Gleneagles
is a name synonymous with greatness, both as a
world-class hotel and the three championship golf
courses that fall under its regal name.
While the recently awarded 2014 Ryder Cup will be
played on the PGA Centenary course, designed by Jack
Nicklaus, the King’s
Course is truly the patriarch of Gleneagles’ trio of
courses. Designed by James Braid in 1919, the course
immediately established itself as one of the most
beautiful and challenging courses in the world. In
recent years, the King’s course has fallen a little
in stature as the discerning tastes of critics have
come back to the traditional values of links golf,
hurting the reputation of this inland gem. While Gleneagles does not
boast a seaside location like some of its
contemporaries, the surroundings are surely just as, if
not more, beautiful than any in the world. The
course is laid out across a marvelous piece of
property that weaves its way through forest and across
undulating highlands. Braid’s brilliance is shown through
his routing of the golf course, which deals with the
severe land with a collection of subtle yet masterful holes. While the course is not considered
long at 6,790 yards, it still manages to test the
world’s best, and generally betters them. The
illusion of an easy course is easily washed out by the
gorse, heather and bunkering, strategically positioned
to place a premium on the shotmaking skills that Braid
felt was the standard by which golfers should be
measured.
The
first hole is a thrilling and enjoyable way to begin a
round. Merely 362 yards from the
championship markers, the hole plays sharply uphill
for the approach. While a short iron is in hand, the
elevated surface is a nerve-wracking test to hit, with
a deep bunker guarding the front. Coupled
with the bunker is the fear of hitting beyond the pin
on this green, which is sloped sharply from back to
front and yields tricky putts from above the hole. An
excellent welcome to the course indeed!
The
third tee is the eastern most point of the property,
where Braid had to get the golfer back to higher
ground for the remainder of the course. He does so with
another par four that plays uphill on the
approach. From the landing area, the approach is up the hill into a bowl-shaped
green that can be easily hit. The approach may funnel to the green,
but the wildly undulating surface is not likely to give up many easy
two putts.
Long
considered one the hardest par fours in Scotland, the
fourth carries this label proudly. The 466-yard beast
plays uphill the entire way, with a green
set on a plateau with a bunker on the right and
falloff to the left. The remark that this might be the
hardest par five on the golf course may not seem so
tongue-in-cheek once you have holed out.
The
fifth hole is a diabolical par three, which measures
178 yards from the tips. Its name is “Het Girdle”
or hot griddle, which gives a sense that this
elevated, putting surface, with severe falloffs on all
side, might prove difficult to hit. Only 19 yards wide,
balls coming up short will find a collection of four
bunkers, or a difficult pitch back up to the surface,
which can easily bound over and leave another tough
chip coming
back. Should the green be hit, par is usually secured.
The
front nine is rounded out by “Heich o’Fash”
(height of trouble), which is a mildly disconcerting
omen to
the first-time golfer. The hole plays downhill from the
tee, before playing back uphill to an elevated green
that has two steep-faced bunkers guarding the
entrance. Once again, the green requires the ball be
left below the hole or three putts are likely.
Braid
considered the 13th hole his finest at Gleneagles, and
it is easy to see why. This par four stretches to 464
yards and snakes around a number of fairway bunkers,
but the long second shot is to a green designed to
receive running shots.
While
13 is a lesson in brawn, Braid bounces back with a
clever, short par four that rewards great touch,
strategy, and shotmaking. The 14th measures 309 yards in
length, making it very reachable. However, ten bunkers
protect the green from big drives, so an
accurate tee shot is imperative. The green is among the deepest on
the course, meaning the reward for laying up can be an
easy wedge shot to the proper hole location.
"King’s
Hame," as the closing hole is known, is a 525-yard par
five which plays to a split fairway. The drive cannot
carry the cross bunkers, so a lay-up with a fairway
wood is advised.
Positioning for the third shot is key, as an approach
from the right side of the fairway leaves a few
options into the opening of the large green.
Braid
succeeded in creating his masterpiece at Gleneagles,
and the course stands as fitting tribute to one of the
finest leisure resorts in Europe. The sharp
lines of the bunkering and a great mix of holes gives
the Gleneagles resort a course with a classic look that fits today’s game
perfectly. The formidable Queen’s and new PGA
Centenary course offer a perfect compliment to the
Kings Course, but there is no doubt that it is still
the layout by which the others are measured.
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