# Gleneagles - The Kings Course



## Lord Tyrion (Apr 24, 2019)

I've held back a while from writing this, I did not want to get too carried away by post trip hysteria. A week later I am ready to go:

I won a golf break on FB to Edinburgh playing at Braids Hill and Swanston, both south of the city centre. Very enjoyable too but it gave me the chance to add on a special course. I was going with my son and we decided to play Gleneagles, The Kings Course. It was Â£99 each per round, a lot, but as the previous two days golf and accomodation had been for free it seemed the perfect time to go for it. We wanted to stay up near the course but could not justify staying at the Gleneagles Hotel. We booked the Duchally Estate Hotel, around 1/2 mile from the course. The hotel has a small number of rooms and a good number of cottages. A very nice set up, highly recommended. We went into Auchterarder for something to eat. It was grim, really grim so we had a quick pizza and then returned to the hotel for an overpriced beer (but in a safe place), comfy settee and a 60" screen to watch Utd get stuffed by Barcelona . Maybe the pubs were better once inside but it didn't look as though the money from Gleneagles was filtering through to the nearby town.

The Gleneagles resort has an American feel to it. You turn into the entrance and there is an element of Disney to it. That is not a criticism but the perfectly manicured lawns, large hotel, pristine courses, no litter etc had that feel about it. You park your car and then walk past The Kings first tee and 18th green. Upon reaching the clubhouse we were met by a friendly 'greeter' who checked what we were doing and then took us inside to be booked in. We were looked after by one of 3 staff on non threatening, open desks who checked our time, printed off the booking slip for the starter and we were all done. We perused the lovely, but expensive, pro shop, bought our souvenir ball markers and pitch repairers, and went to the course. 

After some practice on the putting green we went to the starter and were ready to go. The starter was ideal, friendly, jovial, helpful. Immediately put us at ease, not intimidating at all. Then the really fun bit.........

The course is gorgeous, really gorgeous. A cracking opening hole. A big open fairway to hit but the second shot is to a very elevated green with an enormous bunker in front of it. Every hole has something about it, no hole is dull. The tee boxes were large but perefectly flat. I have never noticed that on a tee box before but now I will. You could put a spirit level over all of them and the bubble would stay dead centre. Brilliant. The tee boxes and fairways had had some work done on them to aid drainage. That made some of them look not as aesthetically pleasing as they would normally be but they had no impact on playability. The fairways ran true all day.

The greens, lordy lordy. Fabulous, an absolute joy. They took some getting used to but once I worked out to reduce my backswing to about 3" I played them well. You don't hit putts on those greens, you stroke them. Oh to play on them every week.

One of the great benefits of the course is the landscape. Rolling hills, trees, gorse. The course seems to fit the landscape, rolling with it, curving, swaying, rising, falling. They may have done some digging but it all seems so natural, a wonderful fit. Then there are the bunkers. Some tees all you can see are bunkers on the fairway, plenty of greens are well surrounded. I didn't care. Just hit it. If you went in the bunker the sand was so damned perfect that it was down to you what happened next. I don't mind that.

I can't pick out a favourite hole, too many magnificent ones, they all made me smile. My favourite moment though was the 455yd, 452 on the watch, par 4 6th. I managed a par with 3 of my finest ever shots, leaving a 2ft putt which I didn't bottle for once. I swear an orchestra was playing music when that ball dropped . I have never played a hole of golf better, hit purer shots. I have made birdies before, made lots of pars (made way more bogeys, doubles etc) but that was a glorious moment.

There is an obligatory half way house stop. It is a relaxed place, prices were okay and it was a nice time, after 10 holes, to sit and savour what was happening.

After the round we went into the bar. This was the only blight on the day, the staff were miserable and the service poor. I can't tell you what the drinks cost as they ended up giving them to us for free (I didn't ask for that, they volunteered it). It was a shame as I would rather have had top service, as everywhere else had been, and paid. The bar was nice enough but it didn't work as well as Turnberry imo. I think it was because there were a mixture of hotel guests and golfers in there rather than purely golfers. That should not matter but somehow it didn't feel quite as golf special. It is a 1st world golf issue though, the margins are minor.

All in all, fabulous. There was a thread on here a while ago asking about what course would you play if you could only play 1 for the rest of time. I hadn't played that course I don't think up until now. For me I could play the Kings course for ever more. It has everything I want, it was an absolute joy. Any course designers out there, it was somewhere between 5,800 - 6,000 yds long and anyone feeling short changed needs examining. For Â£99 it was a steal and I never thought I would say that. Anyone who has not played there before, I can't recommend it enough.

