Prestwick Golf Club

Overview

Prestwick Golf Club was founded in 1851 by a group of 57 members who met at the Red Lion Inn.

The first ever Open Championship was held at Prestwick in 1860, and was won by Willie Park of Musselburgh with a score of 174 over 36 holes. A stone cairn to the west of the Clubhouse, marks the first tee of the original 12 hole course, on which the first Open was played. The 1st hole measured 578 yards to what is now the 16th green, where in 1870 Tom Morris Jr holed out in three strokes using hickory shafts and a gutty golf ball. Six of the original greens are still played on today.

What it lacks in length it makes up for in tradition and holes of outstanding natural character. One of the stand out holes is the seventeenth which was the original second hole from 1851. It has a blind second shot to the green that lies on the far side of the ‘Alps’. The narrow fairway requires an accurate tee shot to allow the best chance of reaching the green in two, and from here you will face a blind shot that plays every inch of the yardage you are given, if you fall short you will face a shot from the famous Sahara bunker. It’s important to check the tee box as this indicates the pin position that you can then correspond to the markers on top of the Alps.

“The fact that Prestwick was the original site for the Open Championship simply confirms the history of the club and it’s place as one of best golf experiences in the world” Ernie Els