Gleneagles (Queen’s) – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• Do not miss either of the early par 3s (2 & 6) left, the former in particular could find yourself in another hole’s green side bunker and leaves a near-impossible shot 15 feet back up to the green.
• The short wedge approach to the driveable 15th is relatively simple, should you elect not to take it on with driver. Therefore the risk of pushing your drive right to be lost in gorse and bracken is perhaps not worth it.

Signature Holes

• 9th – a testing par 4 with a tee shot played across the corner of a sharp dogleg right, with pine trees lining the right hand side as well as providing the backdrop on the left. The approach is then played uphill to a green sloping significantly back to front.
• 17th – a stunning par 3. Playing across a small valley up to a green perched on the side of a mound, with clever bunkering short left and right and a breathtaking view of the glen beyond.

Review:

A beautiful trip through mature Scottish countryside, the Queen’s at Gleneagles provides a fine course with the most dramatic scenery beyond.

The first of the three first-class courses played at the fabled Gleneagles Hotel complex, the Queen’s is the shortest but apparently provides the most attractive circuit. The course traverses across moorland lined by mature trees, with springy fairways and true greens that almost demand well struck golf shots.

The early section of the course is the lowest and starts out climbing the hill to the point where the majestic scenery comes into view. Several of the par 3s are absolutely first class, pleasingly of varying lengths – the second hole is shorter but sits above a significant drop-off on the left, with bunkering across its front, and the 6th is arguably stronger with its green sat amongst a copse of tall pine trees with views of the middle section of the course and the glen to the left.

The course continues to provide a joyous mix of differing length par 4s, dotted with fine par 3s, but does afford one relatively generous par 5 at the 7th which is played downhill and around a slight dogleg left. There is clever bunkering at different spots on the fairway and short left of the green, but navigate these and 475 yards downhill is gettable.

The first half of the back nine continues the quality, the 12th in particular is a great hole with a fairway cascading down a slope on driver length, and an approach to the green sitting within a bowl, and this is followed by two par 3s that could not be more different which definitely keeps the feeling of freshness throughout the round.

The finishing section is superb and provides a real flourish to close off an excellent course. 15 is a driveable par 4 up to a green beyond a perilous valley on the right, 16 is then a longer par 4 turning back towards the clubhouse, and then 17 and 18 are phenomenal closing holes. The former is a sensational par 3 played to a raised green with views of the mountains and the glen beyond, and then 18 is an excellent finisher playing down from a raised tee to a slight dogleg left, with a second played to clever two-tiered green in front of the clubhouse.

If this quality and scenery is to be replicated by the other two courses then it is no wonder why Gleneagles appears to provide the best overall golfing offering in Britain.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 25th (Scotland), 77th (GB&I)
• Golfer View Rating: 82%

The Queen’s Golf Course

Back to Reviews