Belleisle – the people’s course, heading back to the gentry?
Price paid £30 (GolfPass voucher).
Value 5/5 at £30; 4/5 at current GolfNow (~ £43); 3.5/5 at list price £60.
Belleisle’s story has a sweet beginning. The estate’s lands, originally Netherton of Alloway, passed through Ayrshire gentry before Hugh Hamilton bought the property around 1787 using Jamaican plantation money, renaming it Belleisle. The Baronial sandstone mansion was rebuilt in the 1800s, then the Coats family, Paisley thread manufacturers, acquired it in 1886.
The beautifully manicured 12th fairway at Belleisle, showcases the condition.
Following the death of George Coats, Ayr Burgh Council purchased the entire estate for £25,000, opening James Braid’s two courses in 1927. Finally, the working man could walk the same ground his grandfather had doffed his cap to. There is a certain irony, then, in the fact that the listed green fee has doubled in two years since I played to now £60. One finds oneself wondering when the first £100 municipal round will arrive and whether Scotland will even notice what it has lost.
The opening tee at Belleisle; wide, well-maintained, and immediately signalling something above the municipal average.
Belleisle is the flagship of Golf South Ayrshire’s eight courses, which are covered in Blog 136. It is a proper Braid design, only two par fours under 400 yards from the yellow tees, fast-running fairways, and sound bunkering. The greens and surrounds are the real quality indicator, and on the day Fran and I played, late April sunshine, warmer to the eye than to the skin, they were excellent. It played like a good private members’ course in England. Which, at a municipal green fee, is precisely the point.
The approach to the 2nd, beautiful parkland character
The white tees add nearly 400 yards and lift the par from 69 to 71, with holes 1 and 15 both becoming par 5s. The 15th in particular, 426 yards from yellow, 478 from white, would actually be easier from the white.
The 15th, a long par four with a stone bridge, a burn, and an estate lodge for company.
Fran and I played steadily. I shot 89, undone by a 10 on the 18th, a 504-yard par 5 with a burn, a dogleg, and a steep gully that I negotiated with maximum creativity!
Fran playing into the 6th, with the par 3 7th and Arran beyond. Municipal golf at its finest.
A shortage of bunker rakes is noteworthy, a Golf South Ayrshire policy issue discussed in Blog 136, not a Belleisle-specific failing. The absence of twilight rates is more surprising for a late April afternoon, and is itself a small symptom of the broader commercial drift in municipal golf pricing.
Fran’s approach to the 18th, with the roofless shell of Belleisle House behind. Sold by the council in 2012, gutted by accidental fire in 2019, the council were mid-process repurchasing it when the blaze broke out.
The mansion tells its own story. Belleisle House, Category B listed, Scottish Baronial, presiding over the 18th fairway; it was sold off by South Ayrshire Council in 2012 for £300,000 and gutted by an accidental fire in 2019. The council now own the shell. The golf course thrives; the house that once commanded the estate does not.
For international visitors wanting to understand Scottish golf, Belleisle is essential. It showcases what civic investment in the game can produce at its best. At £29.99 it was exceptional. At £43 via GolfNow today it remains good value. At the £60 list price, the ancestors might start to feel the ground shifting beneath them again.
Course Type: Parkland Par 69 yellow tees (2 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s) / Par 71 white tees Distance: 6,036 yards (yellow tees) Course Rating / Slope (yellow): 70.2 / 119 Moly’s Gross Score: 89
Moly ‘addressing the haggis’ – a prelude to Burns’ later work, Tam o’ Shanter
I’m a Burns man. I know his poems, songs and characters. When I unearthed that the real-life inspiration for Burns’ poem Tam o’ Shanter farmed one mile from Turnberry’s first tee, I had to dig deeper.
Shanter Farm sits adjacent to ‘Maidens’ on the Ayrshire coast. Douglas Graham farmed it in the late 1700s. His drinking ‘crony’ was John Davidson, a cobbler from Kirkoswald. Burns was just 16, in 1775, when he was sent to study in Kirkoswald, where he met Douglas and John, presumably in the pub. They made a lasting impression on the young Robert, who 15 years later used them as the blueprint for ‘Tam o’ Shanter’ and ‘Souter Johnnie’, the hero and his trusted companion, in, arguably, the greatest narrative Scottish poem.
