Gleneagles offers world-class golf experience for all
For more than 100 years, the fairways at The Gleneagles Hotel have seen generations of golfers experience the elation and frustration that go hand in hand with this beautiful game.
Recently awarded the “Best Golf Resort in the World” accolade from UltraTravel for the fifth year running, the three championship courses at Gleneagles are regarded as among the very best in the world.
Set in the glorious Perthshire countryside, the King’s Course, the Queen’s Course and the legendary PGA Centenary Course (2014 Ryder Cup host venue) offer tantalising challenges for all levels of player.
But, you don’t have to be a club member or a hotel guest to visit.
The resort is keen to welcome local people - from absolute beginners right through to scratch golfers - to enjoy the world-class facilities on their doorstep.
From the moment you drive through the iconic gates and park outside the Dormy Clubhouse, you know you are in good hands.
Book a round of golf, a lesson with one of the PGA professionals, or a session on the driving range, and you can use all the facilities at the Dormy Clubhouse.
This includes the luxurious changing rooms and impressive retail outlets, plus access to the Dormy Bar & Grill and the Auchterarder 70 bar.
Gleneagles can also offer the very best in equipment hire, with 80 rental sets for men and women from PING, Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, with graphite or steel shafts, as well as left and right handed sets.
There’s even golf carts with satellite navigation for use on the PGA Centenary Course.
The key to playing better golf comes with practice and there can be few better places to do this than at the PGA National Golf Academy at Gleneagles.
Open from 7am until 7pm during the summer months, the Academy has a 320-yard double-ended driving range with a capacity for 40 golfers to help focus on the long game, there are undercover pitching bays, a short game pitching area, three short game practice greens with five varied bunkers and two putting greens. The golf practice opportunities are endless.
But it’s the quality of tuition available at the Academy that sets Gleneagles apart.
The PGA qualified professional staff (the team even includes NLP master practitioners) pride themselves on tailoring golf lessons to the individual, focusing on the areas required for improvement.
Just pop into the Academy shop to arrange golf tuition, collect new range balls to squeeze in some practice, or simply browse the wide selection of golf equipment and accessories from the world’s leading manufacturers.
The shop stocks clubs from Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Mizuno and Titleist, and also offers a wide range of accessories including bags, balls, holdalls, towels and umbrellas.
Head professional Andrew Jowett told the PA: “As a team, we pride ourselves on offering outstanding service and a highly personalised guest experience. No two golfers are ever the same so every lesson is uniquely tailored to the individual and – whether you’ve never picked up a club before or are an experienced golfer who just wants to brush up on skills – we’re here to help.
“The Academy is one of the best golfing practice facilities in Scotland, but also one of the most competitively priced, so we’re keen to encourage new people to come along and see what’s on offer. Of course we use traditional approaches to coaching – guiding players through their set up and technique – but the state-of-the-art analysis technology we have on-site also plays an integral role in both tuition and custom fitting.”
Billy Murray, golf marketing manager, added: “Some iconic golf resorts might have become complacent after hosting one of the most successful Ryder Cups ever held – but not Gleneagles.
“A programme of development across our three golf courses, Clubhouse and Academy is now well underway as we prepare for some exciting tournaments on the horizon, with the 2018 European Championship and the 2019 Solheim Cup just around the corner.
“Our latest clubhouse offering – our new bar, Auchterarder 70 – sells an outstanding range of locallysourced craft beers. The views – looking straight out across the iconic King’s Course and the Ochil Hills – must be counted among the most sensational views from any bar in the UK.”