Gleneagles King's Course

The verdict

The King's Course is James Braid at his most natural. Routed across a stretch of free draining glacial moorland above Auchterarder, it uses the land's folds and hollows rather than fighting them, so each hole sits in its own amphitheater of heather and bracken. Braid found greens on plateaus and in dells, set fairways to swing with the contours and left the long views of the Perthshire hills to do the rest. Opened in 1919, it is the senior course at the Gleneagles resort and, for many, still the best.

It is a course that rewards shotmaking over brute force. The fairways are generous enough to swing freely, but the angles into the greens, and the trouble that lurks for the lazy line, ask the golfer to think. Set within a five star resort that also hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup on the neighboring PGA Centenary Course, the King's offers visitor and resort access, making it one of the most playable of the truly great inland tests in Britain. Plan ahead and pair it with the Queen's for a complete Gleneagles day.

The holes worth the trip

The King's opens in fine Braid style and builds steadily, each hole framed by heather banks and the rumpled moorland turf that runs firm in summer. The names alone tell of a course rooted in its landscape, from the early holes that climb to plateau greens to the long carries demanded when the wind sweeps in off the hills. There is no weak stretch, and the variety of stance, lie and approach keeps a player honest from the first tee.

The par 3s are a highlight, asking precise long and mid irons to greens defended by fall away slopes and deep bunkering, and the better par 4s reward the drive placed to open the best angle into a green tucked behind a ridge. The ground game is always in play, and the firm, fast surfaces of a good summer let the thoughtful golfer run the ball to the flag where a higher approach would be turned away.

The closing holes return across rising ground toward the hotel, the heather tightening the lines and the greens demanding committed pace. The King's gives back the purest moorland golf in Scotland, a Braid original played in the grand setting of a Highland resort, and it sits comfortably among the inland courses every traveling golfer should see.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is the Gleneagles hotel itself, a grand five star resort with the two classic Braid courses and the Ryder Cup hosting PGA Centenary on the doorstep, plus a spa, fine dining and country pursuits for non golfing partners. Staying on site secures the best tee time access and turns a round into a full Highland golf retreat.

For a wider tour, Perthshire and the surrounding region make an excellent anchor for a Scotland golf trip, within easy reach of the courses of the east and central belt. It is an ideal place to build a multi course itinerary that mixes the moorland of Gleneagles with the links of the Scottish coast.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Gleneagles.