Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 17
0 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 17
Gorse blooms behind the 17th green on the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 2
1 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 2
Golfers walk up the second fairway of the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 5
2 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 5
The fifth hole is one of two par 5s on the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - 6th
3 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - 6th
The par-3 sixth hole on the Gailes Links at the Glasgow Golf Club used to be a blind shot until the gorse was removed and replaced by heather grass. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 12
4 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 12
Golfers walk to the 12th green of the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 11
5 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 11
A golfer lines up his putt on the 11th green of the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 1
6 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 1
The first fairway of the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club shows how the first cut of rough leads to thicker heather grass. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 18
7 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - hole 18
The finishing hole is the final of 13 par 4s on the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - clubhouse
8 of 9
Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club - clubhouse
The clubhouse of the Gailes Links serves as a second home for members of the Glasgow Golf Club in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
9 Images

Don't overlook the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club along Scotland's west coast

IRVINE, Ayrshire, Scotland -- Without any views of the water, the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club tends to be overlooked by golfers touring Scotland's west coast.

It's not so easily dismissed by the R&A. The Gailes Links has been named the only Scottish links that will host the final Open Championship qualifier for four consecutive years starting in 2014.

The Glasgow Golf Club, the ninth-oldest golf club in the world, acquired the course in 1892 as a winter home for its membership 35 miles away. Former Open champion Willie Park Jr. redesigned the 6,903-yard par 71 in 1912.

Long grass and gorse pinches its fairways. With only two par 5s and three par 3s, players must churn out pars on one tough par 4 after another for a decent score. Lost strokes can be made up with proper play on four par 4s that are 342 yards or shorter from the tips. The club recently cut back gorse on two par 3s, the 152-yard sixth hole and the 220-yard 12th hole, to make them more playable. Holes 14 and 16 run parallel to the railway like so many great links of the region.

"We are under the radar," caddie master William Main said. "When visitors come, they are enthused about the course. They want to come back.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
Now Reading
Don't overlook the Gailes Links at Glasgow Golf Club along Scotland's west coast