Prestwick golf course

In 1860 Prestwick became the birthplace of the British Open Championship. The first twelve Open Championships were held at Prestwick; in all it has hosted 24 Opens, the last in 1926.

Prestwick is an old fashioned links course in the true sense of the word, a wind-swept, desolate area, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Designed by Old Tom Morris, the course is built on an undulating sandy stretch that links the beach to the inland. Its 6,544 yards follow the natural contours of the terrain and features some odd twists and turns and even some nasty blind shots.

Prestwick has changed little over the last 150 years. It is a wild kingdom where heather and gorse rule over all and which, in combination with the seemingly statutory, cavernous Scottish bunkers, can play havoc with what so often promises to be a respectable score.

Prestwick's fairways are narrow, its greens small and undulating, and the approaches interesting. On a calm day, Prestwick can be forgiving, but when the wind blows in off the Firth of Clyde, you’d better lower your expectations for, in times like these, good scores are hard to come by.

Prestwick’s signature hole is the par 5 third, the location of the infamous "Cardinal Bunker" — a vast expanse of sand split by the fairway and faced with a wall of railroad ties; wind or no wind, this is tough one. And then, of course, there’s Pow Burn and its meandering waters to contend with. Willie Campbell's grave, a bunker on the current 16th hole where Willie, leading in the Open of 1887, took four shots to escape, and in so doing, lost the Championship to Willie Park Jr.

Take a moment to appreciate what Prestwick golf course has to offer.

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