The next question, when I go back do I play one of the other courses there or do I stick with what I know and have loved?


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## BrianM (Apr 24, 2019)

Nice write up, thereâ€™s another two courses at Gleneagles I think....
My Dad plays Gleneagles every year and loves it, never had the pleasure myself, but will soon ðŸ‘ðŸ»


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 24, 2019)

BrianM said:



			Nice write up, thereâ€™s another two courses at Gleneagles I think....
My Dad plays Gleneagles every year and loves it, never had the pleasure myself, but will soon ðŸ‘ðŸ»
		
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There is the PGA, the Ryder Cup course, and the Queens course as well as the Kings. The Kings got the best write ups so I went for that one. The price to play all three was the same when I booked so it was an equal choice in price terms.

Your dad is a lucky many to play it every year. I am sure you will enjoy it when you get there, it really is worth the effort.

I have tried posting some pictures but I am failing at this point. I will keep trying


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## patricks148 (Apr 24, 2019)

good write up.

Which tee's did you play from then, last time i played the Kings it was 6600 and we didn't play off the back either?

The food and drink are on the expensive side, from memory Fish and chips were Â£20, but then if you can afford to play there you are prob not worried about the cost

I've played the Kings a couple of times, but last time tried the Queens very enjoyable, though the yardage looks short at 6000 (off the back) there were a few long par 4's and long ish par 3's.

next time will be the PGA , though prob not off the back tee


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 24, 2019)

It was still winter tees so the whites were not on. We played off the yellows. To be honest, they were perfect for me as I am not the biggest hitter. The mixture of lengths was great, I used pretty much every club in my bag. From what I have read, and from your post, the Queens would be good for me as well.

The food did look expensive and they did not seem to have the semi reasonably priced sandwich option, something around Â£7-Â£10, which was a shame. You know the place is going to be expensive but Â£20 for a casual bite after a game is plain silly, especially as I would be paying for my student son as well. We went into Stirling, I think it was Stirling, about 10-15 minutes away and got a drive thru McD. Heresy after playing there but whilst I don't mind paying somewhat over the odds there are limits. For anyone thinking I am a complete tight wad, apart from the fact I had already paid for everything, we ate after Turnberry last year in the clubhouse, but they had that lower price option ( I say lower price as it is still more than usual but blimey you expect that when you are playing elite courses / clubs)


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 24, 2019)




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## IanG (Apr 24, 2019)

Glad you enjoyed it - only played the Kings myself but it is a blast. I had a much better experience in the Dormie house bar than you, service was as good as elsewhere on the property and provided a fitting end to a great day out.


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## patricks148 (Apr 24, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			It was still winter tees so the whites were not on. We played off the yellows. To be honest, they were perfect for me as I am not the biggest hitter. The mixture of lengths was great, I used pretty much every club in my bag. From what I have read, and from your post, the Queens would be good for me as well.

The food did look expensive and they did not seem to have the semi reasonably priced sandwich option, something around Â£7-Â£10, which was a shame. You know the place is going to be expensive but Â£20 for a casual bite after a game is plain silly, especially as I would be paying for my student son as well. We went into Stirling, I think it was Stirling, about 10-15 minutes away and got a drive thru McD. Heresy after playing there but whilst I don't mind paying somewhat over the odds there are limits. For anyone thinking I am a complete tight wad, apart from the fact I had already paid for everything, we ate after Turnberry last year in the clubhouse, but they had that lower price option ( I say lower price as it is still more than usual but blimey you expect that when you are playing elite courses / clubs)
		
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as i said they are not really catering for Reasonably priced. I didn't stop in the bar when i played Turnberry as we were off to a restaurant straight after, but when we were at Trump Aberdeen last week, they wanted Â£17 for a hot dog


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 24, 2019)

IanG said:



			Glad you enjoyed it - only played the Kings myself but it is a blast. I had a much better experience in the Dormie house bar than you, service was as good as elsewhere on the property and provided a fitting end to a great day out.
		
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I'm sure I got unlucky and it wont stop me going back that's for sure. It stood out as everyone else was superb. Maybe all the staff in the bar that day had just been told they were going to be working Christmas Day that year 



patricks148 said:



			as i said they are not really catering for Reasonably priced. I didn't stop in the bar when i played Turnberry as we were off to a restaurant straight after, but when we were at Trump Aberdeen last week, they wanted Â£17 for a hot dog

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I do get what you are saying and can't argue against it. The daft thing is, most golfers after a round don't want a big meal. Charge me Â£10 for a tuna sandwich and chips, make a Â£9.80 profit, and we all walk away happy. It's too much but hell, look where I am eating it. They don't need to though so McD's it is 

How did you find Aberdeen? I've done Turnberry, Gleneagles and loved them both. Is Aberdeen on the same level? Is it worth the drive and the green fee or should I go back and play the Queens instead?


