The Links Diary No 1

LThe inks Diary
Where the Journey Begins

No.1 1

Where the
Journey Begins



The Team

Jamie Darling

Content & Operations

Graeme McCubbin
Creative & Photography
Kenny Pallas
Brands & Editorial
Stuart Currie
Creative & Design

This is your new golfing community where
our passions for golf can be shared and celebrated.

Contents

The Origin

4

Great Golspie

6

The Birthplace of The Open

14

The Original Rules of Golf

24

The Iron Golfer

28

The Scots that Shaped Golf Course Design

36

The Links Gallery

48

4 The Origin

Links (lɪŋks)

A Scots language derivation of the Old English word hlinc
meaning “rising ground, ridge”. The non-arable land
beside the sea is where the modern game of golf came
to life and thrives.

Links land is characterised by fast running, hard turf, golf with a member will bring you closer to that club’s
undulations and sand dunes. The modern day bunker history. It will give you a look at the soul of a club.
comes from these very dunes as do water hazards The Links Diary is the perfect golfer’s companion.
from burns running into the sea. This is the purest A magazine filled with incredible images and stories
form of golf where the running game is the key to from Scotland’s golf courses and characters. Our
good play. The elements are part of the defence of growing community of image takers and storytellers
these seemingly living and breathing courses. will give you a unique look at the home of golf and
The sand under the soil creates the links magic that we beyond.
all love. The browntop bent grass and red fescue may
trouble us when we find the rough yet we remember Learn about hidden gems and the personalities that
that this is the tradition of our great game, it’s not make golf more than a game. The Links Diary taps
supposed to be easy. Links courses are a rich source into the rich fabric of storytelling that has long been a
of golf history, ancient and modern, where characters part of the ancient game to enhance your experience
have shaped the sport we play today. They are full as a golfer.
of quirks, traditions and tales that have been passed
down through the generations of golfers that have Think of this magazine as a gallery, a place to
walked those fairways. Like folklore passing through celebrate what makes golf great. This is your new
a tribe, clubs are proud of their past and their place in golfing community where our passions for golf can
the history of golf. be shared and celebrated. With features from some
Visiting these historic clubs gives you a chance to of the most talented photographers and storytellers
hear these stories and meet those people. A round of in our sport, this is the home of golf like you’ve never
seen it before.

5

Words by Kenny Pallas. Photography by Stuart Currie

GGorlsepaite

The Northeast of Scotland is home to a wonderful James Braid, the architect of hundreds of courses,
golfing treasure trove. Toward the end of the 1800s, did some of his best work in this area and Golspie is a
the dramatic highland terrain was adorned by some prime example. Braid often used doglegging fairways
golfing jewels. Names like Royal Dornoch, Tain, and pot bunkers in his designs making them courses
Brora and Golspie are the kinds of courses that the for tacticians and strategists. This has helped his
discerning golfer knows. courses remain as hard today as ever and made him
If golf was a religion, which for many it may as one of the most timeless architects in history.
well be, then travelling to play in this region is a Golspie is one of the most interesting golf courses
worthy pilgrimage. These courses come with a huge you could ever experience. There are links holes,
side-helping of Highland hospitality making the some heathland holes and some parkland holes. This
experience very difficult to beat. course never lets you settle.
As you would expect, there is a rich history to Starting gently with a short par five, from the first
Golspie Golf Club. From 1895, The Golfer’s Guide to tee you know you are about to embark on something
the UK was talking about Golspie Links, a rugged yet special. The vista of the North Sea to your right and
charming nine-hole course. At this point in the young the Backies, the hills that give this hole its name, in
life of the links, it was a diamond in the rough. It had the distance gets the mouth watering. You’re on your
potential. It needed investment. way, savour every moment of this experience.
By 1905, the course was a full eighteen holes, By the third tee, you are hugging the coast and you
it was maturing and gaining a name for itself. The have three holes to play running along the sea. This
Sutherland Golf Society, who originally formed the is classic undulating links terrain. The fourth hole,
club, continually improved the course layout for a short par five is absolutely stunning with a tricky
many years but in 1921, they decided outside help blind green testing your course management and
was needed. In 1925, they invited James Braid to decision making early in the round. It’s reachable in
cast his eye over the course and suggest how to two, but is it wise? You decide.
improve it.

