For Tom and Jim:
Through the photos I had seen the course always came across as wild and rustic and it is around the edges. When I finally got a chance to play the course I was taken by how serene the property and course turned out to be. While I was looking for a quirky course all full of blind shots it turned out to be the most gentle of all the links courses I have played. The opening stretch has a series of holes that finish at great natural green sites that alternate between the top of knolls and natural hollows. Then the course turns for a journey down the coast and through dunes. The holes are generally all run up natural valleys between the dunes. The tees are also generally set down low so that you start many of the holes on the same perspective of the landing area which makes for a very intimate feel since the holes become framed from tee to green by the dunes despite the fact many are not that tall. The greens are almost all also set down into natural hollows with the 6th and 7th greens absolute standouts. The course is easy to comprehend from the outset due to the way the holes are routed and even the series of greens and fairways that sit hidden in hollows are fairly easy to understand despite being blind since the high dunes always give you the edge of where to be. The only thing that a first time player really misses out on is the chance to use the feeding slopes around the greens to a player’s advantage.
After the run through the dunes the course turns at the 13th and the holes become a little more open with less dune land available. The bunkering and burns take on a larger roll as you try work your way back into the wind all the way home. he bunkering was excellent and almost all clearly visible from each shot. The bunkers were generally very small, deep and tough to get out of. What was really interesting was that some of the contour around them was kept tight and ran directly into the bunkers. They prove that bunkers do not need size to have an impact and that short grass still can have much more far reaching effects if used well.
The burns were fascinating in particular the one at #15 since the far edge was intentionally picked up to make the locations very clear, but it also created a beautiful deep shadow lines and then ended with a run away slope on the back that could be used to kick the ball onto the green. At Western Gailles there were four crossings and most of them were used to front a green similar to the famous 16th at Turnberry. They make for some delicate approaches with front pins and a fascinating contrast to the dunes holes.
The greens had some interesting contour, but for the most part the contours were on the gentle side. What I enjoyed the most about Western Gailles was the way the course offered so many fun options around the greens. There was a great deal of short grass, but also the rough was kept very light which invited the player to use the ground. The fact that as many chips were downhill as up added to the fun of the day. The other cool thing they did was using an even shorter cut than the fairway immediately around the green which allowed for putting from almost all sides.
The last thing that struck me about the course was the color. The greens and fairways are similar to what we enjoy by where it gets so much better is in the rough. In the rough you have the fescue with its light brown wispy tops, interspersed with the deep brown of heather which when in bloom was a dramatic purple, the purple leaved wild rose, the deep green of the gorse bush, and the taller and nastier looking sea light beige grass and these contrasts added up to a setting that is just shy of Royal County Down in places.
The course was a lot of fun to play, had some wonderful architectural ideas and a couple of truly great holes in the 5th, 6th and 7th and that is why I would return to Western Gailes on my next trip over Troon and Turnberry.