#Golf and Adventures in Ayrshire, Scotland

Facebook friend John Bingham and I were texting about golf in his home town of Ayshire, Scotland. The idea of visiting this destination is fascinating and I hope to travel there one day but, for the present, what better way to learn about a place you want to go than through the eyes of a local? I therefore asked John to share his local knowledge right here on Golf for Beginners.

John's blog is below. Enjoy!

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Hi folks, I hope you enjoy my blog about golf in Ayrshire...my name is John Bingham, I have caddied on some of the finest links courses in Scotland and I consider myself very fortunate to have done so.

I caddied for Gary Player, Ricky Barnes when he was US Amateur Champion, at the British Seniors, Royal Troon, Turnberry Ailsa, Loch Lomond, Western Gailes, Glasgow Gailes, Old Prestwick and Dundonald Links, loved every minute of it.

My friend Stacy Solomon, after a few conversations, asked me to write a blog, so... Here we go!

Ayrshire is a small county (state) on the west coast of Scotland; it's approximately seventy miles long by thirty miles wide.

There are forty-four golf courses in my wee county, some very famous links courses, some not so famous but...still great tests of golf, plenty of parkland courses and some that are a bit of both.

Eighteen holes, twelve holes and nine holes ...we have them all.

Where to start??

I suppose it would have to be with the two most famous golf courses, Royal Troon and Turnberry Ailsa, As I have said, I've caddied on both, and can positively say they are fantastic courses!

Old Prestwick is another great name, founded in 1851 - it hosted the first open in 1860. Other notable courses in Ayrshire are Irvine golf club and Kilmarnock Barassie, along with Glasgow and Western Gailes ...all have been open qualifying courses at one time.

Dundonald Links is the youngest of our links courses. After a bit of redesign by Kyle Phillips, Dundonald opened in 2003 and has hosted a few top class competitions, more notably this years Scottish Ladies Open, where a lot of the worlds leading professional players attended.

This well-known links course is hosting next year's British Ladies Amateur tournament and is being heavily touted to host the 2017 men's Scottish Open. Links courses are, by tradition, known for tight fairways, small greens heavy rough and pot bunkers. Dundonald has wide fairways, big greens deep bunkers and areas of rough in which you wouldn't look for your children, never mind a Titleist Pro V!

Our golf courses will give all levels of player a test of ability... and that's without the weather. We have a wind that picks up and drops in a split second, you may even get all four seasons in an hour over here!!

I think that, with the history of a visit to Scotland, and particularly Ayshire, it all adds up to a great golfing experience.

Decent roads make journeys to all the golf courses fairly quick so travel is easy. Trains run from Ayr-Glasgow every half hour. Edinburgh and the East Coast are only just over an hour by car. Accommodation is plentiful and reasonably priced.

Ayrshire is not all about golf though - we have some beautiful scenery here. The island of Arran sits just off of our coastline and is a mini highlands with virtually the same landscape as up in the north of Scotland - it has seven golf courses, a whisky distillery (Arran Single Malt) and a brewery (Arran blonde or dark beer). Arran has a lot to offer!

People of New York and the USA, come on over to Ayrshire - come and play golf, taste our food, drink some of our world famous scotch whisky and beers.

Look at our history...Culzean Castle has an apartment dedicated to general Eisenhower, who lived there for a while and there are over forty castles here, most of which you can visit.

And, if you come to Dundonald, just ask for 'Bingy'; it would be my pleasure to spend some time with you.

Hope you enjoyed this. All the best, John Bingham.

Have you ever played golf in Scotland or visited Ayrshire? Share your thoughts in the comment section of our blog or on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.


Photo: Ayrshire Scotland B&B Association, www.ayrshirescotland.com/

What Are The Best Golf Course Greens In 2013? Reader's Choice!

Although your choice of golf course can be as subjective as your choice of club, there are certain greens that top most people’s lists of the very finest in the world. Golf for Beginners, in association with Golfplan Insurance, takes a look at five courses everyone wanted to play in 2013 and who considers them to be the best of the best.

