Western Gailes GC (Pictures)

[Evan_Green]

Western Gailes is such a cool place. How many golf clubs have the pro shop behind the bar? I have rarely been greeted with more hospitality than here. Furthermore the course was deserted. I didnt see more than a handful of groups out there. A very different feel than at the other big name courses with tour buses in the parking lot.

The course is very cool with some really awesome features on it. In my opinion front nine is considerably stronger than the back. Furthermore, as you can see from the color of the turf this course plays very fast and very firm.


The Clubhouse as seen from the first tee


1st Green


The Punchbowl-like 2nd green


The second shot on the 3rd hole.


The 3rd green


The second shot on the 4th hole


The most unfortunate predicament I was faced with after pulling my 2nd shot left on the 5th hole. How the heck do you get up and down from here


The 6th is a really cool par 5. Here is the view from the 3rd shot. I love how the green is tucked into the dunes and mounds.


Here is the 6th green itself. Very neat stuff.


The 7th is one of my favorite links par 3's.


Zoomed in shot from the 7th tee.


Greenside bunkers to the right of the 7th green


My most unfortunate playing companion after pulling his tee shot on #7. Believe it or not, he made a bogey.


Another view of the bunker my buddy was just playing from. You dont see bunkers like this every day...


Fairway bunkers on the left side of the 9th fairway. Notice how the natural roll of the land dictated where these bunkers were placed. Much like the bunkers at St. Andrews, these bunkers were placed where balls tend to collect due to the natural terrain.


9th green complex


The view from the 10th tee.


The long par 5, #14 begins the journey back to the clubhouse.


From the right side of the 16th fairway


#17. Notice the red cross behind the pin which is an aiming target. Also notice how high the flagstick is. Both of these features are to help aim the semi blind second shot.


All good things must come to an end... The right side of the 18th fairway with a view of the clubhouse.

If one visits the West Coast of Scotland, Western Gailes is not to be missed.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Evan

You have just made somebody so very happy...Wesyern Gailes is one of my top 10 courses anywhre..I just love the place.
I would rather play there than any of the courses within 40 miles of it actually..thank you so much for posting the great pictures..it brings back so many wonderful memories.

[Evan_Green]

I'm glad to hear that Michael. Posting these brought back great memories for me as well.

[Matt MacIver]

Love seeing those, it's the first pix I've seen.  It's the first course we're playing on our trip.  

[Jay Flemma]

Evan those shots are excellent.  You're right, the sixth green setting is really cool.  Nice job by your buddy getting down in fie from that hairy lie in the bunker.

[PThomas]

Nice pics, thanks for posting Evan!

[Jim Franklin]

Ah, great memories, I loved that place. thanks for posting the pics.

[Tom Huckaby]

Me too.  Years ago when planning a trip and needing a course for an extra round near Prestwick, a wise Zimbabwean steered me to Western Gailes.  Of course said wise man never steers one wrong.  Fond memories indeed.  Great pics, Evan - thanks.

TH

[Jeff Fortson]

What a fun golf course!  Too bad they moved the Scottish Open from here.


Jeff F.

[SL_Solow]

A very interesting course on a very narrow site bordered by the sea on one side and the railroad and a road on the other.  A wonderful job of using the natural features where the routing options were limited.  As soon as I saw the first green set slightly below the encircling ring I knew it would be different.  An additional bonus for our group was provided by the extremely friendly members who acted as our caddies and pointed out many of the nuances of the course.

[wsmorrison]

I, too, love Western Gailes.  My oldest son and I had a wonderful day at the club.  They even broke tradition and allowed my son into the clubhouse for lunch (he was underage) and provided a very nice lunch for us (bacon and brie sandwich for my son) and lots of friendly treatment.  I look forward to my next visit to Western Gailes.  Thanks for the photographs.  I showed my son the photo of the clubhouse and he instantly recognized it.  We enjoyed going through the photos and reminiscing.  Thanks, Evan!

[Pat Howard]

I'm another fan of Western Gailes. Great golf course in a wonderful setting. Probably doesn't get the attention it deserves due to it's more famous neighbors.

Thanks for the pics, they take me back a few years!

After a closer look, I remember the 7th as one of the best par 3's on my trip to Ireland and Scotland. The Postage Stamp at Troon and #14 at Portrush, "Calamity" being two others.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

It is indeed a great course which is somewhat over shadowed by Troon and Turnberry. It also has an all world locker room.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Western Gailes what a place, as said above, I am not sure if I was treated any nicer anywhere in Scotland.  I remember showing up on a beautiful clear day, but he wind was (to me) howling about 40 mph.  The gentleman that greeted me at the door when I inquired about playing that day said "Aye, its a great day for golf!" in his Scottish burr it was something I will never forget.

