Gleneagles is a special place.  I’ve thought that ever since I was 4 years old!

Let me explain – as a kid, my holidays were spent golfing at Taymouth Castle on the edge of Loch Tay in Perthshire.  To get there from Edinburgh, we would drive through Glen Devon and passed Gleneagles. We would do this trip at least 6-8 times a year for 12 or 13 years.

Over that time, I never played the King’s Course or the Queen’s Course.  It was always out of reach, a dream.

I must have been about 12 when I first thought to myself that I was going to work there. Gleneagles didn’t know this at the time and they wouldn’t find out for another 9 years.

At the age of 21, I drove up to Gleneagles Hotel and I sat and waited for around 4 hours for the personnel manager. I didn’t have an appointment but I never saw that as an issue, after all, I was dealing with a childhood dream here.

I somehow convinced the personnel manager to employ me. Ten days later, I started my first ever full-time job, working in the golf office, next door to Ian Marchbank’s pro shop and right in front of the 1st tee of the King’s Course.

My dream had become a reality.

For the next three years, I golfed over the King’s and Queen’s courses, with the pros and greenkeepers, almost every evening in the summer and whenever we could in the winter.

Gleneagles is a special place; it certainly is to me.

GLENEAGLES

Life and activities at Gleneagles have changed a lot since my day. Yet, the emphasis on excellence remains the same today.

This is a significant year for Gleneagles.  I am sure you already know that the Solheim Cup is being held at the PGA Centenary course from 9-15 September. But did you know that the King’s and Queen’s courses celebrate their 100th anniversary on the 1st of May this year?

GLENEAGLES KING’S & QUEEN’S COURSES – 100 YEARS OLD

Gleneagles Hotel, with its golf courses, was the vision of Donald Matheson, General Manager of the Caledonian Railway Company, in the early twentieth century. His railway lines ran through the area and so he was familiar with the beauty of the surroundings.  His vision of a grand country house hotel began.

He instructed James Braid, five-time Open Champion (1901-10), to design the King’s and Queen’s courses. Both courses opened in May 1919 but it would be another five years before the hotel finally opened in 1924.

Both courses complement each other well, with the King’s being the tougher challenge. The Queen’s course is an easier walking course and slightly less demanding on your golfing brain.

If you are going to play 36 holes, make sure you play a round on each – King’s course first and then the Queen’s course would be my preference.

GLENEAGLES KING’S COURSE

The King’s course is James Braid’s finest inland design and one of Scotland’s top inland courses.

Don’t let the wide fairway at the 1st lead you into a false sense of security. This hole is all about how you deal with your second shot to the green. A monster drive up the middle is meaningless, if you come up short with your second – please take my word for it on this one.

As you tee up on the third, you will be playing into the prevailing westerly wind for the next 6 holes. This is a tough stretch. The third will have you thinking, the fourth will have you breathless and wondering how anyone hits this green in two shots, into the wind. The fifth is simply a great par 3.

The ninth is another great hole where left is good, right is bad. By the time you’ve completed 10 holes, you’ll need your break at the half way house. My standout hole on the back nine, is the 13th (Braid’s Brawest) with some great bunkering. The 14th is your classic short par 4 with a long narrow green – this hole has ‘risk & reward’ written all over it.

The 16th is another great wee par 3, where there are some tough bunkers to avoid. The final hole would be my favourite, if it didn’t mean it was the end of the round!

The 18th (King’s Hame) is where you have to take in a few deep breaths and admire the views, they are spectacular. Once you get your attention back to the job in hand, you will want to take advantage of the two saddles on the fairway. Catch the downslopes and the 18th gives away 50-60+ yards on a good day and turns the hole into a par 4. Miss the fairway and you could be chopping out sideways and adding a 7, 8 or 9 to your scorecard.

Whatever you score on this round, you’ll look back and realise that you’ve had to think a little harder about each shot than you would on most other courses.  You’ll also come away with a sense that you’ve just played some of the great holes in Scottish Golf.

GLENEAGLES QUEEN’S COURSE

The Queens course is shorter than the Kings course and is not as tough a challenge. It is a Par 68 and is a more relaxing to play. Relaxing doesn’t mean easy BTW.

The opening six holes normally head into a prevailing westerly wind. It’s a challenging start, into the wind, but not as tough as the opening stretch on the King’s.  By this I mean that you can see what’s in front of you on most holes and the elevation changes aren’t as severe.

The standout hole, in the opening six, is the 6th which runs along the Braco Road to a raised green. The course becomes more reminiscent of the King’s after you turn at the par 5 7th.

A very scenic run of holes lie ahead, from the 12th hole onwards. How well you play the back nine, is often decided by how well you play the par 3s. There are two back to back par 3s at 13 & 14, with water looming close by on both. The third par 3 is at 17 and is a real test.   Par is good at this hole, take it and run, as doubles, trebles and more are never far away.

As you stand on the 18th tee, take your time, take in the view and remind yourself why you play golf. You’ll know what I mean when you get there. Enjoy!

GLENEAGLES PGA CENTENARY COURSE – SOLHEIM CUP

I’m not going to write on the PGA Centenary Course this time round. The eyes of the golfing world will descend upon this course for the Solheim Cup (9-15 Sept) and plenty will be written about it over the coming months.

GLENEAGLES COURSE OFFERS

To mark 100 years of the King’s and Queen’s courses and the fact that this year’s Solheim Cup is at the PGA centenary Course, Gleneagles are offering a couple of packages to whet your golfing appetite, over the coming weeks.

For £201.90 per fourball you can play on any of their courses from 1-30 April 2019. There are timing restrictions, so check the website for details: www.gleneagles.com or contact 0800 389 3737.

As we move into May, the offer changes and Gleneagles offer a package for £100 per person (1-15 May) to play either the King’s or Queen’s courses. This is a discount from their standard rate of £150 per person at this time of year. The offer applies to afternoon rounds only and tee times are restricted – check www.gleneagles.com or contact 0800 389 3737.

The next few weeks would be a great time to take advantage of Gleneagles’ reduced rates. If you have got the time to play 36 holes, make sure you play both the King’s and Queen’s. You won’t be disappointed, after all Gleneagles is a special place…. have I mentioned that already?