The land of Tam o Shanter would become one of the finest golf courses on earth, but the metaphorical ownership by Burns’ characters wouldn’t end there.
Moly on the first tee, with the Turnberry hotel behind. I just had to wear a Hoodie.
The Course
The Ailsa is in my top three of the 300 plus courses I’ve played to date (at June 2026). It also sits comfortably in most top 20 lists for courses world wide.
A course was laid out in 1901 by Willie Fernie, who was commissioned by Archibald Kennedy, the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa, who foresaw the links could be highly profitable with a railway and hotel, both of which duly opened in 1906. Sadly, the World Wars obliterated the golf resort – the railway closed permanently in 1942. Between 1949 and 1951, Philip Mackenzie Ross, the pre-eminent post war architect, restored the layout to the one which, in 1977, famously hosted the “Duel in the Sun”, between Nicklaus and Watson.
‘The Donald’ purchased the resort in 2014 for £47m, renaming it ‘Trump Turnberry’ and, between 2015 and 2016, Martin Ebert reconstructed the five holes along the coast and transformed the 9th from a par four into arguably the most dramatic par three in Scottish golf. Later he would extend the 16th into a challenging par 4, which will hopefully one day test Open entrants.
The headline rate to play in Summer is an astonishing “up to £1000” (2026). Which begs the question, “How much is perfection worth?”, a hyperbolic one probably crafted by Trump himself. Unbeknownst to Donald, Burns wrote a potentially prophetic and skewering poem about his like, called ‘Holy Willie’s Prayer”. ‘Holy Willie’, a man of towering narcissism who presents himself as chosen and blessed, operating by rules that apply to everyone else. Joking aside, the course is magnificent; perhaps Holy Willie occasionally got it right.
Light breeze on a perfect March day, the greens in Summer condition, here at the 2nd
The Art of The Deal?
At Scotland’s posh courses, like Muirfield or Royal Troon, the list price is the list price. They don’t negotiate. Trump operates differently – he’ll do a deal. When I played, the eye watering rate was £500. Looking late on the day before, the tee sheet showed plenty of spaces. I phoned the Pro shop, deployed my persuasive Dundonian vernacular, explaining I could only afford a ‘hundred quid that I’d saved up’. We settled at what might be my best value golf ever – £130. The man on the other end of my call had, in his own small way, something of the Bard’s spirit from Burns’ The Jolly Beggars; happy to set aside rank and rule for an afternoon, and let an ordinary punter in on the deal. He operated outside the script and created a very happy man..
So, is it perfect? At £500 (2023) I would give it four out of five on value, still exceptional, because very few courses in Scotland could justify that price. At £130 it is five out of five without hesitation. My greatest value ever.
The partially obscured tee shot at the fourth, with the full panoply on view – Arran, Lighthouse, Dunes, Gorse, Rough.
The Round
I was paired with 8 handicapper Ian Moffat of Cumbernauld, a naval submariner home on leave, who chose to play from the white tees (6,543 yards), whilst I played the yellows (6,110 yards). The added 433 yards sounds manageable unless you are playing into a stiffening links breeze on a treacherous layout.
Despite a few early lost balls Ian continued off white, displaying the perseverance of submariners. Whilst I didn’t keep Ian’s score, I suspect it was the wrong side of a century, as mine would have been off white. Ian was, in the finest Burns tradition, one ‘Tam Samson’, the Kilmarnock sportsman Burns immortalised for his dogged refusal to leave the field, a man who would rather perish in the attempt than concede defeat. Burns wrote that Tam Samson’s dying words would be that he had never given up. Ian Moffat did not give up either – well done Ian.
Ian Moffat on the 8th green, Ailsa Craig perfectly framed in the March sunshine.
I shot 89, with three triple bogeys. I hit the ball about as well as I can. If Burns had played golf – and given his appetite for competitive pursuits, convivial company, and the Ayrshire outdoors, I suspect he would have been a natural – he would have recognised himself in the honest, truth-seeking spirit of the game. He was always ‘Davie’, the brother poet, the man seeking meaning in simple honest experience rather than in rank or gold. I’d like to think that summarised our day at Turnberry.
