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Scotland hosts many world class golfing events as part of either the
European Tour or Major championships, mostly held on either coastal
links courses or moorland. There is a wealth of quality self catering
accommodation for golf events available in Scotland, but early booking
is imperative to avoid disappointment as all of the tournaments are
extremely popular and hotels, bed and breakfasts as well as holiday
cottages are usually fully booked months (if not years!) before.
THE BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN
One of the most picturesque golfing events is held on the banks of Loch
Lomond, played at Loch Lomond Golf Club. It is set in the Trossachs to
the north of Glasgow every July, and sees regular participation from
Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie Phil Mickelson and Darren Clarke. The
course was designed by Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, and is widely
regarded to be among the top 100 golf courses in the world. The course
is of parkland type and plays 7,100 yards long. The readers of golfing
magazine Bunkered, voted the course to be the best in Scotland and were
also ranked a top 50 course in the world by Golfing Magazine. There
are many self catering cottages to choose from in the Loch Lomond area,
within easy reach of The Loch Lomond Golf Club if you want to watch
some excellent golf at the Scottish Open.
THE JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP
The Johnnie Walker Championship is held in August, using the PGA
Centenary Course at Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire. The course was
created by Jack Nicklaus. He described the course as “the finest parcel
of land in the world I have ever been given to work with”. The tees
are graded at each hole in five stages, including 6,558 yards from the
white tees down to 5,072 from the red. The course begins by playing
south east towards The Glen, sweeping up the Ochil Hills towards the
summit of the pass below Ben Shee which joins it to Glen Devon. This
event is highly significant on the European Tour and sees many of the
leading European players competing, some of whom are playing for places
in the Ryder Cup Team to face the USA. Perthshire has a wealth of
golfing accommodation available, all within easy reach of Gleneagles.
ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
Usually held in October at three different Fife locations; St Andrews -
The Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. This is one of the most
prestigious golfing events on the Euopean Tour. Past winners include;
Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Dougherty, Robert Karlsson
and Lee Westwood. is widely regarded as being the home of
golf with the first ball being struck over 600 years ago. The final
round of the Links Championship is played on the Old Course at St
Andrews. Its traditional links layout is the oldest in the world, with
the layout being unique and challenging, whilst the sense of history is
ever present. Kingsbarns is located 6 miles south of St Andrews on the
North Fife Coast and has spectacular panoramic views of the ocean.
Kingsbarns is one of the finest Scottish Links courses around.
Finally, Carnoustie is one of the oldest courses in the world with golf
being reputedly played here since before Columbus discovered America.
It is also a links course which is extremely demanding and tests even
the greatest golfers. The area of Fife offers an excellent selection
of self catering accommodation to choose from, many of which are
located close to all three courses that make up the Alfred Dunhill
Links Championship.
THE OPEN
One of golf’s Major championships changes venue every year and Scotland
regularly hosts the annual event, usually in July. In 2009 the event
is to be held at Turnbery (Ayrshire) and in 2010 the event is to be
held at The old Course, St Andrews (Fife). In 1922, the Championship
committee made a declaration “The Open shall henceforth only be played
on links courses, to provide a true test for the skilled players”.
Expect to see only the very best players in the world competing in the
Open Championships.
The 2009 Championships is to be held at Turnberry, and will be played
on the world famous Ailsa course. The course is famed for hosting an
epic duel between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus during the four day 1977
Open Championship. The Ailsa course is one of the most picturesque is
Scotland and has many famous landmarks on view from many parts of the
course. These include: the Granite Dome of Ailsa Craig, the lighthouse
out to sea, the low form of the Tip of Argyll, The Peaks of Arran and
the site of Bruce’s Castle (Robert The Bruce, King of Scotland,
1306-1329). There are lots of holiday cottages near Turnberry to let
for a golfing vacation or to view The Open Championships in 2009.
The 2010 Open Championships will be held on the Old Course at St
Andrews. The total yardage for The Old Course is 6721. St Andrews is
a mecca for golfers from all over the world and many stay here to live
out their dream of playing on the Old Course. Golfing accommodation is
plentiful near St Andrews and the choice of hotels or self-catering is
excellent.
THE RYDER CUP
One of golf’s greatest contests see Europe take on USA in a biannual
contest. The next Ryder Cup to be held in Scotland is in 2014 at
Gleneagles (Perthshire). Accommodation for the Ryder Cup is already
being booked but fortunately Perthshire provides many self catering
possibilities; Crieff, Auchterarder, Stirling and Perth are all close
to Gleneagles and you will easily be able to reach the golf tournament
if you are staying nearby.
The golf tournaments listed here showcase the finest golf - Scotland,
with arguably the best golf courses in the world, is a natural home for
top golfing events. There is top quality accommodation to let whether
you want to stay in Scotland to visit The Ryder Cup, The Open, Dunhill
Links Championship, Johnny Walker Championship at Gleneagles or the
Scottish Open.
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