The Gleneagles Hotel - King's Course

My wife persuaded me to a play a round at one of my “bucket list” courses whilst on holiday in Scotland.
I booked my round the night before playing, I wanted to be sure the weather forecast was ok, it was as it was definitely needed.
The Gleneagles Hotel and courses have a premium feel, I have been lucky enough to play at a number of the top UK courses, Gleneagles ranks highly and could have been my best but…
I decided upon a 3pm tee time, which I booked accordingly, this should have allowed enough time to finish before sunset, however, when I checked in, initially my booking wasn’t showing, I have heard about these issues previously, but my booking was eventually located timed however at 3-20!
You get to a bucket of balls to use at the range/practice area it’s a good setup and should prepare you nicely for your round.
As I was a single player I expected to be paired with other players, I was fortunate to play with a husband & wife who knew the course layout well which was helpful. There are quite a number of blind tee shots on the Kings, if this is not your thing it can be quite daunting so be mindful of this, also it has very undulating fairways and a number of elevated greens which adds to the test.
The greens were in very good nick, quite tricky in places but where you hit the ball it went, no excuses!
An observation on the bunkers as I did visit one or two, they look really good, however, with such premium bunkers they use concrete type lining, with steep bunker faces, the ball should roll to the centre of the bunker, that wasn’t always the case. The sand depth was quite variable, too sallow in places, the thought of hitting the bunker lining wasn’t great let alone being able to play the ideal shot. Now onto the pace of play, it was almost horrendous, by the time I made the turn for home I was waiting on each tee box, no course marshall present today to keep the pace correct. I guess golfers want to enjoy the occasion if you are not a member, also if your ball ventures too far off the fairway you need to keep your eyes on it, there is some nasty stuff out there which will slow play down but having to wait over 20 minutes to tee off on a potentially drivable par 4 14th didn’t help especially as the light was fading quite quickly, hence why I was originally concerned when my tee time was pushed back. I have made the assumption that my tee time was changed as “members” don’t want to play with guests, there were several 2 balls prior to my original tee time, the couple I played with were technically guests as they were staying in the course lodges.
I did manage to play all 18 holes, the last two I really needed a miners helmet for light, which very much detracted from the experience.
If you play this time of year and if you are not a member then tee off as early as you can, pay the premium price, my round cost £160 so not cheap, the 20 minutes I got pushed back and the poor pace of play really took the shine off.
Most premium golf courses with history, can fill all their tee slots easily, therefore those lucky enough to be members, playing a part round of golf might work for them, for me Scotland is hundreds of miles away from home so, will I play at Gleneagles again? only time and bank balance will tell

We played a 4 ball here today and the round was fantastic. The staff couldn’t be more helpful and the course was absolutely amazing! Would definitely recommend this as it was also great value for money.
Thanks

The whole day was brilliant, weather helped, but the only disappointing thing was the state of the sand in the bunkers, mostly it was like playing out of concrete. They really need dug over properly to give everyone a chance

Always wanted to play Gleneagles and was worried it may not live up to expectations. Was advised to play Kings rather than the American PGA course.
OMG it was awesome so much worth the price paid. The Staff were fantastic and we were able to play a lot sooner than planned.
The shop was vast and plush, food was fantastic.
I simply had a fantastic day

My friend and I really enjoyed our round here. It is a challenging course that offers some beautiful views. The course was in great condition but the greens had some work done to them the week before (scarifying). Would recommend this course.

Course conditions were fantastic, immaculate fairways and greens, hitting fairways more important than long hitting as course is relatively short. Quite a number of drives are blind shots so challenging if you do not know. course. Play was slow but expected that

Simply the best course I’ve ever played. Every hole a challenge but playable and scenery to die for! Got to be on every bucket list.

Moorland, heathland, inland - I've seen all three words describe the King's course. I can add one more - special. It's tough for a non-links course to resonate with Americans visiting the Home of Golf, but this is one old-school classic that does.
The King's owes its impressive pedigree to James Braid, who took great advantage of the miraculous terrain carved by glaciers centuries ago. The first hole is the prime example with a rise to an elevated green that requires two to three clubs extra to reach in regulation.
Some of the views of the surrounding glens and mountains stretch for miles. The King's has hosted the Scottish Open and Curtis Cup, so it's a fine test of golf that's centrally located between the highlands and the Glasgow/Edinburgh airports.

If you play one non-links golf course during your visit to Scotland, The King's Course at Gleneagles is probably your best option. It's an old world, James Braid design full of flavor. Bunkers are monstrous, there are blind shots and plenty of difficulty, but peppered in are some delightful shorter holes and an overall sense that this is the ideal amount of challenge one would want in a round of golf. The surrounding scenery is surreal and pace of play is excellent. The resort, of course, is 5 stars all the way. It's roughly an hour's drive from St. Andrews, so be sure to stop by for a round if you can.

After travelling so much in Scotland I am often asked what are my favourite golf courses, and my response is always Royal Dornoch, Cruden Bay and North Berwick. I love links golf! Having said that, I have to say that The Kings Course at Gleneagles could easily be one of my top three. This is a championship quality golf course at a world class resort. Forget the Nicklaus designed PGA Centenary Course, who wants to play a typical US style golf course in Scotland. The Kings Course is a classic moorland (hilly) course with great sightlines, breathtaking views, and some great golf holes. The resort itself is high end, the golf course reflects this. If you're tired of the links I highly recommend this golf course!