6

7

8

9

This is a type of golf that Braid seems to encourage to this green feels like Carnoustie. The links land
in his layouts. He tempts you with shorter holes then decorated with the occasional trees adds to the
punishes you for poor execution. Golf as it should be, character of the course.
enticing and perilous. After this, the course makes its final character change,
Some par threes linger in the memory longer than we’re back to the links. The drama isn’t over though,
others and some of Golspie’s short holes are bound to the course has some parting gifts to send you on your
take up some room. Your opening shot on the sixth way. One of those is the par three sixteenth. A couple
hole is like hitting a ball into a perfect watercolour. of trees standing alone on the horizon add to the vista
The distant hills and the rolling links land frame the of this tee shot as you play toward the North Sea.
green perfectly. This may be a shorter par three, at The tricky two-tiered green sits proudly in the middle
150 yards, however it demands precision. Hidden of the property. This is a chance to look around and
bunkers and heavy rough surrounding a tricky green marvel at the glorious links you find yourself on. One
makes for a wonderful hole. of those moments to cherish especially if you are
This course never lets you settle. You have played playing with a close friend or family member.
seven holes of links golf, so it’s time to change. It’s In the kind of quirk you only find on old courses, the
time for some heathland golf and the challenging next hole is also a par three. This is a long hole that
par four eighth. It’s easy to stand behind your tee could derail a good round so it’s not the time to be a
shot and second shot on this hole and be distracted hero.
by your surroundings. The pines at the back of the It’s then time for a short walk to the final tee. Another
green guide you toward the target whilst framing the classic James Braid hole with a blind second, depending
approach. The deep heather lining the hole lies in on how far you hit the driver. The undulating fairway
wait for a mishit. Stay focussed. means you’re quite unlikely to have a flat lie, one of
The ninth hole doglegs to the left whilst the fairway the great elements of classic links golf. The green
slopes to the right. This is a classic set-up that Braid sits in a semi-punchbowl which can help any tired
uses in his course design and is one of the reasons approaches find the dancefloor on the final hole.
that this is the hardest hole on the course. Links golf This is a course that just makes you want to come
seems like a distant memory on this tee as you are back again and again. The ever-changing styles of the
faced with what seems like a wall of heather and pine holes, the stunning surroundings and the charm of
trees. The fairway climbs slightly then falls into the the classic architecture make it highly alluring. One
green with two deep bunkers acting as sentries for the of the reasons we love golf is the way that it can help
putting surface. us get away from the stresses of modern life. Playing
From the ninth you have entered the most spectacular at Golspie Golf Club transports you back to another
part of the course. You could be excused for thinking time in a way that only golf can.
that you were playing a hole from Sunningdale Old The wonderfully underrated golf course, coupled
on the tenth. This painfully beautiful par three is set with the incredibly warm atmosphere of the
perfectly in this secluded corner of the course. This is clubhouse makes for a very special golf experience.
what Golspie is all about. This is a course that should be on the bucket list of
As you emerge from the woods on the eleventh tee every golfer.
the course begins to change again, the pines become
more sparse and you know you are heading back to
the links. To draw another comparison, the approach

10

11





PRESTWICK

The
Birthplace
of The Open

Words by Murray Bothwell. Photography by Graeme McCubbin

14

The stretch of land between Turnberry and West rubber ball, and such was Allan’s dislike for these
Kilbride on Ayrshire’s Clyde coast is of significant non-traditional interlopers that he famously fired
historical importance within the world of golf. Whilst Tom from his job in 1851 over his use of them
tee-hunters gravitate to the dramatic and historic in a match. What would Tom do now to support
golfing links of the east coast of Scotland, Prestwick his family?
is the Birthplace of the Open Championship and has The establishing of golf in Prestwick by the golfing
produced many famous golfers and course designers establishment began in earnest once the railway
whose influence is felt today around the globe. opened south of Glasgow in 1840. This enabled
Next year, 2021, will be the 200th anniversary of the gentlemen golfers from St Andrews to travel to
birth of Tom Morris, the Father of golf. Whilst he Ayrshire where many of them held land. There were
spent most of his life in St Andrews, his time spent no golf clubs in the area though: normal practice,
in Prestwick was a catalyst for change in several ways. as recorded in 1850, was for gentlemen to pay an
His legacy in Scotland’s other golfing mecca can still annual fee to the burgh’s Freemen for their right to
be seen and felt there in its streets and buildings, yet play golf along the coastal links from the Saltpans
the story of his journey to Prestwick in 1851 and all at Maryborough (which sit next to the 1st and 3rd
that followed may come down to something all golfers greens at Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club) all the
search for… timing. way to the Pow Burn (lying to the north of the 2nd
Tom was a talented golfer, caddie and hard-working and 3rd holes at Prestwick Golf Club, it’s original
club maker in St Andrews, supporting a growing northern boundary).
family and learning from the best golfer in the game, One of these intrepid golfers, Colonel James Ogilvy
Allan Robertson. Most matches, until about the end Fairlie of Coodham (then Captain of the R&A),
of 1852, were played with feather balls which cost later persuaded 57 other gentlemen from the west of
3 shillings and 6 pence each (approximately £14 at Scotland to attend a meeting in Prestwick’s Red Lion
2017 prices) and Allan, through Tom, sold many to Hotel (a well-known coaching inn) on 2nd July 1851
the gentlemen of St Andrews’ R&A. A top hat’s worth to discuss the formation of a club. The Prestwick Golf
of feathers was squeezed into a sewn leather ball, Club was officially established, with a joining fee of
which took many hours of work, and was not ideal £1 and the Earl of Eglinton was voted in as President
for play when wet. Tom had begun to play with the and Fairlie as their first Captain, a structure kept to
newly introduced gutta percha though, a moulded this day. By 1900, they had 500 members.

