Golf in South Ayrshire
On Wednesday 17 October 1860 a small group of like-minded golfers made their way towards the sandhills of Prestwick… Little did they know, they were about to make history! The first Open Championship was played on that day at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, over three rounds of the twelve-hole links course.
South Ayrshire offers many other well-known and historic golf courses in addition to the already mentioned Prestwick Golf Club: Royal Troon Golf Club, Trump Turnberry Resort, Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club and Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club. Make sure to play these South Ayrshire golf courses when visiting the area!
The climate in South Ayrshire - typical of that in Western Scotland - is milder than that of Eastern Scotland due to the stronger maritime influence. The prevailing winds blow from the sea into South Ayrshire and the warm Gulf Stream also has a strong influence on Western Scotland.
The nearest airport to South Ayrshire is Glasgow Prestwick International Airport (PIK), which is primarily a destination for low-cost airlines. Prestwick Airport can be reached directly from European cities including Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Rome and Stockholm. The airport has its own railway station, with direct links to Glasgow Central Station (a 45-minute journey) and to Ayr (7 minutes).