 St. Andrews. Fife, Scotland
 Why voted No. 1?

One of the very oldest courses in the world, The Old Course at St. Andrews has been pivotal to the development of the modern game, including the standardization of the 18-hole course.

The twenty-eight Open Championships that have been held at St. Andrews to date make it the most featured course of the competition currently playing host to the event every five years.

Known the world over for its iconic large double greens, this superb layout features seven greens that are shared by two holes. Most famously of all lies the Swilcan Bridge, which spans the 1st and 18th holes – everyone who has ever played the final hole has walked over this 700-year-old landmark. The Old Course features 112 bunkers, each individually named and with their own unique part to play in the course’s history. A true landmark of beauty and tradition on the golfing circuit.


Royal Birkdale. Southport, Merseyside
Why voted No. 1? 

Host of The British Open Championship no fewer than nine times (most recently in 2008) and most recently this year's choice for The Senior Open, Royal Birkdale is one of the finest courses the UK has to offer.

It’s richness of great golf holes provides an incredibly fair and enjoyable challenge for golfers of all abilities. The 12th, a 183-yard par-3, is as natural a hole as you are likely to come across in Britain. From a raised tee, you must avoid four deep bunkers before resting on a narrow green nestled at the foot of several sand dunes.

The longest hole on the golf course is found at the 15th, a par five that features more bunkers than any other hole on the course. The level of challenge the Royal Birkdale faces can heavily depend on the weather, with a windy climate providing many a torrid time on the enormous 18th - a heavily bunkered, 476 yard par four. A truly stimulating and challenging course.


Ailsa Course. Turnberry, Ayrshire 
Why voted No. 1? 

Probably most famously known for Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus’ famous ‘Duel in the Sun’ at the 1977 Open Championship, the Ailsa Course at Turnberry is one of golf’s genuinely iconic courses.

 Featuring a magnificent lighthouse which looks out over the sea, the green runs along the Firth of Clyde. The par-70, 7,217 course is one of golf’s legendary venues. The opening three holes provide a stiff opening challenge, particularly if the weather is against you.

The following seven holes provide a remarkable backdrop of coastal scenery alongside some very demanding play. Breathtaking scenery, a challenging, traditional course and an awe-inspiring history make the Ailsa Course one of the most popular golfing destinations in the world.


Augusta National, Georgia
Why voted No. 1?

Host of the annual Masters Tournament since 1934, Augusta National is undoubtedly one of the most well-recognized and revered courses in the United States. Home of golf’s elite, Augusta is considered the masterpiece of the legendary Bobby Jones. Every hole on the course is named after a tree or plant that grows on the hole, including Magnolia, Pink Dogwood, Flowering Crab Apple and Azalea.

Perhaps most famous are the 11th, 12th and 13th holes which have become known as ‘Amen Corner’ for their infamous levels of difficulty. White Dogwood, the 11th hole, is a 505-yard par-4 that has instilled fear into most that have played it since the tee was moved back 15 yards several years ago. Traditional, challenging, sometimes controversial and always magnificent; The Augusta Course is a true jewel in the crown of golfing circuits.


 Pine Valley. Clementon, New Jersey
 Why voted No. 1?

Pine Valley Golf Club is frequently lauded for it’s consistent level of challenge and conditioning on each hole, requiring thoughtful placement of the ball from tee to green.

Amongst its many accolades, Pine Valley has arguably the finest collection of par-threes and par-fives in the world, long priding itself as one of the toughest challenges in all of golf. In possession of a sense of mystery within golfing circles due to its private nature and difficulty to find, it nonetheless remains one of the most well-respected courses in the world.


If you are planning a trip to either St. Andrews, Augsuta National or to any other golf course abroad, Golfplan’s comprehensive insurance coverage can include overseas equipment hire if yours goes missing whilst in transit overseas.