Next year, 2021, will be the 200th anniversary of the birth of
Tom Morris, the Father of golf. Whilst he spent most of his life

in St Andrews, his time spent in Prestwick was a catalyst
for change in several ways.

15





18

There were only eight entrants, and although no
photograph exists of this historical occasion a very
detailed painting was commissioned by Professor
David Purdie of Edinburgh University using
recorded sea, wind and sun angle data as well as
known attendees. A copy can be seen in the Red
Lion. The first Open was won by Willie Park from
Musselburgh, enhancing the rivalry between east
and west Scotland’s golfing tigers. Tom Morris
and his son won the Open Championship 8 times
between them, Young Tommy securing the Belt
after three successive wins in 1870. With no trophy
to play for in 1871, his name was the first engraved
on the existing Claret Jug for his fourth successive
win at the age of 21 and he still holds the record
for the youngest winner at the age of 18. The first
tee of that Championship course, marked today
by a small cairn unveiled by Henry Cotton in the
opposite corner to the Clubhouse on Links Road,
was 578 yards long playing to the current 16th
green. Young Tommy Morris recorded the first ever
albatross here with a three, as well as being the first
player ever to record a hole in one during an Open.
In addition to making golf balls, Tom gave lessons
to members, ran events and made hickory-shafted
wooden golf clubs for sale. He had also enjoyed the
company of fellow blue-collar golfers in St Andrews
and felt the need to do so again in Prestwick in the
time he had outside work. Along with 27 other
players, Tom formed the Prestwick Mechanics Club
in the Red Lion Hotel on the 3rd November 1851,
only five months after the Prestwick Golf Club, and
sought, and received, rights to play over the same
links as the Prestwick members.

19

It cost sixpence to join initially, yet by 1858
when the Club changed its name to Prestwick
St Nicholas Golf Club (after the patron saint
of the Burgh) its popularity too had gained
strength and fees had risen to five shillings
(approximately £15 at 2017 prices). Tom
returned to St Andrews in 1865, an Honorary
Member of the Club and Prestwick St Nicholas
continued to prosper. Eventually, there were too
many golfers playing over the Prestwick links
and in 1877 the club had to find itself a new
course. After a nomadic period of 15 years, 18
holes were laid out in 1892 along the stretch of
coast between Grangemuir Road and Newton-
on-Ayr and finally the members had found their
home. Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club became
the first artisan club in the world to own its own
course. The links have changed little since their
inception, with the sea visible from every hole
unlike many of the courses that run this stretch
of golfing coast. Tight greens and wide sweeping
vistas, quarries and Salt Pan Houses, the course
and its Club are steeped in the history of golf
and the history of Scotland.
20

Coming back to where it all began for Tom at relaxing afterwards in the Red Lion Inn, as he and his
Prestwick Golf Club, his original 12-hole course playing partners did back then, discussing the shots
was tightly bound by the Pow Burn to the north, the of the day and the chances of good weather tomorrow.
sea to the west, the railway line to the east (still a Safe to say though, it might take you longer to
challenge for today’s golfer) and what is now Links get home than it did for Old Tom after leaving the
Road to the south. In those early days the average Red Lion.
drive with a gutta percha ball was 160yds, so the
confines of the Pow Burn were manageable for
12 holes, but the course was extended to 18 holes
in 1883 as technology and technique improved
distances. When playing Prestwick today, many of its
original holes can be found within the current course
although some are now played in different directions.
The Open Championship was played solely at
Prestwick for 12 years, a rotation of venues being
introduced in 1872 until Prestwick was removed from
the rota in 1925. This makes it second only to the St
Andrews Old Course as the venue to host the most
Open Championships.

Your journey to Prestwick today is likely to be much
easier than it was for Tom and his family all those years
ago. Yet you can experience his life and influences by
simply playing two of Prestwick’s courses and then

21

22

23

The Original

Rules of Golf

The year was 1744 and the city was Edinburgh,
where the first known Rules of Golf were devised.

