Gleneagles Golf Resort King's Course: Review, Tee Times and Key Info

Gleneagles Golf Resort King's Course Key Information

James Braid’s long-revered Perthshire masterpiece, a mainstay of the top 40 in our Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings, enjoys quite simply one of the most beautiful settings for golf in the UK&I. Carved through the pine trees, the King’s course rises and falls over springy moorland turf.

It may not be the longest (though longer than the sister Queen's course), but with blind shots, humps, hollows and sloping greens, this is a course that will only reward precise and considered play. Gleneagles is also one of just eight golf clubs or resorts to have more than one course that features in the Golf Monthly Top 100 Courses UK and Ireland.

The King’s opened for play in 1919 and has frequently been used for big events, among them several stagings of the Scottish Open. In 1921, a group of American professionals, including Walter Hagen, took on a team from Britain around the King’s course, a contest that would prove the testing ground and forerunner to a little event you may have heard of called the Ryder Cup six years later.

My first experience of Gleneagles in the 1980s was simply to drive up the entrance road en route further north and gaze in awe at the famous 1st hole my friends and I had seen so many times, courtesy of the popular Pro-Celebrity Golf series hosted by Peter Alliss.

The thought of one day ever being able to play here was but a pipedream for it was way beyond my means, so I feel privileged to have now played it a number of times courtesy of the job I never dreamed I would end up doing all those years ago.

For me, the King's course has a majesty and splendour that few, if any, courses can rival, with the routing and individual holes complemented exquisitely by the sheer grandeur of the backdrops all around. It is a magical place.

That modest-length par 4 opener rises steeply at the far end to a shelf green protected by a deep central bunker and several others to immediately gain elevation and further enhance the views.

The 3rd is then played totally blind over a steep crest, and whatever you may feel about such challenges, you’ll still experience a real sense of excited anticipation as you come over the brow to find out if you picked the right club and your approach is as good as you thought it was.

Of course, no-one would design such a hole these days, but this is Braid’s playground, and over recent years the resort has re-introduced a number of other long-lost Braid features to take fuller advantage of the King’s course’s heritage. The King's rightly continues to rate very highly in any list of the best inland golf courses in Scotland.

The majesty of the glorious Perthshire countryside makes any round here an unforgettable experience over an historic and highly enjoyable course held in near-universal high esteem.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

Gillian Christie

This is the second longest of the courses at Gleneagles and it can be rewarding if you know the lines. If you haven’t played the course before, it’s essential to read the course guide for the ideal shot. Lots of blind holes in the first half could leave you feeling disheartened. but as you move through the back nine, your faith in the game will be restored as you are met with some more playable par 3s and 4s. There are some lovely views of the rolling hills and this was particularly noticeable on the raised tee shots peppered throughout the course and at the start of the back nine. One thing that definitely puts this course on the map is the great facilities, both on the practice area and in the clubhouse.

Michael Graham

Visitors to Scotland understandably focus on its links courses and the country perhaps doesn’t have inland courses to match England's but Gleneagles King’s is a must-play to see some of Braid’s finest work. It is a big, brawny test of golf with some really stout, challenging par 4s. Braid routed the course magnificently through the Perthshire landscape using the land wonderfully. The King’s has to be one of the most stunningly scenic courses anywhere in the world. Gorgeous views of the Perthshire countryside in such a peaceful, idyllic setting make for such a special round of golf. In the summer, with the whin bushes flowering alongside the purple of the abundant heather, the King’s is an explosion of colour.

Gleneagles King's Course Location

Book online via the resort's website

Best Courses Near Gleneagles

GLENEAGLES QUEEN'S
It may be a relatively short track by modern standards, but the Queen’s delivers a complete test of golf. It’s long been a favourite at Gleneagles and works over recent years have greatly enhanced what was already a tremendous course in terms of both aesthetics and playability. Set on the high ground of the Gleneagles Estate, the views are phenomenal.

BLAIRGOWRIE ROSEMOUNT
James Braid is one of the most prolific architects in our Top 100, and the Rosemount is his 1930s reworking of an earlier Alister MacKenzie design. While finding the fairways on this tree-lined classic is more about accuracy than brute force, the reward for so doing will be the chance to play from a perfect lie.

Best Places To Stay Near Gleneagles

Gleneagles - Book now at Booking.com
The world-famous five-star resort is set in 850 glorious acres and embraces the best of old-world French chateau-style class and 21st century standards. The beautiful grounds were inspired by Capability Brown, while dining options range from the Strathearn, The Birnam and Andrew Fairlie’s restaurant, to the informality of Auchterarder 70 in the clubhouse (Gleneagles' first telephone number!). It is simply a superb place to stay.

Cairn Lodge - Book now at Booking.com
Located in Auchterarder, the closest town to Gleneagles, Cairn Lodge is a charming Victorian hunting lodge with free WiFi and free parking. It offers luxurious accommodation and a restaurant specialising in seasonal dishes. Spacious and elegant, with a flat-screen TV, each room benefits from a modern en-suite bathroom.

Gleneagles King's Gallery

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GLENEAGLES KING'S COURSE HISTORICAL TOP 100 RANKING UK&I

• 2025/26 - 36
• 2023/24 - 36
• 2021/22 - 38
• 2019/20 - 37
• 2017/18 - 37
• 2015/16 - 40
• 2013/14 - 36
• 2011/12 - 27
• 2009/10 - 20

Frequently Asked Questions