Gleneagles. One of Scotland's Golfing Cathedrals.
- Matt Hooper
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
The 39th edition of the Senior Open is a gathering of golfing greats, and perhaps it should be known as a Glorious Gathering of Golfing Greats at Gleneagles. Gleneagles, the self-styled Glorious Playground, is one of the truly special places in Scottish and World Golf, and this Senior Open marks the 101st different tournament to be staged across the stunning golf courses at what was known as "the eighth wonder in the world" when it opened in 1924.
Gleneagles has five golf courses, with the Kings and Queens courses designed by James Braid opening on 1 May 1919, the original wee course opened in 1928 (before a 1974 redesign extended it to 18 holes), the PGA Centenary course originally opened as the Monarch's Course in 1993, and there is even a pitch and putt in the shadow of the hotel. Alongside the golfing action on the course there is a world-class PGA Academy and driving range over the road from the hotel grounds, adjacent to the PGA Centenary Course, this truly is a place of golf, and golfing heritage.
In the shadow of the hotel you will also see what looks like land which was used for golf, with the outline of several holes, and land which looks like it used to be greens for a golf course. That is because it was. The Princes Course was an extension of the original wee course, opened in 1974, and some of the land used for that course is now part of the PGA Centenary Course.
Gleneagles, through its previous 100 tournaments, and a cherished spot in the BBC Pro-celebrity golf series, has become one of the world's most revered golfing destinations, and whilst there is much more to do on this 850-acre estate than just golf, there can be no doubt that it is golf which has made it the prestigious destination it is today. The James Braid-designed King's and Queen's courses pre-date the hotel by 5 years, and the original resort was commissioned by the Caledonian Railway Company, with the hotel opening in 1924 to great fanfare with Scotland's first ever outside broadcast, on BBC Radio. The arrival point to Gleneagles for many is still the Gleneagles Railway Station, which opened in March 1856 as Crieff Junction, and was renamed as Gleneagles in 1912. More than 100,000 passengers pass through Gleneagles station annually, and when it comes to tournaments at Gleneagles, the vast majority of spectators transit through the station, which was restored ahead of the 2014 Ryder Cup, in 2013.
The tournament history of Gleneagles is perhaps the most eclectic of any in golf, and since the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2013 Gleneagles has not hosted a major annual event on any of the professional tours, transitioning to host premium events such as the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Senior Open Championship.
From 1920 to 1927 Gleneagles hosted the Glasgow Herald Tournament, one of the most significant professional tournaments of that era in Great Britain, offering the richest ever prize fund in British golf ranging between £650 and £1.050. The tournament began with 36-holes of stroke play qualifying, followed by knockout match play, and the inaugural tournament featured past Open Champions Ted Ray, George Duncan and Arnaud Massy, along with Abe Mitchell (who is immortalised as the golfing figure on the Ryder Cup). Mitchell won the 1921 and 1922 editions, before being runner-up in the 1924 and 1925 editions.
George Duncan also won twice, in 1920 and 1924.
Gleneagles would then stage two events which would be forerunners to future major events within the sport. In 1921 the professionals of Great Britain and the United States of America played a match on Monday 6 June, following the conclusion of the Glasgow Herald Tournament, and the Great Britain team featured George Duncan (captain), James Braid, Arthur Havers, Abe Mitchell, James Ockenden, Ted Ray, James Sherlock, J.H. Taylor, Josh Taylor, and Harry Vardon. The American included Emmet French (captain), Clarence Hackney, Walter Hagen, Charles Hoffner, Jock Hutchison, Tom Kerrigan, George McLean, Fred McLeod, Bill Mehlhorn and Wilfrid Reid.
The match consisted of five foursomes in the morning and 10 singles in the afternoon, played on the King's Course. The match was won by Great Britain by nine matches to three, with three matches halved. The contest would be the forerunner to the Ryder Cup, which was first played in 1927, and would be hosted by Gleneagles in 2014. So in two matches, spanning a distance of 87 years, the USA have never won at Gleneagles, and it is a remarkable fact that across the 100 previous tournaments played at Gleneagles only one American golfer has come away victorious - Michael Allen at the 1989 Bell's Scottish Open.
In 1935 Gleneagles hosted the Scottish Open Championship, an event which was discontinued after two editions due to R&A opposition to the use of the name 'Championship' and their opposition to the third event being staged at Carnoustie.
The Angus course had hosted the 1931 Open Championship, and was slated to host the 1937 edition of the championship.
The Scottish Open would not be played again until 1972, when it was revived at Downfield Golf Club in Dundee.
Then in 1986 the championship would 'return' to Gleneagles, enjoying a spectacular run on the Kings Course until 1994 under the sponsorship of Bell's, which at the time was under ownership of Guinness, which was the owner of Gleneagles Hotel.