Edinburgh City Council ordered the rules to be created for the world’s first ‘open’
golf competition at Leith by the Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh, later known as
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. All gentlemen golfers in
Britain were welcome to take part in the competition but only local players took
to the course.
For almost two hundred years the original rules were missing, however they were
re-discovered in 1937 at the back of a Minute Book of the Honourable Company.
John Rattray signed the pages containing thirteen Articles and as The Captain of
Golf between 1744-1747 and 1751, it’s highly likely they played by these rules at
that time.
It would be another decade before they were copied verbatim in 1754 in St Andrews.
St Andrews golfers, who later became the Royal & Ancient Golf Club
of St Andrews, adopted the Leith rules however they did slightly amend rules 5
and 13 which caused a bit of rift between two different captains, but by
April 1809 they worked out their differences and the Leith rules were set.
All existing clubs (mostly British) agreed in 1897 to give control to the R&A and
the first national set of rules were issued in 1899; the US Golfing Association also
signed up in that year and they were published for American golfers in 1900.

24



1744

John Rattray
Captain

Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh

26

Articles & Laws in Playing at Golf

01. You must Tee your Ball within a Club’s length of the Hole.

02. Your Tee must be upon the Ground.

03. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee.

04. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or any Break Club, for the
sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green and that only /
within a Club’s length of your Ball.

05. If your Ball comes among watter, or any wattery filth, you are
at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and
Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your Adversary a
Stroke for so getting out your Ball.

06. If your Balls be found any where touching one another, You are to lift
the first Ball, till you play the last.

07. At Holling, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to
play upon your Adversary’s Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.

08. If you should lose your Ball, by it’s being taken up, or any other way,
you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another
Ball, And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.

09. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the
Hole with his Club, or anything else.

10. I f a Ball be stopp’d by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else,
The Ball so stop’d must be play’d where it lyes.

11. I f you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so far in the
Stroke as to be Accounted a Stroke.

12. He whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.

13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the
Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes, or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be
accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out teed /and play’d
with any Iron Club.

27

LUKE WILLETT

TGheolIfreorn

Interview by Graeme McCubbin

28



The Open Championship is the oldest major in golf, What’s in the Bag?
and it is also the only major played outwith the US.
Most importantly, The Open is played exclusively on Travelling such a distance under your own steam
links courses, the way the game is supposed to be places a premium on packing efficiently. This was
played. It’s played over a small selection of courses, something that had to be considered carefully before
the world famous Open Rota. These are some of the setting off. The clubs that came along for the ride
finest links courses in the world: imagine having the were a three wood, a six iron, a pitching wedge and
pleasure of playing all of them? a putter.

To play these fourteen courses is a feat that the vast His pannier bags were busting at the seams with kit
majority of golfers cannot boast about. Luke Willett including two changes of clothes and a hygiene bag.
can. In fact, he has a story that deserves a special place This all took some planning but not too much as it’s
in golfing history. This is the account of a golfing not the Iron Golfer’s style. “I am not one for much
adventure over some of the most hallowed golfing planning as I like to live the moment plus I feel when
land on earth. This is the story of “The Iron Golfer”. you over-plan you lose some of the adventure”.

What you are about to read is a story of incredible Other than this, two sets of bike lights, two GPS systems
endurance, a golfing treasure hunt like no other. and a host of B&B/hotel bookings made up the rest of
Fourteen Open Championship venues, covering the kit. Spending nights in B&Bs helped make the trip
eight-hundred and thirty-one miles, all in ten as owners wanted to know more about the project.
days. Here’s the clincher though: he covered it all This helped add a human connection to the journey.
by bicycle. One man, one bike, four golf clubs and “The B&Bs rocked. Nothing like having someone
some of the most famous golf courses in the world. take care of you but at the same time get the time to
truly get to know them. As I said above, life is about
A Bit of Background people: we all have a world of incredible stories to tell”.

Clearly this isn’t something that the average person The Challenge
could just do. Willett is a self-confessing “adventure
addict” who is always thinking of how his need for As you can probably imagine, this was a feat that was
pushing himself can be tied to golf. This certainly filled with physical and mental challenges. There
isn’t the first time he’s done something like this either. were highs and lows aplenty during the journey.
Have you heard of the three peak challenge? He’s Day one made for an incredible day of golf, a round
done it, with golf clubs and played at the base of each at Carnoustie and a round at St Andrews, the home
mountain. Willett also ran fifty-seven miles along the of golf.
Thames, with his clubs, stopping for some golf along Upon completing the round at Carnoustie, the team
the way. handed Willett a £5000 donation to the cause. After
So clearly he isn’t your average golfer; the moniker some pictures with the bike and the Carnoustie team,
“Iron Golfer” is perfectly fitting for someone who it was a twenty-three mile cycle to the most famous
can put their mind and body through so much. If golf course in the world. It all felt very easy at this
adventure golf isn’t a thing, Willett is single-handedly point, “I was a man living as a child completely in
making it one. the moment, it felt like I was running on clouds
surrounded by non-stop beauty”.

