Enjoy First-Class Luxury and a Modern Golfing Challenge at Dundonald Links

The idea of forging new links amongst such local leviathans may have seemed foolhardy to many, but much of Phillips’ gift lies in moulding slopes, ridges and mounds indistinguishable from those formed naturally nearby, brilliantly engineering locations to create courses that look like they could have been there for a century or more.

With the stunning plot set before him, Phillips saw an opportunity to sculpt the ultimate modern links layout, confecting a course with a variable challenge, ready to test golfers of all abilities and packed with fun. Among the flowing burns, abundant gorse, and beautiful stands of pine, this is precisely what’s been achieved. By the time the Dundonald links course was chosen as the venue for the 2017 Scottish Open, the contemporary course’s reputation was woven into the history of Ayrshire and Scottish golf.

This par-72 links — which can be played from 5,500 yards up to nearly 7,300 yards — sports generous, broad fairways but cleverly employs the natural burns flowing through to create natural water obstacles, first encountered as early as the par-5 3rd. For many who play here though, it’s the quality of the greens that make Dundonald links a stand-out experience. Putting surfaces have been well contoured and the addition of some smartly placed pot bunkers makes an excellent challenge, especially on the course’s four par-3s.