Gleneagles golf guide: the King's, Queen's & PGA Centenary
Scotland's grand five-star golf resort in the Perthshire hills — James Braid's classic King's and Queen's plus Jack Nicklaus's Ryder Cup PGA Centenary. The three courses, how to play, when to go and getting there.
Gleneagles is Scotland's grandest golf resort — a five-star hotel and estate opened in 1924, set high in the Perthshire hills, with three championship courses and a golf history that runs from James Braid to the 2014 Ryder Cup. It's not links golf: this is heather-and-pine moorland, an 'inland links' on free-draining high ground with the Ochil and Grampian hills as a backdrop. If you want the full Scottish golf-resort experience — grand hotel, spa, and world-class golf without a ballot or a handicap hurdle — this is it.
Here are the three courses, how they differ, how to play them (as a resort guest or a visitor), the season, and how to get there.
Where
Auchterarder, Perthshire — in the hills between Stirling and Perth
Courses
The King's & Queen's (James Braid, 1919) and the PGA Centenary (Jack Nicklaus, 1993), plus a 9-hole par 3
Nearest airport
Edinburgh (EDI) & Glasgow (GLA) both ~1 hr; Gleneagles railway station on the doorstep
Best time
Moorland season roughly Apr–Oct; May–Sep for the long daylight
Access
Five-star resort — open to hotel guests and, subject to availability, green-fee visitors
Big events
2014 Ryder Cup & 2019 Solheim Cup (both on the PGA Centenary Course)
James Braid · 1919 · 18 holes · Moorland / 'inland links' · par 72
Braid's masterpiece; long a frequent host of the Scottish Open; a world top-100 course
The King's is the connoisseur's choice at Gleneagles — five-time Open champion James Braid's 1919 design over rumpled, heathery high ground, every hole carrying a historic Scottish name. It's firm, strategic golf that plays like a links laid inland: raised greens, cannily placed bunkers and glorious views. It hosted the Scottish Open for many years and remains, for many, the best course on the estate.
The PGA Centenary Course
Jack Nicklaus · 1993 (as 'The Monarch's') · 18 holes · Championship parkland · par 72
Host of the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup; the longest inland course in Scotland
Nicklaus's course — opened in 1993 as The Monarch's and later renamed the PGA Centenary — is the modern tournament stage, a bigger, more American-style layout that hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup (where Europe beat the USA 16½–11½) and the 2019 Solheim Cup (won by Europe 14½–13½ on Suzann Pettersen's closing putt). It's the longest inland course in Scotland off the back tees, with wide targets and dramatic hill views — the one to play if you want to walk a Ryder Cup venue.
The Queen's Course
James Braid · 1919 · 18 holes · Moorland parkland · par 68
One of the UK's finest shorter heathland courses
The Queen's is the shorter, more intimate Braid course — woodland, ridges and little lochans, a beautiful and eminently playable companion to the King's. It's proof that a course doesn't need length to be a joy, and it makes a perfect second (or gentler) round on a Gleneagles stay. There's also a Nicklaus-designed 9-hole par-3 course, the Wee Course, for a relaxed extra loop.
How to play Gleneagles
Gleneagles is a resort, not a members' club, so there's no ballot and no handicap certificate to clear — golf is open to hotel guests and, subject to availability, to green-fee visitors who aren't staying. Hotel residents get priority tee times and preferential rates, which is the reason most golfers make it a stay-and-play; visitors can book too, but the resort books up, so reserve ahead. Green fees vary by course and season (the PGA Centenary and King's command the premium), and all visitor golf is paid at the time of booking.
The estate is far more than golf — a renowned spa, restaurants, and country pursuits from falconry to shooting — which makes it an easy sell for a group that isn't all golfers.
When to go
Gleneagles plays roughly April to October. May to September gives the long Scottish daylight and the best chance of firm, fast moorland turf, though the high, open setting means wind and the odd shower are always possible — pack a layer and a waterproof whatever the month. Late spring and early autumn are quieter and often the sweet spot for a stay.
Getting there
Gleneagles is one of the most accessible great resorts in Scotland. Edinburgh (EDI) and Glasgow (GLA) airports are each about an hour by car, and — unusually — the estate has its own railway station, Gleneagles, with direct trains from both cities, so you can arrive without a car. It sits near Auchterarder in Perthshire, in the middle of the country between Stirling and Perth.
How to play it (a Scottish trip)
Gleneagles pairs beautifully with a links leg for contrast: it's about an hour from the Fife coast, so you can combine the moorland grandeur here with the classic links of St Andrews and the brutal Open test of Carnoustie on the Angus coast. A few days at Gleneagles plus a run through Fife and Angus is one of the best mixed golf weeks in the country.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Gleneagles is walking moorland golf at altitude in the Perthshire hills — the weather turns quickly, so pack for wind and the odd shower:
Can anyone play Gleneagles, or do you need to be a member?
Anyone can play — Gleneagles is a five-star resort, not a members' club, so there's no ballot and no handicap certificate required. Golf is open to hotel guests (who get priority tee times and better rates) and, subject to availability, to green-fee visitors who aren't staying. Book ahead, as it fills up.
Which is the best course at Gleneagles?
It depends what you want. Many purists rate James Braid's King's Course (1919) as the finest — strategic moorland golf that plays like an inland links. The Jack Nicklaus PGA Centenary Course is the modern tournament layout that hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup. The shorter Queen's Course is a beautiful, gentler companion.
Where was the 2014 Ryder Cup played at Gleneagles?
On the PGA Centenary Course, the Jack Nicklaus design (opened in 1993 as The Monarch's). Europe beat the USA 16½–11½ there in 2014, and the same course hosted the 2019 Solheim Cup, won by Europe.
Is Gleneagles a links course?
No — it's high moorland and heathland golf in the Perthshire hills, sometimes called 'inland links' because the King's plays firm and strategic like a true links. For actual seaside links on the same trip, pair it with the Fife or Angus coast an hour away.
How do you get to Gleneagles?
Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are each about an hour by car. Uniquely, the resort has its own railway station — Gleneagles — with direct trains from both cities, so you can arrive without a car. It's near Auchterarder in Perthshire.
