Prestwick Golf Club

Prestwick is gloriously eccentric & all the better for it. A course that feels as though it belongs slightly to another age, because in truth it does. The golf is endlessly fascinating. Blind shots, rumpled fairways, outrageous bunkering & wonderfully bonkers greens with minds of their own. It all feels natural, ancient & mischievous. Prestwick has a handful of holes woven into golf folklore. The 3rd with the Cardinal bunker, the blind lunacy of the par 3 Himalayas at #5, the narrow Narrows at #15 and then the Alps at #17….. An extraordinary hole, the oldest played in The Open. The hidden Sahara bunker over the brow of the dune, is surely one of golf’s great ambushes. It has everything, strategy, drama, history and a big dollop of madness. You can see why it is spoken of in almost mythical terms. Few courses can match this cast list, though there are 14 other wonderful holes too, many with unforgettable greens full of tilt & contours. But Prestwick is much more than the golf holes. History oozes from every corner of the club. The recently renovated clubhouse is superb but every bit in keeping with what was there before. The view from the picture window upstairs is spectacular, one of those views you can lose an hour to without trying. The dining room is iconic. Proper golfing theatre. The sort of room where you half expect Old Tom to wander through. Layers upon layers of history, befitting a course that staged The Open 12 times. Golfing artefacts sit throughout the clubhouse, including The Open Belt that was played for before the Claret Jug. I loved the suggestions book in the bar too, going back to the 1960s with only a few pages used. A wonderfully understated way of saying we’ve been getting on just fine, thanks. You leave thinking not just that you’ve played somewhere historic, but somewhere unlike anywhere else. Golf’s slightly eccentric ancestral home.

Prestwick Golf Club was the first stop on our Leading Courses Ambassador Trip, and it could not have been a better way to begin our Scottish golf journey. From the moment we arrived, the reception was warm, friendly and genuinely welcoming. You immediately feel that Prestwick is not just another golf club, but a place with a very special position in the history of the game. This is, of course, the iconic club where the first Open Championship was held, and that sense of history is present everywhere: in the clubhouse, on the walls, in the stories, and out on the course itself. Before our round, we had a guided tour of the club, which was a real highlight. It was full of historic moments, interesting facts and great stories about the origins of The Open and the development of golf at Prestwick. Seeing and hearing all of this before playing made the experience even more meaningful. It gave the round extra context, because you are not only playing a golf course, you are walking through a very important part of golf history. Lunch was excellent as well. The quality of the food was top notch, and the setting made it even better. From the clubhouse we had a fantastic view over the course and especially the famous first hole, “The Railway”. While enjoying lunch, I already found myself studying the hole and thinking about the best strategy for that opening tee shot. It is a great example of how Prestwick immediately gets into your head in the best possible way. The weather was a bit windy, but hey, this is Scotland, and it only added to the experience. Prestwick is exactly the kind of course where you expect the wind to be part of the challenge. It makes you think, it changes your club selection, and it asks for creativity rather than just distance. We played the course with a group caddie, and that was a big advantage. Prestwick has several blind shots, unusual angles and holes where local knowledge is extremely valuable. The caddie helped us a lot with lines, strategy and understanding where the ball needed to go. Without that guidance, it would be much more difficult to fully appreciate the design and avoid some of the hidden trouble. The course itself was in good condition for the time of year. The layout is full of character, with many memorable holes and classic links features. Prestwick is not a modern, straightforward course where everything is visible from the tee. It is quirky, historic, strategic and sometimes surprising, and that is exactly what makes it so special. You have to accept the course for what it is and enjoy the challenge. One small point for improvement is the warm-up situation. At the moment, warming up before the round is not that easy. It would be a nice addition if some hitting nets were available, and I understood that this may hopefully be added soon. After the round, we finished the day with dinner at The Red Lion, which was the perfect place to continue the Scottish golf atmosphere. It had the feel of a traditional local pub: warm, relaxed and full of character. The place also has a special connection with the history of the game. The night before the very first Open Championship, players and organisers came together here to discuss and agree on several golf rules, some of which still stand today. Knowing that made the evening feel even more special. After a windy day on the links, it was great to sit down, enjoy good food and drinks, and talk through the round together. These are often the moments that make a golf trip extra special: sharing stories, laughing about the good and bad shots, and already looking forward to the next course. The Red Lion was a very fitting end to a memorable first day. Overall, Prestwick Golf Club delivered a fantastic experience from start to finish. The combination of history, hospitality, course character, caddie guidance, good conditions and the unique atmosphere of the club made it a very memorable first day of our trip. For any golfer who loves the history of the game and enjoys true links golf, Prestwick is a must-play.

