Gleneagles Golf Resort King's Course Key Information
The majesty of the glorious Perthshire countryside makes any round here an unforgettable experience over an historic and highly enjoyable James Braid course held in near-universal high esteem.
The King’s plays over a wonderfully undulating piece of land that offers visitors a tranquil golfing experience. It is a course of true quality and achievable challenge in just the right measures. There is no doubting which country you are in when you are here - it feels so inherently Scottish.
REASONS TO PLAY GLENEAGLES KING'S COURSE
- The chance to play one of Braid's finest courses exhibiting many of his best design traits
- One of the most glorious backdrops of any inland golf course in the UK&I
- Gleneagles is the perfect place to take in three adjacent but distinctly individual golf courses
RANKINGS
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 36
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…
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.
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
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
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
Which is the best course to play at Gleneagles?
The beauty of Gleneagles is that each of the three courses - King's, Queen's and PGA Centenary - offers something slightly different. The King's and Queen's are both James Braid designs steeped in history, with the King's a little longer and the Queen's boasting just one par 5 that makes it also play a little longer than its relatively modest overall yardage. The newer PGA Centenary course offers some fine views especially on the front nine where it plays closer to the King's course before taking on a slightly different feel back over the road from the 9th. It has divided opinion a little, but does offer up some superb backdrops over its opening holes.
What pro events has Gleneagles King's course hosted?
Although it is now considered a little short for the top-level tour golf, it did host an event called the Scottish Open Championship in 1935 won by Peter Alliss' father, Percy. That event was a forerunner to the Scottish Open, which it would go on to host on the European Tour for nine years from 1987 to 1994. In 2022, it staged the Senior Open Championship for the first time, with Darren Clarke emerging the winner.
