Kings Course - Gleneagles

Gleneagles boasts 63 holes on it's 850 acre estate, including three championship courses. It's PGA Centenary Course is hosting The Ryder Cup in 2014, but perhaps the layout with the most character is The Kings - one of Scotland's golfing treasures.

This James Braid design has hosted many professional tournaments down through the years including The Scottish Open, one of the more popular stops on The European Tour. It's a thinking player's golf course and tests shot-making from start to finish.

The opening hole, a 362 yard par four, plays deceptively long due to it's elevated green complex. Nothing is worse than coming up short here, as most poorly struck shots finish in a cavernous bunker some 20 yards short of the green. Not exactly what you want to be facing five minutes into your round. Club selection is at a premium on this hole, and even the pro's find it hard to gauge how much to allow for the steep incline on the approach.

The course meanders through the beautiful estate, and contains a wonderful set of par threes. They are not overly long, but excellent golf holes, and require a certain degree of course management in addition to a sound technique. It is extremely important not to short-side yourself on these short holes, with the 5th being a great example (as shown in the above image). Only 178 yards from the back tee, but miss the green at your peril. A series of bunkers and run-offs will leave you with an immense struggle to make par should you not find the putting surface.

There are certainly holes that you can pick up shots on, including the par fives at 6 and 10, but the secret to nailing down a good score here is to attack the finishing stretch. The 14th is a driveable par four, and if the contours are used correctly you can find yourself putting for eagle. The 16th is a flick with a nine-iron, but you must allow for a little spin on the receptive and heavily sloping green.

The course comes to a finish with the par five 18th. There is somewhat of a risk-reward element to the tee-shot, because if you want to open your shoulders, a 260 yard carry can result in a long forward kick from the last fairway mound, and leave an iron for your second shot. However this is the tightest part of the fairway, and unless you are feeling extremely confident about the way you're hitting driver, a 3-wood may be the best play. A downhill second shot sits against the backdrop of the surrounding peaks and countryside, and if you can ignore the panoramic views, a birdie is definitely on the cards.

The Kings is many people's favourite course on the Gleneagles estate, and it's easy to see why. It's also one of the most testing 6,700 yard tracks I've ever played. It mixes great course design with some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. If you are stopping by to play the Ryder Cup course, don't leave without experiencing this classic layout.