I also wont forget the "pro shop" being behind the bar as mentioned.  Or the couple that had to be near 80 yrs old pulling thier bags around the course.  

When I was done on Sunday PM it was the final day of the Ryder Cup in Valderama (back in 95?) and the pro said I was technically not supposed to be in the members lounge, but he snuck me in the back of a room where many people were gathered around a large TV at the front of the room.  I was trying to blend in but accidentally got a little excited at a good US shot one time and everyone noticed me sitting there.  I was nervous that someone would be mad that I was in there where I was not supposed to be, but instead they welcomed me into the fold and proceeded to tell me how valiant of an effort "those Yanks" were putting up that day.  I watched the efforts fall short, but it was a memorable day nonetheless.

A special place indeed.

[Doug Siebert]

I played there on my first visit in '91, and definitely want to return.  That's the big problem with travelling to Scotland, every time you go there you add more courses you want to go back to, and then you get all these guys like Goodale and Arbie telling you about others that you note for future reference as well, so each trip has to be longer than the last

[Mike_DeVries]

I would rather play there than any of the courses within 40 miles of it actually..thank you so much for posting the great pictures..it brings back so many wonderful memories.

Michael,
I love Western Gailes too, but still have a huge fondness for Prestwick's old quirkiness -- those two shine high above everything else on the western coast (I admit I am delinquent in not having been to Machrihanish!).  

Mike

[ForkaB]

What a fun golf course!  Too bad they moved the Scottish Open from here.


Jeff F.

When was the Scottish Open there, Jeff?

It's one of my favorite courses too, but there hasn't been a Scottish Open there that I jnoiw of since I first played Western Gailes in 1978.  Maybe it was my fault!

[Joel_Stewart]

I was told once that they have the best greens in Scotland.  Is that true?

[Evan_Green]

The greens at Western Gailes are very good. I would say they were as good as any of the other courses in Scotland I have played.

[Evan Fleisher]

Evan,

Great pics!  Thanks for sharing.  During my 1998 pilgrimage my golfing buddy and I opted for the "double" at Troon (the Old and Portland courses) instead of a Troon Old and Western Gailes day.

I won't say that I regretted it, as many here know of the magical day I had a Troon that afternoon...but I know that we missed something special in WG, and your photos go on to prove that.

Certainly going to be on the "short list" for that return trip...whenever that might be!

[Bob_Huntley]

One of my favourites, irrespective of locale.

Great course, some superb par 3's, a welcoming club house with gracious members as temporary hosts, one could wish for nothing more. Not necessarily a Doak 10, but a good eleven on the Huntley scale.

Bob

[Bob_Huntley]

I was told once that they have the best greens in Scotland.  Is that true?

Joel,

I was told once that they have the best greens in Scotland.  Is that true?

Joel,

Some years ago I was playing with Laurie Aucterlonie when he was the Hon. Professional at the R&A. The question of greens came up and he opined that he would take me over to a course near Gullane and show me what keen greens really were.

We went to Kilspindie and I must say they were absolutely perfect. For a respite from Muirfield and Gullane have a game there, you won't be disappointed.

Bob























































Sure enough a couple of days later we played Kilspindie

[Jeff Fortson]

What a fun golf course!  Too bad they moved the Scottish Open from here.


Jeff F.

When was the Scottish Open there, Jeff?

It's one of my favorite courses too, but there hasn't been a Scottish Open there that I jnoiw of since I first played Western Gailes in 1978.  Maybe it was my fault!

Rich,

For some reason I thought they played the Scottish Open there.  I just tried to look it up and found a couple websites mention that they held it.  However, the club's website itself doesn't mention it.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Sorry!  I guess I'm starting to lose my mind.


Jeff F.

[SteveC]

As I recall, Western Gailes also has an outstanding patio overlooking the course and the ocean beyond - beautiful views - a marvelous place to swap lies and have a pint or two after a day on the course.

[Paul Carey]

Just like everyone else has said.  WG is a great setting that looks like it has not changed in decades.  Friendly people and great caddies.  I would pick it every time over Troon or Prestwick.  The front nine is a load of fun and the back nine cand get pretty tough in the breeze.

Great pictures that brought back a lot of great memories.

Paul