Andrew and Chris were lucky enough to play Western Gailes Golf Club during their recent trip to Scotland. By course rating, Western Gailes rates as one of the toughest in Scotland (which we can attest to). Here is a recap of our round, the course, and overall thoughts. Click here to read an overview of our entire Scotland golf trip.
About Western Gailes Golf Club
Western Gailes Golf Club (7,014 Yards / Par 71) is a links course particularly emphasized on an extraordinary stretch of holes from the 7th through the 13th. The view from the clubhouse gives you an instant picture of the layout at Western Gailes and the delights it has in store. With the many colors of the landside, to the magnificent views of the hills of Arran and the Ailsa Craig in the shining sea, this is a memorable place to play a round of golf.
Western Gailes Golf Club Clubhouse
History
Founded in 1897, the first nine holes were ready for play by the spring of 1898 with the second following in May of that year. Initially the course was allowed to develop naturally from the terrain shaped by the ravages of nature. Some areas have by necessity had to be reshaped over the past 60 years: wartime tank manoeuvres resulted in modified 10th and 17th holes, while new 3rd, 4th and 5th holes were designed to allow for an access road to Irvine harbour. But nature has exerted much more control than man in the development of Western Gailes and the course remains largely unmodified from its original layout.
Within the first year a two-storeyed temporary clubhouse was erected. The first permanent structure was built in 1909 at a cost of almost £4,000. Major alterations were made in 1934 and the dining room extension added in 1961. A new entrance was built in the mid 1990s and the clubhouse has been extensively refurbished over the last few years with the most recent development being the addition of a golf shop.
The Course
Western Gailes dates back over 125 years to 1897, when the earliest golfers used to arrive on the train south from Glasgow. Stretching to over 7,000 yards from the championship tees, 5,400 yards from the forward tees, and two sets in between, the entire links lies between the sea and railway. The opening holes head north, before a stretch of nine consecutive holes played in the opposite direction, with the sea on the golfer’s right. The closing quintet of holes include the unforgettable 17th, one of the most testing par 4s in all of Scotland.
A nice touch was the Starter’s Shack which included bag tags hung on multiple walls from golf courses all over the globe including some familiar courses that we had played in the States. They are always accepting new tags so if we get the chance to go back, we will make sure to add to their collection.
6th Tee at Western Gailes Golf Club
Speaking of the starter, after he showed us the inside of the starter shack, he gave us a good rundown of what to expect over the next 18 holes including a few tips on how to play the course. He also mentioned that from the men’s tees, Western Gailes has the highest course rating in the country. This means that basically we played one of the hardest courses in Scotland. After playing the course, we would have to agree. For both of us, it was our highest scores of the trip in not very difficult conditions. It was the windiest and coldest round we played but it could have easily been much worse.
One thing that made the course so hard were the lines off the tee. Most of the tee boxes were set at an angle to the fairways with the landing areas being partially hidden from view so we really had to trust the lines the caddies gave us. Even though the course was tough, it was fair. It also didn’t help that Chris and I had our worst ball striking day of the trip here. It got so wayward at times that Chris’s caddie said to him with about 5 holes left that “Chris had hit it in three different places that he had never been to before.”
It had been fairly dry leading up to our trip so the fairways were running very fast, but even in typical times, per our caddies, the fairways had some fire in them so the course played shorter than the yardage, especially when we were able to find the fairways.
Quick tip: there is no driving range at Western Gailes Golf Club. However, for anyone who wants to warm up before their round, there is a driving range (and really good golf shop) about 1km down the road behind the Gailes Hotel and Spa. In fact, anyone traveling to the course via A78 will pass the hotel and driving range on the way to the course.
Clubhouse
Western Gailes has a somewhat unusual clubhouse in that it sits in the middle of the course. When standing on the back patio looking at the course and the Firth of Clyde, the front nine is to the right and the back nine to the left. Golfers can actually run quickly into the clubhouse before teeing off on 8 before they make their way to the south half of the property.
Everything of note is on the main floor except for one thing, the Club’s history. There is a small area upstairs where they showcase a lot of Western Gailes history including pictures, scorecards, old golf equipment, etc. We highly recommend taking the time to walk around the entire clubhouse and take everything in. Also, if they are available, take the time to talk with the staff at Western Gailes.
Pro Shop
Western Gailes has a small but full pro shop for anyone looking to pick up some branded gear. Just like every other course we played during our trip, I picked up a coin, flag, and yardage book. They have a limited selection of items on their online shop as well.
