Founded in 1851, Prestwick Golf Club will forever be remembered as the birthplace of the Open Championship. In total, Prestwick has hosted the Open Championship on 24 occasions, the last time in 1926, after which the crowds were deemed too large for the venue.

Protected by the meandering waters of "Pow Burn", Prestwick boasts a unique array of holes with significant amounts of heather and gorse, which when combined with some typically hellish Scottish bunkers can often ruin an otherwise respectable score. Prestwick's fairways are mostly narrow and its generally small and undulating greens, given certain pin placements, can make for some interesting approach shots. And while Prestwick can be forgiving on calm days, when the wind rolls in from the Firth of Clyde, the golfer would be well advised to revise their aspirations to a low score.

Founded in 1878 Troon Golf Club soon outgrew its purely local reputation. One of the great links courses in Scotland, The Old Course is a challenging test of golfing ability. With the wind to contend with, and deep rough interspersed with gorse and broom, accurate shot making is essential. Players should make their scores on the outward nine, as the prevailing northwesterly wind can make the back nine extremely difficult.

Though boasting many superb holes, there can be little argument about Troon's most famous hole. At 126 yards, the par 3 eighth "The Postage Stamp" may be the shortest hole in British Open golf but it has certainly notched up its fair share of victims.

The British Open Championship has been played at Royal Troon on seven occasions. Arthur Havers won in 1923 and he was followed by golfing greats Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton.

Although a links course, The Portland is a little more sheltered than the Old Course and, of course, shorter. The holes meander through terrain filled with gorse and broom that has a generous helping of Par 3’s, five in all. This is tempered however with four Par 5’s all of which are on the back nine.

Beginning life as the property of a railway company almost one hundred years ago, Turnberry, having been used as a wartime airfield, was on the verge of extinction by 1946. Cue the timely intervention of course architect Mackenzie Ross, who transformed the property into what has become one of the world's finest golf courses.

Named after the landmark rock "Ailsa Craig", Turnberry represents ‘links golf’ at its best. Holes four through eleven on the Ailsa Course play alongside the sea and are among the most beautiful and demanding in the world. That the weather often changes by the hour only serves to augment the challenge of this superb course.

Turnberry's graduation to the envied ranks of host to the British Open came in 1977, when Watson and Nicklaus went head to head in what became known as the "Duel in the Sun", when Watson claimed a one stroke victory over his great adversary.

While the worldwide recognition commanded by Turnberry is due mostly to the Ailsa course, it should not be forgotten that the Kintyre course is also a fine test of golf. Building on the challenges laid down by the famous old Aisla course, the Kintyre Course is links golf at its exhilarating best. Undulating greens, glorious fairways, and magnificent ocean holes all with stunning views of Kintyre, Arran, and the famous Turnberry Lighthouse make this a special course indeed.

The extra elevation multiplies the panorama that stretches in every direction, but the shots, too, are breathtaking. These range from a delicate pitch in a rocky dell on the 8th to a thrilling second along the shoreline on the 9th.

Widely regarded as the Kintyre's signature hole, the 8th, involves a drive from an elevated tee towards the sea and an unforgettable blind second shot to the green set in a gully by the rocks. Unseen from the tee, hidden by a narrow ridge, the green is in a cove that seems to merge with the craggy beach beyond.

Since its inception, Western Gailes was always destined to host great events. Positioned between the railway lines and the sea, its narrow fairways demand accurate tee shots and with so many greens tucked away in little hollows or dells, the course presents an excellent test of skill, patience and concentration.

Harry Vardon won the first major contest here in 1903. since then the course has played host to many major events, such as the Curtis Cup, Scottish PGA Championships and Scottish Amateur Championships. Also, a frequently used venue for British Open Final Qualifying, Western Gailes is generally accepted as a difficult course.