The wonderfully green entrance at the par 5 fifth hole. The bunkers gave me 8!
The first two holes ease you in, running through inland undulations with the hotel presiding grandly over everything. By the third, the sea begins to announce itself. By the fourth, you are into the dunes proper, the gorse blazing yellow in the March light.
Moly at the 6th, a short par three, where the prevailing westerly will be a challenge.
The coastal sequence from holes four to eleven is beautiful. Ebert’s redesign brought several of these holes right to the clifftop edge. The seventh was already magnificent; a long par five threading between dunes with the sea appearing and disappearing to the left.
The 7th, a par 5 . My birdie putt awaits!
The Ninth
The ninth hole at Turnberry Ailsa is now one of the great short holes in world golf; but not really short for us mortals! Ebert converted it from a par four, placing the tee on the cliff beside the ruins of Turnberry Castle; birthplace, most likely, of Robert the Bruce, though that story belongs to the other course here, the King Robert the Bruce course. The green sits just below the lighthouse, perched above the rocks and the sea, perhaps the best half way house in golf.
With Arran visible across the water and a light breeze off the Firth, standing on the 9th tee at Turnberry is one of those moments that reminds you why you play this game.
Was Burns a Golfer?
It is worth pausing to consider how old this story is. Jack Boyd, in his history of Turnberry Golf Club, quotes a letter of 15th February 1751 from Archibald Kennedy (most likely the great-grandfather of his namesake who built the course in 1901) to Sir Thomas Kennedy, describing golf at Girvan, five miles south of Turnberry, among lairds, a minister, and a doctor, with Sir John judge of both the golf and the drinking. So, three years before the St Andrews Golf Society was formed, golf was being played on the Ayrshire coast. Burns, born in 1759, would have known golfers and recognised all the aforementioned players. He would have found Tam o’ Shanter among them.
The manicured 10th green to start the back nine.
The twelfth tee looks back toward the war memorial on the hill — a stark reminder that this land was twice an RAF airfield, its fairways buried under concrete and tarmac while pilots trained and died here. Something approaching 200 men lost their lives at Turnberry during the two wars.
The War Memorial stands above the twelfth green, here seen from the fairway bunker 150 yards from the green.
From thirteen onward the course begins its journey home, moving back through the dunes toward the hotel. These holes are less dramatic than the coastal sequence but beautifully crafted — fair, strategic, and very demanding but dependent on the prevailing wind..
Ian Moffat on the tee at 13th tee.
The sixteenth is perhaps the most challenging hole on the course — a long par four that turns slightly left, the hotel reappearing on the horizon as you play back toward it. It was extended by Ebert with a redefined sharper burn.
This burn at the long par 4 16th will be a card wrecker even for the pros.
After the Round
The clubhouse at Turnberry is exactly what you would expect from a five-star resort that has hosted four Open Championships. Leather armchairs. Views across the course to the sea. A club sandwich and a pot of tea for £27, served with a Turnberry-branded paper bag and an air of quiet confidence that it is entirely worth it – maybe.
Trump Club and pot of tea, only £27
The Verdict
Turnberry Ailsa is magnificent. Burns walked this coast. Douglas Graham farmed a mile north of the first tee. The Girvan Gang played golf five miles to the south while Burns’ father was still a young man. The lighthouse stands on the ruins of a castle that shaped Scottish history. Two World Wars tried to destroy the course and failed. Holy Willie bought it and made it better.
Whatever you think of the branding, the course itself demands only one response: reverence.
Played: 27 March 2023 Paid: £130 (list price approximately £500) Score: 89 gross, 34 Stableford points, handicap 15, yellow tees (6,110 yards, SSS 70, Slope 124) Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ at £130 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐ at rack rate
Nestled near the Campsie Hills north of Glasgow, the Allander course at Hilton Park Golf Club offers a rich blend of history and natural beauty. Opened in 1928 and designed by James Braid it represents a good example of Braid’s artistry of balancing challenge and fun.
The approach to the first, presents a typical view of this Allander course.