A Prestwick la storia non è un elemento di contorno: si avverte prima ancora di arrivare al tee della 1. Entrare nella clubhouse, appena ristrutturata, significa attraversare una soglia che ha qualcosa del museo e del santuario laico del golf mondiale. La Claret Jug, la Red Belt e i tanti cimeli esposti non sono semplici oggetti da osservare, ma tracce concrete di un luogo che ha contribuito a definire l’identità stessa di questo sport. Il Prestwick Golf Club fu fondato nel 1851 da 57 gentiluomini riuniti al Red Lion Inn, dove abbiamo cenato al termine del nostro round. Nove anni più tardi, nel 1860, proprio qui si disputò il primo Open Championship della storia. Il campo allora era di 12 buche; oggi il percorso è cambiato, ma la sensazione resta la stessa: giocare a Prestwick significa misurarsi con un links antico, irregolare, istintivo, lontano da ogni idea di golf addomesticato. Il tee shot della 1 è uno dei momenti più particolari dell’esperienza. Da un lato c’è il fascino della partenza, dall’altro la ferrovia così vicina che, con uno slice di pochi metri, si avrebbe quasi la sensazione di poter intercettare un treno in transito. È un inizio che dice molto del carattere del campo: Prestwick è wild, a tratti spiazzante, ma davvero “lovely”. Non è un percorso da affrontare in autonomia. Senza caddie o almeno un forecaddie, molte buche rischiano di diventare quasi indecifrabili: colpi ciechi, rimbalzi imprevedibili, bunker nascosti, linee di gioco che spesso si capiscono solo dopo averle sbagliate. Ma è proprio questa dimensione a renderlo memorabile. Prestwick non concede tutto subito: chiede attenzione, umiltà e immaginazione

Premier parcours de notre trip en Ecosse dans l'Ayrshire et premier parcours The Open Championship. Mieux, Prestwick est le berceau de la compétition, là où tout a commencé. Et clairement on le ressent dès qu'on arrive. Nous avons eu la chance de découvrir les lieux en visite guidée, veste et cravate obligatoire, et plus qu'un clubhouse, c'est assurément un musée. La Claret Jug et la Red Belt vous accueillent dès l'entrée. C'est tout le poids de l'histoire de l'Open qu'on retrouve dans chaque salle, derrière chaque porte. Les installations d'entrainement sont sommaires avec un putting green attenant au Tee1. Le green d'approche est lui assez vaste avec un bunker très profond à disposition afin de bien se préparer à ceux du parcours. Dans la tradition il n'y a pas practice direct. Clairement quelques pleins swings auraient pu être utile quand on se présente sur le mythique Tee1. Départ le long du muret jouxtant la voie ferrée, il faut être droit sous peine d'égarer sa balle dans les bosses à gauche si vous n'avez pas slicé de l'autre côté du mur. Le second coup est tout aussi impressionnant tant le green est en forme de goulot. Petite précision, caddie obligatoire tant le parcours est complexe avec des trous qui s'entrecroisent. Par exemple sans indication, la lecture du fairway du trou 3 n’est pas simple et on a ite fait de jouer sur un autre trou. Arrive le trou 5, un par3 totalement à l’aveugle. Bien attendre la cloche avant de jouer et suivre les marques sur le mur sans hésiter à être un peu plus long. J’ai eu la chance d’être ligne drapeau à 3m mais l’erreur est vite là. Ce premier tiers m’a plutôt bien réussi étant à +2 mais s’en suit des trous plus larges non moins ardu notamment à cause des roughs très présents. Les pénalités tombent très vite notamment si l’on laisse des coups dans les bunkers. Le tracé historique de Prestwick n’est pas la définition même du links dans sa conception car pas vraiment un aller-retour et la mer n’est visible que sur un départ (11) mais tous les autres codes sont bien présents. A partir du 12 on engage le retour vers le clubhouse même si une boucle des plus compliquée se rajoute avec les trous en aveugle 15 et 17 pour finir sur un 18 juste devant le club. Mais plus que ses doglegs, que ses bunkers ou que ses trous en aveugles, ceux sont ses greens qui vous couteront le plus de points ! des lignes de jeu quasi illisibles sans l’expérience des caddies locaux. Indispensables ! Pour résumer, une expérience complexe mais mythique dans un lieu empreint d’histoire…

The first course we played on the Expert Rater trip was Prestwick Golf Club, one of the most historic venues in world golf. Founded in 1851, Prestwick hosted the very first Open Championship in 1860, and remarkably, several of the original holes from that era are still part of the routing today. Prestwick is unlike any other course. It has a completely unique character that sets it apart from more conventional links layouts. Some holes are wonderfully quirky, featuring blind shots and shorter par fours that require imagination and trust, while others are long, demanding links holes shaped heavily by the natural terrain and the wind. The clubhouse had recently been fully renovated when we visited and looks excellent. One of the standout features is the enormous panoramic window on the first floor, offering superb views over the opening hole, which runs just to the left of the railway line. Although the first is not especially long, it creates immediate tension from the tee. Anything pushed right is heading towards the tracks, while the ideal line left leaves an approach into a hidden green tucked behind the dunes. It is a brilliant and very characteristic opening hole for Prestwick. We were fortunate enough to have Chris as our caddie again, someone who has been caddying at the club for more than 50 years. His stories about the club and its history added enormously to the experience. I would strongly recommend taking a caddie at Prestwick. Even if it is only one forecaddie for the group, the local knowledge on lines and greens is invaluable, and the stories alone make it worthwhile. The clubhouse food was excellent, the staff were welcoming throughout the day, and the pro shop was particularly well stocked with high-quality memorabilia featuring the club’s distinctive and very attractive logo. Prestwick is not simply a round of golf, it is a journey through golfing history, and if you ever get the opportunity to play here, it is absolutely worth taking.