I wish I had seen this thread earlier, so that I could have said, "It's an excellent idea! Go for it!" There is nothing in the world of golf quite like Prestwick. With the other courses of the Ayrshire coast within sight, you'd have needed to drug me to get me back on the train home.
For some reason, the opening tee shot on Number One at Prestwick will forever stick in my mind as a nightmare; perhaps because my first ball sailed into eternity my first time playing it. It is a ball that will never, ever be found.
That first tee shot is indeed scary from a technical golfing standpoint. The out of bounds just so close. I think such a hole would be considered unfair and unreasonable many places. Yet the shot is totally unique and very memorable. It feels as if you are playing golf in the side yard of a house, not at one of the world's great courses. I loved every inch of it. I think my ricochet to start the day made it all the more legendary.
I could not believe how many courses there were along the rail line. One course, The Irvine Golf Club, looked very cool. Does anybody know anything about this place?
I do not yet have a railcard. I think it is something I need to look into for future trips.
Jon, I played Irvine Bogside five years ago this coming May. It's not in the same class as Royal Troon, Prestwick or Western Gailes, but it was fun. You'd have to play it a number of times to get the hang of some of the quirky holes. We only played it once on our golf trip to Ayrshire (from North Carolina, USA). The only downside was the condition of the greens. They appeared to be diseased, but regardless they were spongy, soft and slow. Again, that was five years ago.
On the same trip we also played Prestwick. In addition the terrors of the wall and the location of the first tee right in front of the proshop, I recall waiting passengers on the train platform just over the wall watching us tee off. Not quite like the spectators watching the first tee at TOC, but still I felt the eyes. Fortunately I hit a good one, and only one of the four of us put his drive over the wall.