30



After a dream thirty-six holes in beautiful conditions, always on the go and being active is one of his main
the Scottish weather decided that it needed to make passions. During the pandemic lockdown he enjoyed
things more difficult. It was October, after all. So getting up for runs at 4.30am to get some exercise
cycling in “monsoonal weather” out of St Andrews, in whilst the world was asleep. He is a refreshing
it was time to get to the overnight accommodation. character that clearly wants to eke out as much from a
It wasn’t good though, the weather was relentless and day as possible, every day.
it was freezing. The Iron Golfer needed some shelter He’s a family man and being active with the kids is a
and as he cycled past one pub he heard them ring for huge part of their family life. As a unit they are always
last orders; he was running out of options. playing and staying fit together. It is worth noting at
In a twist of stereotypical Scottish fate, he found this point that Willett gives a huge amount of credit to
refuge in a chippy. A cup of tea and some deep-fried his wife in all of this. With three young girls, he truly
meat was the perfect fuel. The next day was Muirfield appreciates the support she gives him to go and do
and the torrential rain made for horrible cycling these things whilst she holds down the fort at home.
conditions. Feeling sick and being absolutely soaked
thanks to cycling through the flooded roads, this was The Highlights
a grim way to start day two. Gullane was basically
under water and as he made his way through the Fittingly, the shot he remembers most was his final
town, he questioned whether Muirfield would even one on The Old Course. Around forty yards from the
be open! hole, with the Valley of Sin to traverse along the way,
It was and it was in incredible condition. After the the ball made its way up and over then broke into the
round, the members of The Honourable Company of hole. One lone St Andrews resident saw it happen and
Edinburgh Golfers helped raise Willett’s spirits. A cup happily gave the obligatory golf clap.
of tea and a bacon roll gave him a nice boost, things As already mentioned, Willett loved Royal Troon,
were looking up again. After this it was on to the west this was his favourite course to play. However, he
coast and the courses of Ayrshire. said that St Andrews was “simply number one, an
Thankfully the weather was better in the west, unusual adult’s playground”. Here are his own words on the
as this is, and given the soaking that he had endured experience:
he needed this. The sun was shining on Troon and “The bumps and bunkers, the ocean-sized greens, and
finally Willett could dry off a bit. Troon was his all the history along the way, I learnt on the day the
favourite course during the journey, a difficult list to course is played backwards once a year. It’s about the
choose from, no doubt. story and for me the St Andrews story is a best seller.”

The Preparation Breaking the Mould

How does one prepare themselves for an epic golfing Clearly, Willett is far from your average golfer.
voyage like this? Well, Willett cycled to and from his Adventure golf is not for everyone, but it is absolutely
golf club in London for a while in the build up to what he lives for. It’s not about keeping a score or
this. That’s a twenty-mile trip and day after day that playing with a swing thought, it is about savouring
mounts up. the experience and soaking in the stories. This is
The thing about this though is that Willett’s general certainly something we could all learn from him
life seems to prepare him for things like this. He is as golfers.

32

He has an interesting way of taking in and enjoying “I’m at one on the course, the ripples,
his golf. “I’m at one on the course, the ripples, the the cuts of grass, the ever changing
cuts of grass, the ever changing weather, how the weather, how the soil feels beneath
soil feels beneath your feet - yes, I do play from time your feet - yes, I do play from time to
to time barefoot - the wildlife, those little surprises time barefoot - the wildlife, those
along the way, the people, oh so many people with little surprises along the way, the
all their many stories. And then our game’s deep, people, oh so many people with all
deep history. A trip like this is to be done with my their many stories.”
eyes wide open to the world around me to be lived in
the present. No score, no swing thought, pure deep
down love for just being out there doing what I love.
As it happens this is my chosen way of playing golf.”

The Future

This incredible challenge gave Willett a whole new love
of the people involved in golf and golf courses. This is
something that he is thinking about building into his
future challenges. The next awe-inspiring challenge
that the Iron Golfer will complete will probably have
something to do with the towns and villages behind
some of the best golf clubs in the UK. In a project he
is building around the theme of Marathons of Golf he
said, “This challenge left me with a deep down love of
people. I want to see these people and the places they
live whilst spreading the word that our game is here
for us all.”

