, mapped
32 courses from the Solway to the far north — the geographic spread of one man's work, almost all of it reached by train. Click any pin for the course.
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James Braid — common questions
How many golf courses did James Braid design?
Braid designed or remodelled more than 200 courses across Britain, around 50 of them in Scotland — remarkable given he never learned to drive and travelled everywhere by train. We feature the Scottish Braid courses you can actually play on this page.
What is James Braid's most famous course?
The King's Course at Gleneagles (1919) is his masterpiece and the course he was proudest of. Carnoustie and Royal Troon — both Open Championship venues — carry his redesigns, and Blairgowrie's Rosemount is the classic inland Braid heathland.
What defines a James Braid course?
Braid is credited with popularising the dogleg, and his courses reward the player who shapes a controlled shot to the right spot rather than simply hitting it hard. Look for strategic cross-bunkering, plateau and tiered greens, and routings that work with the natural contours — he was a master of making good golf out of awkward ground.
Can you play James Braid's courses as a visitor?
Most welcome visitors. Gleneagles, Boat of Garten, Brora, Blairgowrie, Carnoustie and the municipal Ayr Belleisle are all openly bookable. A few members' clubs (Glenbervie, Buchanan Castle, Duddingston) prefer weekday visitor times — phone ahead.
Was James Braid a good golfer himself?
One of the greatest of his era. He won five Open Championships between 1901 and 1910 and, with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, formed the 'Great Triumvirate' that dominated golf either side of 1900. He turned to architecture in his playing prime and shaped Scottish golf for the next half-century.
Keep exploring
Architect
Old Tom Morris's courses
The father of the game — many of the originals Braid later remodelled were Morris's.
History
The history of golf in Scotland
From the 1457 ban to the Home of Golf — the full story Braid was born into.
Browse
All Courses
Full profiles, FAQs and booking links for every course we cover.