Western Gailes Golf Club Key Information
Set on a sliver of linksland, Western Gailes is the epitome of a true Scottish links. This fine old course’s setting on the Firth of Clyde brings splendid views across to Arran as the course heads first north, then south for nine shoreside holes and finally north again.
There are mischievously placed natural-style bunkers plus several inconveniently located burns to negotiate along the way. The course is reminiscent of Royal Lytham in that the bunkering generally dictates your strategy for playing the holes on what is, essentially, flat linksland.
REASONS TO PLAY WESTERN GAILES
- Some super shoreside holes playing through natural amphitheatres in the dunes
- A good selection of risk-reward where burns must be factored in
- Great views of Arran especially from a couple of tees set right beside the beach
RANKINGS
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 46
Western Gailes heads first north then south for a long stretch, before a final five-hole northward trek back to the central clubhouse. It has long occupied the middle ground in Golf Monthly's Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings.
For me, it is the epitome of a true Scottish links, occupying a strip of Ayrshire linksland between sea and railway just north of Royal Troon. And for many other golfers, this venerable old course overlooking Arran, where I enjoyed my first ever golf holiday more years ago than I care to imagine, gets pretty close to pure links heaven.
It dates back to 1897 and plays over a slender sliver of linksland, often only two holes wide. Just across the railway lies the 21st-century links at Dundonald, and sandhills and sea views abound as you tackle one glorious links hole after another.
But despite its age and traditional feel, Western Gailes rarely relies on blind shots for protection. It prefers to use the natural terrain and a number of cunningly placed bunkers to make you think. That, along with the ever-present Firth breeze and some inconveniently located burns.
Wind direction has a strong bearing on which stretches of holes will play harder and where you need to pay most attention to those burns, and I can vouch for the fact that in certain winds, seemingly unreachable ones may be more in range than you had thought, with one or two of my bravely ambitious plans scuppered by finding burns I never thought I could reach.
Green settings don’t come much better than on the par-3 7th, which plays through a natural amphitheatre in the dunes, while the 8th and 10th tees right beside the sandy beach serve up the best views out to Arran.
Those bunkers have been changing character of late as the club works to restore them to their more natural state under the guidance of Mackenzie and Ebert. Some excellent new run-off areas have replaced certain greenside traps to add a different element to your short-game recovery options.
The sandhills may not be as towering as on certain 21st-century links. But few make as stunningly effective use of the natural routing between dune ridges as Western Gailes.
A number of holes play to isolated greens set in shallow natural amphitheatres. The 6th and excellent par-3 7th greens stand out in this regard. The latter has an amphitheatre feel for its entire length on account of the dune ridge along the beach to the right and a slightly lower one flanking the left.
There’s a real sense of awe and occasion when you play these holes, even if you’re on your own.
There are many great stretches of coastal holes around these shores. But there may just be no better run anywhere than Western Gailes’ southbound stretch from the 5th to 13th along the Firth of Clyde.
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…
Take away the real upper echelon of courses in the UK&I, and Western Gailes, for me, is a standard bearer of brilliance. I feel it is the perfect blend of a good strategic test without pulverising a golfer into submission. The test is fair, but firm. Bunkers and juicy rough will gobble up wayward tee shots, but a reward is on offer if you take on the hazards and prosper, as short wedges into these wavering, rumbling greens are essential to access tricky pin locations. The variety of holes is another area of excellence. Seldom do you stand on a tee at Western Gailes with a feeling that you’ve faced a similar picture on previous holes. Top notch!
I was really excited to go back to a personal favourite and it didn’t disappoint, although the back few holes were a little flatter than I had recalled. The 7th is a great par 3 and one of the best-contoured short holes in the UK. A great challenge, often in windy conditions blowing off the sea and across the adjoining dunes. A narrow strip of land but wonderful imagination has created a great course well worthy of a Top-50 place in the rankings.
Western Gailes Golf Club location
Enquire about tee-time bookings at Western Gailes
Western Gailes Golf Club Scorecard
Best Courses Near Western Gailes
Best Places To Stay Near Western Gailes
Dundonald Links, Gailes - Book now at Booking.com
You can stay in the new accommodation at Dundonald Links just across the railway from Western Gailes. There's a fitness centre on site plus free private parking, a restaurant and a bar. Every room is equipped with a desk, a flat-screen TV, a coffee machine and a private bathroom with shower and free toiletries. Some rooms also boast a kitchen fitted with a fridge.
The Gailes Hotel & Spa, Gailes - Book now at Booking.com
The four-star Gailes Hotel offers modern accommodation and a contemporary restaurant a ten-minute drive from Prestwick Airport. Leisure facilities include a fitness centre, hot tub and sauna. The en suite bathrooms include both shower and bath, as well as Scottish toiletries. The Coast Restaurant offers a wide range of dishes created with the finest locally sourced ingredients.
Western Gailes Gallery
WESTERN GAILES HISTORICAL TOP 100 RANKING UK&I
- 2025/26 - 46
- 2023/24 - 46
- 2021/22 - 47
- 2019/20 - 49
- 2017/18 - 52
- 2015/16 - 54
- 2013/14 - 52
- 2011/12 - 51
- 2009/10 - 46
Frequently Asked Questions
What designed the course at Western Gailes?
Unlike many courses in the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100, Western Gailes can't lay claim to a big-name course architect of the time. The club was founded in 1897, with the first nine holes opening for play by spring 1898 and the second nine by May 1899. The man largely responsible was the club's first greenkeeper, a Mr Morris, who shaped the course naturally over the existing links terrain. Certain things have had to change over the years for various reasons, but the links remains largely unmodified from its original layout.
What are the best golf courses in Ayrshire?
Ayrshire is the third most 'successful' county in the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 rankings behind Surrey and Merseyside. This is largely because of its strong associations with The Open Championship. Leading the way in the county are Turnberry's Ailsa course (3rd) and the Old course at Royal Troon (20th). Then there's Prestwick (44th), which hosted the very first Open and 24 in all, with Western Gailes (46th) lying fourth in the county in our Top 100 and probably the eyes of many other observers. Dundonald Links (100th) just across the railway from Western Gailes entered our Top 100 for the first time in our previous rankings.