Set within an area of beautiful scenery of rolling hills and lush heathland greenery, full of flora and fauna, the course is nice just to walk around.
The par four 5th on the Allander course, fully justified as the Stroke Index 1 hole.
I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the PGA Pro, Ewan Grimes, who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. His knowledge and welcome were second to none, along with his stories.
Moly teeing off at the 15th on the Allander course at Hilton Park, a mid iron par three.
The course was in good condition. However, the drainage seemed poor, which was unexpected given the heathland conditions. Given the conditions there were several winter greens in play, which was a disappointment.
The tree lines framed many holes, but in fact the fairways were quite generous. Here at the par three 17th.
One of two courses at Hilton Park, the Allander is very much the secondary, shorter course. It would be worth playing though on in a fine summer day.
The Allander 18th hole, a mid length par four, with the impressive clubhouse.
So what do I think of using AI? It created a very bland and flowery draft, which was frankly difficult to take seriously. Clearly influenced by Golf Club websites, full of standard phrases ‘course for all all abilities’, ‘challenge for all’, etc etc, after editing it left me with no more than 4 meaningful sentences.
Price £45.
Discount: Golf Now, £15, against the Winter rate of £30.
The club website reports “The best course in the world ….under 6000 yards”.
The uphill opening hole at Pitlochry – a par 4 of nearly 400 yards and stroke index 3– it was the site of an old distillery, so not all golf clubs improve the environment!
Pitlochry is unquestionably a good course, laid out in 1908 by a great designer, Willie Fernie (Turnberry Ailsa). But a “best in the world?”. Has anyone ever played more than 10% of the world’s 40,000 courses or listed them by yardage?
Magnificent views surround Pitlochry, the Tummel Valley seen here at the 9th, a downhill dog leg left par 4.
The website statement is marketing hyperbole of course but, in a way, is fitting as this “Gateway to the Highlands” course has always been a commercial venture since a development consortium built the course above the town. Having laid the new golf course, the original 9 hole Pitlochry course was later flooded in creating Faskally Reservoir for a major hydro eclectic plant. I doubt any visitors to Pitlochry’s dam to watch salmon leaping, through the man made fish ladder, know they are standing above a golf course.
The 11th, one of three strong par 3s at Pitlochry, arguably the highlight of the design.Here looking back towards the elevated tee.
So how good is the course? Setting aside the hubris from the website, it’s a really good one. It is fairly short, but the undulations and the many plateaued greens make it feel longer. Despite, arguably, a lack of variation (there are 15 par 4s and 3 par 3s) the regular changes in hole elevation is the real challenge, especially for a visiting golfer. Weaving it’s way around relevant sites of Pictish Forts, and with stories of visits by Robert The Bruce and Queen Ann, there is plenty of history here as well, all described on the excellent course guide on the club website here. The greens are beautifully constructed and difficult to read.
The deceptive 15th, a short par 4, where a good drive might leave a good birdie chance, as long as you judge uphill approach distance. But note the stroke index 5 rating!
The course was in excellent all round condition when we played, despite recent heavy rain. We played off a shortened winter layout, and paid only £21.99 via golfnow.com. This is incredible value and as a business there are often deals to be had here.
Although several changes have been made to the course over the years, the signature mid iron 16th, clearly didn’t need improving.
Being only 25 miles north of Perth on the A9, Pitlochry became a key holiday destination in late Victorian times and still remains a desirable holiday venue. The Golf Club’s opens competitions are very popular, not least because of the great clubhouse hospitality and food.
The 18th green, a downhill par 4 and a good birdie opportunity, with the “New England” feel clubhouse, which houses a good restaurant.
Back to the hyperbolic claims. Of the courses I’ve played, Pitlochry isn’t even the best Willie Fernie designed course under 6000 yards – that’s Shiskine for me. I also think Boat of Garton, Kilspindie and Carnoustie Burnside (where Hogan qualified for the 1953 Open) are all better courses and under 6000 yards from their longest tees.
Pitlochry’s course guide also states the short par 15th hole is “probably the most difficult par four in the world”! Whilst it’s likely ‘tongue in cheek’, I did take 7!
Facts:
Round List Price £65.Actual Paid £21.99 through Golfnow.