Try it for yourself It really is inspiring to hear from someone who is so
passionate about golf and life in general. We could
Willett is confident that people can do things like all learn a lot from the way that the Iron Golfer
this themselves. He believes that people just need to goes about finding new ways to enjoy golf and
get creative and combine separate passions to inspire create history. He plays with a childlike appetite for
incredible experiences. If you love swimming in the taking in every moment of these unique experiences.
ocean then you can combine that with coastal courses, Golf courses are a playground to him and we could
get creative and see what you can come up with. “I all learn from that philosophy. They are places that
think of these experiences as playful, a chance to live we should just enjoy and not get hung-up on a score
without fear, to escape the world and to create your or a performance. Every round is a mini-adventure
own bit of golfing history. A retreat into the unknown of its own and it should be celebrated as such. Next
is waiting for every golfer, the thrill, the peace, it’s time you’re out there and thinking that you’re not
all there. I take all kinds of golfers on experiences really enjoying yourself, think of the Iron Golfer, stop
like this from a rock star on the Welsh cliff top gem, and soak in your surroundings, then smile and finish
Nefyn, to a golf club secretary to the heart of the Lake your round.
District: anything is possible for anyone.”

33





The Scots that
Shaped Golf
Course Design

Words by Murray Bothwell. Sketch by Hochstein Design

The variety and quality of Scotland’s golf courses is of the game’s standards, such as the 18-hole course,
recognised worldwide. From the junior who develops the use of separate tee boxes, metal ringed holes to
his skills by having fun with his friends on his local retain shape as well as sanding greens to encourage
course to those who travel further afield on their stability, drainage and additional growth the
annual pilgrimage to try their hand at the unknown, following year. Prestwick’s links presented features
perhaps even to make a living from their talent, the which both Tom and subsequent designers borrowed,
appreciation of our hidden gems and championship a blueprint for course layouts in any golf course seen
courses is in our blood. Comparisons are made today – it is said that the 4th at Prestwick was the
on every outing or holiday to those links, heath or inspiration for the dog-leg design, following the bend
parkland courses, back where the game was born of the Pow Burn. During his tenure at Prestwick and
many centuries ago. increasingly upon his return to St Andrews, Tom was
It’s not without good reason either – the character and called upon to lay out around 60 new courses on wild,
natural shapes of some of the finest championship windswept stretches of dune and grass across the UK
courses on the planet were borne of nature here in and Ireland. Such was his popularity he could only
Scotland. With an eye for detail, and a self-awareness spend a short time at each new location passing on
of the game’s strategic simplicity, the top golfers of his recommendations as he walked the land, marking
their day took these skills with them when Councils the tees out with sand and the greens with each of 18
or benefactors called upon their expertise to design gull feathers.
courses across the rest of Scotland, the UK and all His courses are a testament to the skill he possessed
points abroad from the late 1800s onwards. Even as they remain today ranked as some of Scotland’s,
today, Scotland’s top golf golfers and designers have and the world’s, finest. Aside from the courses at St
an important role in defining the shape of golf courses Andrews, he is known as the designer of the innovative
around the world whilst drawing upon the influence two 9-hole loops at Muirfield designed to bring the
of some of the game’s earliest, and greatest, landscape wind into play in numerous directions throughout
architects. a round and which had Jack Nicklaus describe it as
Here we’ll take a look at a few of Scotland’s most the best golf course in Britain; the duned valleys and
talented golf designers from the past 150 years and peaks of Cruden Bay where the elements are always in
explore the rich geographical variety of courses which contention; Carnoustie with the snaking Barry Burn;
today’s players continue to enjoy. the natural flow of Machrihanish with its imposing,
opening drive across the ocean; Moray Old with
Old Tom Morris probably the most natural amphitheatre of a finishing
hole in Scottish golf; and Royal Dornoch, recognised
Learning his craft of ball- and club-making in by many as being one of the truest tests of links
St Andrews under the watchful eye of Allan Roberston, golf around.
Tom Morris moved his family in 1851 at the age of
30 to Prestwick, a town of 700 inhabitants on the James Braid
newly-opened railway line south of Glasgow, to take
up the position of Keeper of The Green for a new This 5 times Open winner and contemporary of
golf club formed by many of the same R&A members Dr Alister MacKenzie was a carpenter and club
whom he regularly played golf with. Previously maker to trade, yet unlike the doctor he plied
untouched, the links at Prestwick needed relatively his architect’s trade solely in the UK, never visiting
little development and within 9 years was holding the one course he designed in the USA as he suffered
the very first Open Championship. Courses in these from motion sickness and fear of the sea. Planning
early days were not manicured and the techniques his courses from detailed topographic maps he
the golfers developed to overcome the natural would produce very detailed drawings to work
contours of the links are still being practiced today. from, believing that every hole should cause the
Tom’s skill as a course designer was greatly sought player to consider the correct approach balanced
after. He was the primary influencer in creating many against risk and reward. His bunker positioning and
use of the dogleg, often attributed to Braid, pushed
the player to make distance before arriving at his

