Barassie is the third course on the densely packed strip of links between Royal Troon and Western Gailes, and people who know this coast will tell you it is the most underplayed of the group. The Barassie Links hosts Final Qualifying for the Open when the championship is in Ayrshire, which is the clearest statement of its quality anyone needs.
The club was founded in 1887 — as Kilmarnock Golf Club, which is why the name confuses visitors looking for a course in Kilmarnock. It is in Barassie, on the coast at the north end of Troon.
The golf
Twenty-seven holes: the Barassie Links at around 6,600 yards, par 72, and the shorter nine-hole Hillhouse course. The main course was substantially reworked and now runs in a traditional out-and-back routing through genuine linksland — flat by links standards, with the wind, the gorse and firm turf providing the defence rather than elevation.
It is a fairer test than Royal Troon and a good deal cheaper, which is much of the point. If you want a serious Ayrshire links day without championship pricing, this is the value pick — see golf courses near Girvan by price.
Visitors
Visitors are welcome, generally on weekday visitor days, and a handicap certificate may be requested. Guide fees in the 2026 golf guides sit in the £75–100 range per round, but rates change every season and the club sets its own visitor windows — book through the club and confirm both when you do.
There is a clubhouse with bar and catering, a pro shop and practice facilities.
Getting there
About 45 minutes from Girvan on the A77, at the north end of Troon. Barassie has its own railway station on the Ayr–Glasgow line, a few minutes' walk from the club, which makes it one of the more accessible championship links without a car.
Combine it with Troon and Dundonald Castle, or make a links day of it with Western Gailes and Gailes Links within a couple of miles.
