Prestwick Golf Club

Change, when done well, need not compromise character. The careful stewardship of everyone involved in our clubhouse renovation has ensured that we have modernised without surrendering the traditional essence that defines Prestwick, all while elevating the history on show.

A 360 degree view of our 17th hole, originally the 2nd on our 12 hole routing, distinguished by two notable features: the formidable Sahara bunker guarding the green, and its status as the oldest hole in championship golf.

Our 17th stands as the oldest hole in championship golf, unaltered since 1851 and faithful to its form when the inaugural 1860 Open Championship was played.

We extend our best wishes to all competitors at @royalbirkdale for the 154th Open Championship, and to the members enjoying such a special week. We shall be watching with great pride to see who hoists the Claret Jug come Sunday evening.

The role our Club played in the creation of the Claret Jug, the game's most beautiful and revered trophy. @TheOpen

Happy 175th Birthday to our wonderful Club, founded on 2nd July 1851 by 57 gentlemen in the Red Lion Inn. They elected the 13th Earl of Eglinton as the first Captain, and importantly, James Ogilvie Fairlie, who would go on to be the brainchild of The Open, employed Tom Morris as the Keeper of the Green, Ball and Clubmaker. Little did they know what influence our small club would have on the game over the coming 175 years.

Behind every plate here stands David and his teams meticulous attention to detail. Food of this calibre is rarely found at golf clubs, and it requires no small effort. Every ingredient is sourced locally and everything that can be made in house is done so - even the ketchup.

The railway serves a dual purpose here: It provides access from Glasgow directly to our doorstep, whilst also functioning as a unique hazard on the first hole, where players must hug the boundary wall for the best angle into the green.

David's commitment to sourcing exceptional local ingredients is matched only by his skill in crafting menus of consistent brilliance. Working to tight timescales, without fail he transforms whatever the market provides into exceptional meals.

Railways have always played a key part in links golf, providing access to the best golfing land from the cities back in the 1800s. But few clubs can boast a station quite so close to the clubhouse and first tee as ours.

Bobby does a superb job here, welcoming visitors and ensuring they are properly briefed and dispatched to the course with admirable punctuality. When the 12 hole routing was played last month, he certainly had his work cut out.

Prestwick GC, 1851 Old Tom Morris, Prestwick, Scotland Conceived by James Ogilvie Fairlie and his group of 57 founding members, they met at the Red Lion Inn (up the street from the club and still operating) to start the Prestwick GC. Old Tom Morris was hired to route/build a golf course, become the keeper of the green, and the club’s ball and golf club maker. The layout of the original Prestwick links produced 12 holes with the first hole being a 578 yd, 1 foot, and 9 inches. It started at the west edge of the property beginning just left of the practice green and right of the current 14th fwy. It ended at the current 16th green. The 2nd hole is what is now the current 17th “Alps” hole and is the oldest championship golf hole still in existence as it was originally laid out. In 1860, the very first Open Championship was played on the original 12 holes. After the club purchased more land north of the original course, Old Tom extended the course to 18 holes in 1882. There are remnants of the stone wall that was once the northern edge of the original course. Prestwick has quite a few recognizable holes such the 17th “Alps”, the 3rd hole “Cardinal” with its massive cardinal bunker, the 5th “Himalayas” which is a blind tee shot par 3 over a massive sand dune, and the 15th “Narrows” which is a par 4 playing up and through an extremely tight dunes framed runway. The whole round gets started on the 1st hole aptly named “Railway” as it sits feet away from the Prestwick train station. A stone wall runs down the entire right side of the hole with the tee shot being nothing more than a long iron out to a tight landing area leaving a short iron into an extremely tiny green. Prestwick GC is often described as “quirky” and fun. I would wholeheartedly agree with that description. It’s unlike any other I’ve played. There is so much going on within one golf course. Blind shots, crossovers, massive wood planked bunkers, drivable holes, centuries old stone walls, burns, and a whole lot more. The fairways are all humped and bumped and you have no idea what kind of bounce you’ll get off the tee. The conditions are pristine. The green complexes are magnificent with all sorts of shapes, sizes, and contours. Equally as stunning to the course is the clubhouse itself. A literal golf museum with copies of the Claret Jug, Young Tommy Morris’s Challenge Belt for winning three consecutive Open Championships, original scorecards from those championships, club minutes, pictures, etc. I could have spent hours perusing everything the club so eloquently showcases. But what made the clubhouse so special were the people inside. From the moment my wife and I sat down for lunch in the brand new upstairs bar/restaurant, we were made to feel at home. David Fleming, the club’s Head Professional and his staff could not have been any more cordial. David himself gave me a personal tour of the clubhouse. Kevin, the caddie master, made sure my round was set up with Chris McBride, the living caddie legend of Prestwick. Kevin waited for me to complete my round as I was the last off of the day and made sure I was sent off with a warm goodbye. For years I’ve imagined what it would be like to see and play these hallowed grounds. It was everything I had imagined and more. I’ve watched and read everything I can through the years of this club and its history. For this golf historian nerd, it was honestly a surreal feeling being at and playing Prestwick. I told my caddie Chris on a few occasions it felt like a dream. He looked at me at one point and said “you get it.” Some days you never want to end. My day at Prestwick is one I will never forget. What’s been special is renting a place directly across the street from the club during our time in Ayrshire. So I’ve been able to savor the moments for a few days and have just stared out my windows at this historic place. I can’t wait for the next time.

Last month, we brought our 12-hole routing back to life to celebrate our dodransbicentennial. The course was not enjoyed by any Morrises or Parks this time, but by the local community, of which we are so proud to have been a part for the last 175 years.

The course that hosted the first dozen Open Championships was brought back to life last month for Prestwick locals to see the course that Young and Old Tom won their eight Claret Jugs on. This is every hole on the original 12 hole layout at @PrestwickGC 👇 A thread 🧵

"What would your time travel destination at Prestwick be?" Some of our team has narrowed down the moments from our past that they wish they could have been a fly on the wall for.

A few weeks ago, we had the enormous privilege of playing the original 12-hole routing at @PrestwickGC - the very layout on which the first Open Championship was held in 1860. For a limited period, the course had been brought back to life with heavy marshalling, temporary and restored greens, and a hefty amount of logistical wizardry to keep play safe. 🎧 bit.ly/3Q2QRK4

@GolfDigest have ranked us 62nd in their latest World Top 100 list. In their write up, they said: "We should rejoice in the fact that the World’s 100 Greatest has room for at least one museum piece of golf architecture”. It’s a reminder of something we’ve known for a long time - our course has stood the test of time and is all the better for it.

The 9th Hole: Eglinton. This 444-yard par 4 bears the name of our first Captain, the 13th Earl of Eglinton, a fitting tribute to one of Prestwick's most distinguished founding figures - albeit belated. The hole was created in 1882, 31 years after his post.

Lunch is the heartbeat of our club, and we are remarkably fortunate to have a Head Chef in David, who has served the club for 45 years, upholding a family tradition of excellence across two generations. David and his team’s seasonal menus and steadfast commitment have made our lunch service a cornerstone of club life.

Our highly skilled and experienced Pro Shop team, ready for the season ahead to welcome visitors from around the world and ensure they get the best experience both inside our walls and on our links. Left to right (years at Prestwick) - Harris Fleming (4), Euan Ferguson (4), David Fleming (22), Allan Todd (14), Jack Lammie (1)

Golf World have just released their Top 100 Fun Golf Courses, and we are pleased to rank 4th on the list. After all, golf is fundamentally a game to be enjoyed, and we are thrilled our course reflects this spirit.