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heavily-guarded greens. Bunkers, Braid felt, should away from the fairway line, and a good mix of par 3s,
present a “mild penalty for a defective shot, not mid- to long par 4s and a few par 5s were skilfully
present a hazard in direct line of the good shot”. crafted into shallow, tree-lined fairways which
Over 200 of Braid’s courses are to be found the length emphasised the scenery en route to massive greens, yet
and breadth of the UK, and within Scotland you do with very few flat lies on the way. Fernie and Morris’
not have to travel far to experience their timeless pot bunkers were replaced by strategically-placed
quality. Belleisle in Ayr, a tree-lined parkland course sand islands, easily viewed from the tee and advising
and one of only two public courses ever to be used the high handicapper of the safest route to the green.
as an open Qualifying Course (the other being the Dr MacKenzie moved permanently to the USA in the
Lochgreen in nearby Troon), is well manicured 1920s, and names such as Cypress Point and Augusta
and long; Alloa winds its way through a number of National are well known to golfers around the
doglegs around the foot of the nearby hills, marked by world. Yet here in Scotland there remain, relatively
tall pines and outcrops of glaciated rock around wide, untouched, some of his early achievements giving
rolling fairways; The Musselburgh Golf Club, east an insight into the innovative mind of the “Good
of Edinburgh, dates from 1938 when Braid created Doctor”. The championship Rosemount Course at
the course from agricultural land to an originally Blairgowrie is without doubt one of the most serene
open course which is more tree-lined today than he courses to play, with pine-lined, undulating fairways
would have known; Crieff, set along the southern and testing doglegs providing a true test of golf;
flanks of The Grampian mountains and overlooking Bonnyton, high on the moor to the south of Glasgow,
Gleneagles where another two of his courses spread with four par 5s of which two are back-to-back from
out across heath and moor above the valley; Haggs which views are glimpsed of the hills to the north and
Castle and Williamwood Golf Clubs, set in the Ben Lomond; Duff House Royal at Banff on the banks
heart of Glasgow, where once again sharp doglegs of the River Deveron of which MacKenzie said “I have
and tree-lined, tight sweeping fairways present a rarely come across a piece of golfing ground which
significant challenge to even the straightest golfer; lends itself so well to the construction of an attractive
and a gathering of courses in the north at Nairn, course”; and Hazlehead’s MacKenzie Championship
Muir of Ord and Inverness where the test of links Course in Aberdeen, a gentle tree- and gorse-lined
golf combined with Braid’s designs have gifted golf track is the city’s main municipal course and arguably
some of the finest examples of their kind. So many are one of the best in the North East of Scotland.
there it is worth investigating online to see just how
close one of his courses is to where you are based. Donald Ross

Dr Alister MacKenzie Born in Dornoch in the north of Scotland in
1872, Donald Ross is credited with the design,
Only 7 months younger than James Braid, both born and redesign, of over 400 courses around the
in 1870, the “Course Doctor” as he was nicknamed world. Having learned his craft as a 16-year old
never reached the heights of golfing achievement apprentice with Old Tom Morris at St Andrews,
on the course that many of his contemporaries did. a further year at Carnoustie and then returned to
His skill lay in their design. He drew some of these Dornoch in 1893. He was persuaded to travel for
skills from the experiences of concealed trenches and America in 1899 and immediately found a position
camouflage techniques both as a civil Surgeon in the at a club in Massachusetts. Soon after he became
Boer War and later in Flanders in WW1 and they were professional at the Pinehurst Resort, the location of
to prove of great value to his subsequent career. Passing his signature creation Pinehurst No.2, built in 1907,
up medicine in favour of golf course architecture, he and subsequently took American citizenship in 1921.
began a career initially with Harry S Colt which sees As an accomplished golfer, winning North and
his name live on to this day as one of the greatest South Opens three times, as well as top 10 finishes
designers that has lived. Less well known though is in two US Opens, he understood the game and
that his brother, Major C A MacKenzie, was also a golf the golfer’s ego. Jack Nicklaus considers him the
course architect. MacKenzie’s haunting experiences “Michelangelo of golf ”, his style being to create holes
in trench warfare and camouflage therefore shaped which invited the player to run the ball up to the flag,
his designs. Holes were angled for strategic play, often