Western Gailes Golf Club Pro Shop, Credit: Western Gailes Golf Club
Restaurant
Our round included lunch in the main dining room which is on the main level overlooking the practice green, most of the back nine, and the Firth of Clyde. It was a limited menu but the food was really good. We went with a burger and fries, steak, and brownies for dessert. Lunch also included a non-alcoholic drink. We actually didn’t know about lunch being included until our caddies said something so make sure to ask the question when checking in for the round.
Dining Room at Western Gailes Golf Club
Pricing
Our entire golf trip was one package so we couldn’t tell you exactly what it cost to play Western Gailes. However, they do have their green fees listed on their website. For 2023, they are as follows:
November 2022 – 12 March 2023 Weekdays – £75.00 per round pp
13 March – 30 April 2023 (not Saturdays) – £125.00* per round pp (*including Soup & Sandwiches on weekdays only)
1 May – 15 October 2023 Weekdays – £210.00* per round pp/Two Rounds (same day) £280.00* (*including Lunch)
16 – 31 October 2023 (not Saturdays) – £165.00* per round pp (*including Soup & Sandwiches)
May – September 2023 Saturday – £225.00** per round pp (** No dining room facilities)
May – September 2023 Sunday – £210.00** per round pp (** No dining room facilities)
Staff
I mentioned above that we highly recommend taking the time to talk with staff. We personally experienced two things that would not have happened had we not chatted up a few folks. The first was the starter. After a few minutes of shooting the breeze with Chris, he took us over to the starter shack to see all of the bag tags.
The second individual we chatted to in great length was Grant. Sorry we didn’t get his last name but he worked at the desk just outside the pro shop. We must have spent an hour talking to him about the course, history of Western Gailes, the local community, other golf courses, and just about every other subject. He also gave us some good tips for the rest of our trip. During our conversation, he showed us some cool little known things around the clubhouse, including what must be one of the most famous locker doors in golf. I would tell you where it is but that kind of defeats the purpose of these last two paragraphs.
Truly every staff member we interacted with was extremely nice, which seemed to be the theme for our entire golf trip, to include not just golf staff but everyone in general.
Western Gailes Golf Club Locker Room.
Didn’t know one locker door could have so much history.
Caddies
We will say this for every course that we played in Scotland and that is caddies are worth every penny. Since we booked a golf package, our agent reserved all of our caddies for us. If you book your tee time directly with the course, caddie bookings should be made through the Western Gailes Golf Club.
The cost for a caddie at Western Gailes at the time of our round was £60 plus gratuities, with that amount at the player’s discretion based on the level of service provided. Per the course website, as a general rule, a gratuity of £10 would be appropriate. However, after speaking to a few locals and doing a little online research, it appears most visitors give more than that. We each gave our caddie £100 after the round and here is why.
Without the caddies, we would have been lost standing on a few of the tees. We would have chosen terrible lines and would have found ourselves guessing on where exactly to hit it, especially on holes with hidden bunkers. After a few holes, they got a good sense of our skill level and started guiding us around the course accordingly. I mentioned earlier that we sprayed the ball a bit at Western Gailes, sometimes wildly offline. However, our caddies were able to find balls that we were certain were lost.
Also, trust the caddies when they give you a read on putts. There were a few times where I had it completely wrong and their local knowledge on the greens went a long way.
For us, one of the best reasons for getting a caddie was the banter. They will tell great stories, jokes, history of the course, and provide great conversation.
As mentioned above, we paid the caddies directly right after the round. They carried our bags to the bag drop area, we paid them, exchanged a few final words, and off they went. This was the case at every course and is normal practice so don’t take it personally if they seem rushed. Some caddies have multiple loops in one day and like to get a break in before their second round.
Cool branding in the cups.
Being a Simpson fan, this was a must take picture.
Final Thoughts
Of all the courses we played on this trip, Western Gailes is the one I would most want to play again. One of the reasons why is because I didn’t hit it very well that day and I would like to see how well I could play one of the toughest courses in Scotland when I am playing closer to my typical abilities. Even though my score was quite high and I was aware that it was starting to add up, I never once anguished over that and was just in the moment the entire round. Between playing an amazing course, enjoying great conversations with Chris and the caddies, and enjoying some of the amazing views, it would be impossible to not have a great time.
We got the opportunity to play Bay Hill Golf Club thanks to winning a charity auction a few months back. Here are our thoughts on playing a course where some of the best to ever play the game have competed and won.