Gleneagles: Under the Spotlight

Located about 60 miles outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow stands the five-star Gleneagles Resort. This elegant resort boasts three excellent golf courses, a pitch and putt course, luxurious amenities, and multiple other activities for resort guests such as clay pigeon shooting, archery and horse riding.

The King’s and Queen’s courses are James Braid designs opened in 1919 and 1917 respectively. The PGA Centenary Course, a Jack Nicklaus design, was opened in 1993 and has hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup. While the courses are considered resort courses, the surroundings and conditions at each one are truly spectacular.

The Queen’s Course

The oldest of the three courses at Gleneagles, The Queen’s Course plays at sub-6,000 yards from the furthest tees. Whilst the course may not be long, strategic shots are key to good scoring with well-placed bunkers and long rough standing in the way. While water is not prevalent on this moorland-style layout, many clusters of trees and brush line the fairways to catch any mishits.

The King’s Course

Opened roughly 2 years after The Queen’s Course, The King’s Course plays a little longer at roughly 6,800 yards from the longest tees. Arguably Scotland’s best inland course, golfers will find generous fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and elevation changes are common throughout the round.

In terms of history, The King’s Course was host to an exhibition match in 1921 between the UK and US teams which laid the foundation for the Ryder Cup we know today.

PGA Centenary Course

The newest course on property, this Jack Nicklaus design will turn 30 years old in 2023. Since it’s opening, The PGA Centenary Course has hosted both a Ryder and Solheim Cup in the past decade and has become the most recognized course at Gleneagles.

The course has five different tee box options and plays just under 7,300 yards from the tips. Like the other two courses, the PGA Centenary has strategic bunkering through the course, but the number of bunkers is far less. Fairways and greens are smaller and more undulating than the other two layouts and there is more water that comes into play. The course is a little bit more open with the collections of trees and brush not too frequent on this course.

The golf resort has a five-star hotel with over 230 rooms, a handful of restaurants, a first-class spa, and a wide range of other off-course activities making it a true stay & play experience. For those looking to make a longer trip, the Gleneagles Resort can be combined with a stay & play golf trip in the St. Andrews/Fife area which is an hour or so drive from the resort.

Courses in that area include any of the courses at St. Andrews such as the New Course and Jubilee, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, and Crail. Another option for a trip extension would be to stay & play in the North Berwick area to the west of Edinburgh. Courses like Muirfield, Gullane, and North Berwick Golf Club are perfect additions along with a stay at The Nether Abbey Hotel 10 or Marine Hotel in North Berwick.

Recommended Package

• 4 nights accommodation at the Gleneagles Resort
• 3 rounds of golf at Queen’s Course, King’s Course, and PGA Centenary Course

View Package: Gleneagles Resort 4 night 3 round package

Location:

• Auchterarder, Scotland, United Kingdom
• 48 miles from Edinburgh Airport
• 57 miles from Glasgow Airport