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Brora, designed by James Braid

much like that of a Scottish links course, but where The list of Donald Ross courses reads like a bible of
penalty and hazard lurked beyond the back of the golf, and to randomly pick a few to mention here
green: turtle-backs, or crowned greens, presented would do disservice to those omitted. Safe to say, a
the most challenging game to all levels of player. golfing talent borne of Scotland, and the experience of
Although Donald Ross never designed a course in working with Old Tom Morris, could only ever have
Scotland, his ideas were adapted and woven into resulted in a career which would excel at the highest
many of today’s courses. Ross courses will naturally level somewhere in the game and his timeless designs
look different now from when he created them; ensure that we share that same experience every time
intricately-shaped greens, set at slight angles to define we step out on his first tees.
strategic lines of approach are today much smaller
due to machine-cutting and raised higher by decades (Overleaf) Royal Troon, designed by Willie Fernie.
of topdressing. His fairways were less tree-lined but
time requires clubs to manage their estate to enhance
the play of each hole, and similarly Ross’s intended
landing areas are often now well behind the drop of
the driven ball.

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Willie Park Junior London, Manchester and New York. Before moving
to New York in 1895 he designed Silloth on Solway,
In common with the children of the early Open a testing and demanding links course where the
Championship winners and contenders, the sons of wind is a constant; on his return Kilspindie, near
Willie Dunn and Willie Park both took to the game Aberlady, where the sea is often the out of bounds;
at a very early age. Whilst Master Dunn plied his in the same area, the dune-laden courses of Gullane
course design trade mostly in the USA designing 1; Montrose Links overlooking the North Sea;
Shinnecock Hills and the first US Clubhouse, Lauder and nearby Biggar in the Scottish Borders
Willie Park Junior established himself as ‘assistant and the hidden gem of Grantown-on-Spey further
professional, club and ball maker, steward and north in the shadow of the Cairngorm Mountains.
green keeper’ at Tyneside Golf Club, in Ryton to His strategic experience stands the test of time with
the west of Newcastle where his uncle, Mungo Park, 170 golf course designs and redesigns credited to him.
was professional and a designer of courses too. His views are still referenced by today’s designers
By the age of 22 Willie had laid out his first course at from his seminal work The Game of Golf. Astute
Innerleithen, a 9 hole design along the river valley. reflections on the meteoric rise of the gutty percha
His golfing and business prowess increased hand-in-
hand, winning two Open Championships and opening
branches of his club-making company in Edinburgh,

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golf ball and its influence on course length and Western Gailes, designed by Willie Fernie.
design are explained simply to future generations
ofdesigners: “the position (of the putting green) 43
should be suggestive to the player that there is the
place to which he must aim to drive his ball”, his
courses offering practical ways to cater for the diverse
ability of golfers. His par 3s often used a diagonal
hazard to distract the player, or to provide an artificial
perspective to a hole. Transverse diagonal ditches or
streams, or heather covered banks, were also used
to great effect. Courses in Ireland, France, the USA
and Canada, amongst others, remain a testament to
the skill and professionalism of golf ’s first official
golf architect.

Gleneagles, Kings Course, designed by James Braid

Tain Golf Club, designed by Old Tom Morris



Willie Fernie

In his time Willie played in the Open Championship
29 times, but his greatest achievement was winning the
title in 1883. His love of golf led him to become a very
accomplished professional player but he realised, like
many of his contemporaries, the potential income linked
to golf course design. In a relatively short period of time
he had laid out 33 courses across Europe and the UK.
Key to Willie Fernie’s designs were the identification
of a simple routing to the hole, augmented by pot
bunkers and prodigious use of the natural contours to
offer options for the various standards of player. As
many of his designs were on moorland or parkland
courses than links, and his eye for a more enjoyable
experience through alternative routing is evident at
Kilmacolm Golf Course where, in 1908, he re-designed
the course to eliminate the unwelcoming hill climbs,
reflected in their Club Crest of a mountain goat.
Most notable of his Scottish courses designs are
Troon Portland, Troon Municipal and Royal Troon
on the Ayrshire coast which was Fernie’s home course
as their Professional; a re-design of Western Gailes
just north of Troon; Gairloch in northern Rosshire,
with stunning views out to the islands of the Outer
Hebrides; Callander and nearby Pitlochry Golf
Clubs, both set amongst the mountains of Perthshire
and sculpted from the slopes and outcrops of the
heather-clad moors to create their respective courses;
Turnberry, another Open Championship venue last
played in 2009 where Tom Watson narrowly missed
out on winning in a play-off with Stewart Cink; and
across the Bay, Lamlash, Machrie Bay and the unique
12 hole Shiskine course, three of seven courses on the
Isle of Arran.

Turnberry, The Ailsa, designed by Willie Fernie

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The Links
Gallery

Photography by Graeme McCubbin & Stuart Currie

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