Glorious Gleneagles

Sunrise finds us through a misty dawn as we rest our bags against the cold stone wall of the starters’ hut. ‘The Kings and Wee Courses’ reads a large wooden sign in front of me. I peer up the incline to the perched first green, framed by towering pines and imposing mountains. I had heard Gleneagles is beautiful, but experiencing it first-hand was nothing short of breathtaking.
  

‘The Kings’ was designed by James Braid, a legend of course design, in 1919. The history of this course is evident and it differs to most courses in a way I cannot quite put my finger on. There is an elegance to the way it meanders through the moorland, sweeping up and around the forest. Elevated, tiered greens are defended by mighty bunkers. Huge run-offs so steep, some are impossible to scale by foot.

Golden rays flood through the evergreens, highlighting the endless contrasts and undulations in the tight, banking fairways and greens. My driver finds the dancefloor but in the bitter cold air of a Scottish Autumn morning, a thin iron for my second, momentarily shocks me back to reality with stinging, numb fingers. Through the heather and the earth-toned foliage, I grab glimpses of the bowl-like fairways, more than enough to distract me from my faux pas. My clubs clink and clatter in my bag while I climb the bank to the first green.

The word ‘iconic’ could sum up The Kings at Gleneagles. Though it is not home to any huge international competitions, its prestige is not in the slightest bit overshadowed by the PGA centenary course (a Ryder cup venue) across the valley. There is heritage, serenity and perfection to The Kings that demands respect, not only with how you play the course, but also with how it makes you feel.

Words & Photography By Ollie Allison