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## patricks148 (Apr 24, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			I'm sure I got unlucky and it wont stop me going back that's for sure. It stood out as everyone else was superb. Maybe all the staff in the bar that day had just been told they were going to be working Christmas Day that year 



I do get what you are saying and can't argue against it. The daft thing is, most golfers after a round don't want a big meal. Charge me Â£10 for a tuna sandwich and chips, make a Â£9.80 profit, and we all walk away happy. It's too much but hell, look where I am eating it. They don't need to though so McD's it is 

How did you find Aberdeen? I've done Turnberry, Gleneagles and loved them both. Is Aberdeen on the same level? Is it worth the drive and the green fee or should I go back and play the Queens instead?
		
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Â£10 for a Tuna sandwich maybe, not with chips though, but they are catering for people who on the whole don't care how much it is, mostly American visitors i'd imagine

Only played Turnberry the once so far, where as i've played T Aberdeen a few times now..

Purely my opinion i would say Aberdeen is better Than GE, but that's because links is my preference. Surrounding scenery means very little to me, im there to play golf i could stop by the A9 for free and see nice mountains and heather


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## HankMarvin (Apr 24, 2019)

Glad you enjoyed it and what a great review.

The fairways have came on well over the last few days with the good weather we have had so looking forward to another great years golfing @ Gleneagles.

Oh a Patrick if you are looking for a game on The PGA give me shout but it needs to be played from the white tees just to give you a true feel of the course.


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## patricks148 (Apr 25, 2019)

HankMarvin said:



			Glad you enjoyed it and what a great review.

The fairways have came on well over the last few days with the good weather we have had so looking forward to another great years golfing @ Gleneagles.

Oh a Patrick if you are looking for a game on The PGA give me shout but it needs to be played from the white tees just to give you a true feel of the course.
		
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white are the ones in front of the ladies right?


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## HankMarvin (Apr 25, 2019)

Come on old chap is your game that bad you need to play from the front tees ?


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## chrisd (Apr 25, 2019)

I loved the Kings, I played it about 5  years ago and the family arranged for me to play that and the Ryder Cup course. The Kings imo was a much better and more scenic course and the family arranged for a pro from Gleneagles to play the Kings with me. He helped with club selection and where to aim as it's a course you'd need to play a few times because of the blind shots but we did play off the back tees and I beat him 2 and 1ðŸ˜ off 10h/c


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## patricks148 (Apr 25, 2019)

HankMarvin said:



			Come on old chap is your game that bad you need to play from the front tees ?
		
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worth a try 

isn't it 7000 Plus?


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## Lincoln Quaker (Apr 25, 2019)

Great pics for the time of year.

Gleneagles is on the hit list at some point for me.

The scenery is just stunning.


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## turkish (Apr 25, 2019)

Great write up and makes me want to go back. 

Have played all the courses and love the kings and queens. PGA I wouldnâ€™t rush back to tbh. 

Surprised the staff were poor every time Iâ€™ve been theyâ€™ve been very friendly and top notch service- might have just been a few bad apples you got.  

If you can afford it the membership is reasonable value for the 3 courses.


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## HankMarvin (Apr 25, 2019)

patricks148 said:



			worth a try 

isn't it 7000 Plus?
		
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Yep but for a guy of your ability shouldnâ€™t be to difficult


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## HankMarvin (Apr 25, 2019)

turkish said:



			Great write up and makes me want to go back.

Have played all the courses and love the kings and queens. PGA I wouldnâ€™t rush back to tbh.

Surprised the staff were poor every time Iâ€™ve been theyâ€™ve been very friendly and top notch service- might have just been a few bad apples you got. 

If you can afford it the membership is reasonable value for the 3 courses.
		
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Itâ€™s great value for money and worth every pound


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 25, 2019)

turkish said:



			Great write up and makes me want to go back.

Have played all the courses and love the kings and queens. PGA I wouldnâ€™t rush back to tbh.

Surprised the staff were poor every time Iâ€™ve been theyâ€™ve been very friendly and top notch service- might have just been a few bad apples you got. 

If you can afford it the membership is reasonable value for the 3 courses.
		
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What is downside of the PGA. Is it just more open, longer?

Is the Queens a slightly tighter version of the Kings or is that too simplistic? 

My son and I were muttering about going up in the summer and playing Auchterarder and then the Queens on a twighlight deal. I'm interested to hear what you think.


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## Foxholer (Apr 25, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			What is downside of the PGA. Is it just more open, longer?

