| Course | The test | Back-tee yards | Handicap rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Troon Old | Into-the-wind back nine; Postage Stamp; 623-yard 6th | 7,208 | Max 20 men / 30 women; whites for 5 or better with approval |
| Turnberry Ailsa | Coastal run 4–11; exposed greens | c. 7,400 | None; 16+ |
| Turnberry King Robert the Bruce | Hilltop holes, clifftop 9th, contoured greens | 7,203 | None |
| Western Gailes | Narrow, burns, pot bunkers, long irons into a westerly | c. 6,640 | Max 24 / 28 |
| Prestwick | Blind shots, Cardinal, Alps; course knowledge is everything | c. 6,500 | Preferred |
| Dundonald Links | Length, deep bunkers, water; Scottish Open set-up | c. 7,100 | None |
| Troon Lochgreen | Par 74, 6,800 yards; Open final qualifying | c. 6,800 | None |
| Kilmarnock Barassie | Open final qualifying; par-5 7th into wind | c. 6,600 | May be requested |
| Gailes Links | 6,903 yards from the tips; Open qualifying | 6,903 | — |
| Belleisle | Long par-fours, championship parkland | c. 6,400 | None |
| Stranraer | Slope 132, rating 72.2 — harder than its 6,308 yards | 6,308 | None |
Where to play from the back tees
Turnberry will let good players use the championship tees; Royal Troon's whites need a handicap of 5 or better and prior approval; Dundonald and Lochgreen are set up long by default. Western Gailes' whites are a serious test in wind even at 6,640 yards.
Opens and competitions
Most clubs run open competitions that visitors with a WHS handicap can enter — Girvan's 54-hole autumn open, the Cunningham Rosebowl over Lochgreen, Stranraer's and Wigtownshire County's opens, Dundonald and Barassie amateur events. Check each club's fixtures page; entry is usually cheaper than the green fee.
A low-handicapper's week
Day 1 Girvan (tune-up) and the Bruce; 2 the Ailsa; 3 Prestwick; 4 Royal Troon day ticket (Old + Portland); 5 Western Gailes with lunch; 6 Barassie or Dundonald; 7 Wigtownshire County on the way to Portpatrick for a last night. Book Troon and Turnberry first.