Gleneagles also has a long association with Women's golf, dating back to another forerunner of a modern Major, the Women's British Open, staged in 1957, as well as staging the Curtis Cup in 1936, four editions of the WPGA Championship of Europe in the 1990's, the WPGA Match Play Championship in 2001, and then, spectacularly, the 2019 Solheim Cup.
Outside of tournament golf, Gleneagles fame within the conscience of the general public was boosted by BBC Pro-Celebrity Golf, played over the Kings and Queens Courses during the 1970's and 1980's. The series was hosted by Peter Alliss, and often featured superstars of golf such as Seve, Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller, alongside stars from the world of stage, screen and sport including Jimmy Tarbuck, Bruce Forsyth, Terry Wogan, Kevin Keegan, Bert Lancaster, Trevor Brooking, Henry Cooper, Jackie Stewart, Sean Connery and Kenny Dalglish.
Because of the eclectic nature of the tournaments Gleneagles has hosted since 1920 it perhaps does not hold the special place in many golfers, or fans hearts because, unlike venues like the Old Course at St Andrews, or Augusta National, Gleneagles doesn't stage an annual professional tournament on the major tours.
There are several factors which impact this, from the wants and needs of Gleneagles itself, to the ever-changing landscape of professional golf, and the desires of the players themselves. It is difficult to envisage Gleneagles being part of the major tours on an annual basis in the immediate future, because the schedules are packed, and determined several years in advance. Gleneagles will, and should, demand the very best in quality when it comes to players in a tournament, and staging premium events such as the Senior Open once every four to five years enables Gleneagles to host a field of top quality golfers on every occasion.
This week another glorious chapter will be written in the tournament history of Gleneagles, with the likes of Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson, Stewart Cink, KJ Choi and Zach Johnson looking to follow in Darren Clarke's footsteps in winning the Senior Open on the historic Kings Course.
The Kings Course underwent a sensitive restoration in 2016, widening fairways by 40%, reclaiming fairway bunkers lost to encroaching rough, enlarging greens to their historical dimensions, and trimming back the rough to encourage a traditional ground game. Scotland's Stephen Gallacher said "It means a lot to me, Gleneagles. I made my professional debut here in 1993".
Colin Montgomerie said "Great to play the Kings Course, as well. I think it's got more character than the Centenary Ryder Cup Monarchs Course, whatever you call it over there. And it's a lot more character, and people really love it here."
Defending Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington said "The course is in great condition. It's pretty tight in places. I'd be happy if I finished this week without losing a golf ball, put it like that. If I can manage that, I'll probably be pretty competitive."
2014 Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson said "It's a wonderful place, great scenery. We've got good weather this week, so yeah, looking forward to playing the Kings Course, which is playing fast and running but narrow in places and yeah, good test of golf."
The players love this course, and this place, and so do I.
For me, Gleneagles will forever be on a par with St Andrews, the home of golf. I have lived and worked at both, as a seasonal retail assistant in the Dormy Clubhouse in 2007, living on site, and as a caddie on the Old Course in 2011, as well as living and working in St Andrews from 2011 to 2020. Staff at Gleneagles get the greatest staff benefit in the whole world - Golf membership for £50 per year. Yes, you read that correctly, £50 per year to play the Kings Course, the Queens Course and the PGA Centenary Course. Staff can only book on the day, but they gain membership of Whitemuir, the staff golf club, and even get to compete in their own medals and keep a handicap on these three magnificent courses.
During my season working at Gleneagles I won a Whitemuir medal, shooting 76 on the Par 68 Queen's Course off a handicap of 13, a true highlight of my 30+ years playing golf. I would play regularly after work during the season, and on a couple of occasions I found myself completing my round of golf at 10.30pm at night!
This was such a fantastic bonus to have alongside working at this magnificent place. The spine tingling moment of walking into the hotel for the first time in May 2007 was something which will live with me forever.
Since I left in August 2007 I have returned with SHANK to cover the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship, the 2019 Solheim Cup, the 2022 Senior Open and now, the 2026 Senior Open, as well as coming to interview significant staff members ahead of the 2014 Ryder Cup.
I attended the 2014 Ryder Cup as a spectator on the Thursday, and have been back for a couple of additional social occasions, and just to walk around the courses with my camera.
There really is nothing more special than being at Gleneagles, no matter the reason why. For me, being based in Fife, Gleneagles is a place of pilgrimage, it really is an almost religious experience being here, and as was said when it opened, it is like heaven on earth.
SHANK, by Matt Hooper
Matt Hooper is an Associate Member of the Sports Journalists Association
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