Is the Queens a slightly tighter version of the Kings or is that too simplistic?

My son and I were muttering about going up in the summer and playing Auchterarder and then the Queens on a twighlight deal. I'm interested to hear what you think.
		
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I've played both Kings and Queens and loved them both! Both have undergone 'upgrades' to bring them back to original concepts since though.

Kings was/is definitely 'bigger', but Queens is no pushover. Tighter fairways and, at least the feeling of, more trees pose decent threats. It's actually on somewhat different land to Kings and scenery is, for me anyway, even better than Kings (as if that's not majestic enough!).


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## Jacko_G (Apr 25, 2019)

Re Auchterarder I would agree that their is a lack of a decent pub, the Glendevon is very run down and the other two were no better although I can't remember their name. The Indian in the main street is more than decent for a meal. Its basically a main street with not a great deal of choice which is surprising considering the "affluent surroundings". I think we had a fantastic meal in The Cairn Hotel(or similar sort of name) which also had a nice bar area.


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## Andy (Apr 26, 2019)

Good write up but how to ruin a great days golfing, eating a McD's and worse still from a drive thru ðŸ˜ ðŸ˜‚ ðŸ˜‚ ðŸ˜‚


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 26, 2019)

Andy said:



			Good write up but how to ruin a great days golfing, eating a McD's and worse still from a drive thru ðŸ˜ ðŸ˜‚ ðŸ˜‚ ðŸ˜‚
		
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It is a fair point but in our defence we had a 3hr drive home, needed to beat the Edinburgh bypass before rush hour, we failed  so it became a 3.5hr drive, and the options for someone who doesn't know the area are poor. Once you hit the bypass and then the A1 there really is not that much to choose from. Ideally we would have eaten in the clubhouse, hey ho. (did I get away with that? )


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## williamalex1 (Apr 26, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



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## DRW (Apr 26, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			It is a fair point but in our defence we had a 3hr drive home, needed to beat the Edinburgh bypass before rush hour, we failed  so it became a 3.5hr drive, and the options for someone who doesn't know the area are poor. Once you hit the bypass and then the A1 there really is not that much to choose from. Ideally we would have eaten in the clubhouse, hey ho. (did I get away with that? )
		
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We quite often skip the clubhouse option at these clubs, due to cost and travel/work commitments. Shame the costs are sometimes silly high for just a lunch, as we would eat in clubhouses more often but I am there really for the golf course.

I would rather save the Â£15-30 per head and put that towards another round of golf, and eat some chips at a chippie or  pie or maccys from the services.


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## turkish (Apr 26, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			What is downside of the PGA. Is it just more open, longer?

Is the Queens a slightly tighter version of the Kings or is that too simplistic?

My son and I were muttering about going up in the summer and playing Auchterarder and then the Queens on a twighlight deal. I'm interested to hear what you think.
		
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Itâ€™s not just the fact itâ€™s a pretty long slog- thereâ€™s added walking distance- a lot of the next tees are far from previous green (probably with crowd and tv in mind) so a round on it takes ages- definitely get a cart if you try it.

Also I just donâ€™t think the scenery on it is all that great compares to the other 2. Just my opinion.


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## Wilson (Apr 26, 2019)

Iâ€™m heading there in June to play all three courses, the pictures are helping the excitement build!


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## Maninblack4612 (Apr 27, 2019)

Great write up, Lord T. Your son is a lucky lad.


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 27, 2019)

Maninblack4612 said:



			Great write up, Lord T. Your son is a lucky lad.
		
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He must have enjoyed it and realised how lucky as he thanked me after the round, on the journey home, when we got home and when he left back for university ðŸ˜„. Perhaps he is just angling for a return visit ðŸ¤”. That wouldn't need much arm twisting mind.


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## williamalex1 (Apr 27, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



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So you're a lot taller than your avatar


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## Lord Tyrion (Apr 27, 2019)

williamalex1 said:



			So you're a lot taller than your avatar 

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Only just. It's mainly camera trickery, foregrounds, backgrounds etc ðŸ¤£.

Is the illusion gone now?


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## Bazzatron (Apr 28, 2019)

Great write up, I read it in Tyrion's voice.


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## Siolag (May 8, 2019)

Great writeup! I live very close to Gleneagles and have been quite a lot for food. One day Ill take my dad round, but i will want to be a lot better before then. 

If you do return, or if any other members are going, Bridge of Allan is only about 15 miles away and has some very good pubs and restaurants. Easy route back to the motorway too.


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## CliveW (May 8, 2019)

The Tormaukin Hotel in Glendevon  is a great place for food too.


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