Do you agree with our blog? Which are your favorite golf course greens? Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and Like on Facebook.


photo credits: oldcoursehotel.co.uk, RoyalBirkdale.com. tomperna.files.wordpress.com, sports.espn.go.com

Ailsa Golf Course at Turnberry Resort, a British Open legend

The 2009 British Open is now in the books and golfers are looking forward to the PGA Championship, which is hurried along in order to make more room in the schedule to accomodate the $10 million Fed Ex Cup.

The season is going by way too fast for this lover of the sport! I cannot watch four days of phenomenal golf without ever dreaming about what it would be like to visit Turnberry Resort, and play golf on the revered Ailsa Course (pronounced "ale-sa") where Tom Watson nearly made history for the sixth time in his career! I'm sure though, that my score would not reflect my true potential!

Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson's 1977 "Duel in the Sun" brought Ailsa to public view as a golfing destination but it has been the stuff of legends way before that! Read Robert Burns' poem, Tam O'Shanter, and you will begin to immerse yourself in the folklore that surrounded Scotland as early as 1790.

The wind blew as 'twad blawn its last;
The rattling showers rose on the blast;
The speedy gleams the darkness swallow'd;
Loud, deep, and lang, the thunder bellow'd:
That night, a child might understand,
The deil had business on his hand.

Turnberry Resort is a blend of history and golf where you can stare at the sea for hours, play golf at either of two of the leading golf courses in the world and check out the surrounding sights, from Bruce's Castle to Ailsa Craig. But, before you think that heading there is like taking a trip through the past, be aware that Scotland is very much a thriving metropolis, boasting high end retail shops, galleries and museums.

If I'm considering ever flying to Scotland, my main focus will be on the golf and to enjoy what Turnberry has to offer. Carry your sticks and take a walk along with me as I shed a few fast facts about Turnberry Golf Club and the Ailsa Course.

The Ailsa Course and Turnberry Resort sit on 800 acres of beautifully manicured greenery with equally unparalleled vistas of the Irish Sea.

The Ailsa Course was ranked as Britain's number one golf course and the first purposely-planed golfing resort in Britain. As recently as July 15, 2009, Ailsa at Turnberry was ranked the number-one golf course on Scotland's Top 100 list!

Ailsa Craig, also known as "Paddy's Milestone", is two miles in circumference and rises to 1,110 feet. The Craig is actually a volcanic island which was once a haven for Roman Catholics during the 15th century Scottish Reformation.

The lighthouse, was commissioned in 1873 and is the oldest man-made structure on the premises.

Turnberry almost met its demise during the first two World Wars as it was used as a landing strip by the Royal Flying Corps. Can you believe that those verdant fairways were utilized to protect and defend? The acreage also became a base for planes to protect shipping convoys and the golf course we see today is barely reminiscent of its former glory, although Philip Mackenzie Ross did a fine job recreating the Ailsa Course from scratch.

This was Tiger Woods' first year playing at Turnberry and, only for the second time in a major championship as a professional golfer, missed the cut. Tiger admitted that the course was "tough", further noting that "It's a lot more difficult than people are letting on."

Another links course, the Kintyre Course, sits along the shoreline as well, and is meant to round-off Colin Montgomerie's Links Golf Academy, also on the premises. The Academy uses the nine-hole Arran course to teach Montgomerie's philosophy, "You want to get around a golf course in as few shots as possible, and that’s what we at the Academy believe we can teach you." Ah, just like Colin; always thinking positive!

I am going to think positively as well, hoping that one of my future vacations include a visit to this enchanting resort, but, I think I'll skip the Haggis!

The Ladies' British Open Amateur as well as the Scottish Ladies' Amateur were played here as early as 1912. I wonder how the winners, Miss G. Ravenscroft and Miss C. Leitch would describe Turnberry today, as they walked Ailsa?

For further reading check out the Travel Guide Turnberry and look for London Hotels here.