I've just returned from my first visit to Ayrshire, a trip that I organized for 11 other guys from my golf club in New Jersey. We played Dundonald, 36 at Prestwick, Royal Troon Old Course and Portland, Turnberry and Western Gailes. We stayed in Prestwick: 6 guys in the Golf View and 6 in the Parkstone, with a night in Glasgow before we flew out the next morning. A quick 7 rounds in 5 days (although 4 guys took a taxi to play Dundonald again before our afernoon round at Turnberry.)
I'll start by saying that staying in Prestwick and playing all our golf in this area made for a VERY pleasant trip with minimal windshield time. (Thanks to all the GCAers who gave this advice.) If we had another day I would have liked to add Glasgow Gailes. I'd be hard pressed to come up with another area with so many fine courses in such close proximity.
Secondly, we were blessed with amazing weather: 70+ degrees and hardly any wind until our last day at Western Gailes, and only two holes of rain. I'm actually thankful for that last day had wind so the guys who had never played links golf before at least got a taste.
Royal Troon Old was the consensus favorite and I have to agree with the group. The course is simply beautiful, superbly conditioned, and an absolute pleasure to play. It was obvious to me that if the wind is really blowing, the pros better make some birdies on the way out because they will be clinging for dear life on the way in. My only slight knock was that the greens seemed pretty flat compared to the other courses but perhaps I need to play it again. (Check that, I DEFINITELY need to play it again!
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Turnberry is an amazing setting, better than Pebble Beach IMO but I thought there were a few weird holes. I thought the landing zone on the long par four 8th was just dumb, a severly sloping LZ that feeds into three bunkers on the right. My well-struck drive landed in the left rough yet still fed in the last bunker and I was dead. I did not like hole 10. I think the centerline bunkers are too far to carry, not enough room on either side, and if you lay back you cannot hold the green. The proposed changes will probably make it a better golf course, especially the new par 3 ninth.
My group loved Western Gailes which really pleased me because few in our group had ever heard of it. It really is a great course; one that I could play over and over again. I loved the way the first four holes play down wind and you can safely hit rescue clubs and irons in the fairway, but the real challenge is judging how to approach the greens. Just about the time I figured that out (3 bogeys with short irons in my hand and a par) you turn into the wind. Now the problem changes: the wind will help hold your approaches, but can you get close enough to reach the greens with your approach? I tried twice with 3 wood and failed while a 3 handicap in my group smartly laid up and trusted his wedge from the fairway. The inward nine was mainly into the wind, so again the golfer is back to judging how to get his ball on the green.
Prestwick was easily the most controversial course amongst our group. Three guys ranked it last, even behind Portland. Too many blind shots and wild greens for them but I loved it. Playing it a second time really helped and I lowered my score by 8 strokes, even though the wind picked up in the afternoon. It was SO cool to play the original Alps, even though my seemingly good iron from the rough over the center stone was never found! (Side ote: why don't Scottish caddies forecaddy??? We had four caddies in every group; you'd think one could walk ahead... but they do not like doing that.)
Dundonald was a very nice course, another course that I would enjoy playing many times. It is linksy enough and in very good shape with lots of good golf holes. Again, I was a bit nervous adding this course but my guys all loved it. It was a great choice to play off the plane.
The caddies were very good for the most part but this is what I learned: caddies in Scotland are not inclined to hide their disappointment in their golfers poor shots! (Especially the ones who were privately betting...) My cousin badly pull-hooked two drivers into the dunes on 7, one on 8 and was about to hit a provisional when the caddy handed him a 3 wood and said "let's put that one away for a while." Another caddy kept clucking his tongue after his golfer's poor shot. When my foursome (all low single digit handicaps) at Turnberry announced that we were playing the white tees, one caddy said "Oh Jesus!" Caddy comments actually became a funny topic of conversation at dinner.
My guys all agreed that these courses need to be played more than once and I completely agree. Ayrshire is amazing and I cannot wait to go back.