Prestwick Golf Club

If you’re a fan of pure links golf and the history of the game, the Prestwick Golf Course in Scotland is a must play course on the Ayrshire Golf Tour.

The club was founded in 1851, and Old Tom Morris both designed the course, and became the resident professional and keeper of the greens. Morris routed the course over rather than around the dunes, giving it a quirky and difficult reputation.

These dunes formed some of the most memorable holes in golf – several of which survive today.

The first twelve Open Championships were held at Prestwick Golf Club, with most won by Old and Young Morris. A cairn near the clubhouse marks the spot where the first Open tee shot was struck in 1860. Prestwick went on to host 24 Open Championships – the last in 1925.

Old Tom Morris, his wife, and baby son Tommy lived in Prestwick, Scotland until 1864 when they moved back to St Andrews. Today’s professional is only the seventh in the history of the Club.

The course at that time consisted of twelve holes and most Open Championships were won by Old and Young Morris, playing multiple loops of the 12-hole routing. A cairn near the clubhouse today marks the spot where the first tee shot in 1860 was struck. Prestwick went on to host 24 Open Championships, the last in 1925. That year Old Tom Morris, in addition to his name on the Claret Jug and a medal for the Champion Golfer of the Year, received the princely sum of £75, much less than today’s green fee.

The course was extended to 18 holes in 1872 and many of the original holes were lost. The blind 5th, a 231-yard par 3 requiring the tee shot be sent over tee color-coordinated railway ties to find the putting surface, remains. As does the 17th (originally the 2nd) requiring a completely blind shot to the green with the aptly named Sahara bunker ready to capture shots left short.

Prestwick offers a warm welcome to all visitors and allow time to take in the wonderful memorabilia displayed in the clubhouse. Make sure you sample a Pimms and a Kummel (along The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and The Royal and Ancient, the three clubs account for most of the world’s consumption of the anise liquor, a 19th hole tradition). The Prestwick Pro Shop is one of the best in golf and offers perfect keepsakes to wear and display.

The Prestwick Experience takes it one step further and allows a limited number of visiting golfers to truly be a “member for a day.” Participants are invited to have a three-course lunch at the long table in the Members Dining Room and enjoy the Main Lounge during their visit. Being a traditional club, gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie during lunch and ladies appropriate non-golf attire.