We arrive early. The pro-shop is closed. Coffee is taken in the bar, where we admire the carpentry. Old, decorative chests of drawers have been re-used as wood panelling. We go back to the pro-shop -”You’ve got the wrong Gailes.” LINKS75 is in the wrong clubhouse. “The right one is on the other side of the railway – this is Glasgow Gailes.” We are supposed to play Western Gailes. In order to return we book a start time while we are there and then head for Western Gailes. It turns out to be packed with English men in blazers from the English Food Industry, competing in their annual championship. In front of us in the shop lots of caps, head covers and ball markers are being bought by the bucket load. Finally it’s our turn. “From Sweden?” “Henrik Larsson is God!” Classic links you can sense everywhere. At the Starters hut we discuss the manufacture of Swedish ball bearings, factories in Luton, and Henrik Larsson of course before heading out into the links surroundings. Thick flowering gorse, rolling fairways and tough, walled bunkers. A few mid-length par 4s with small greens and dark-green rough full of chlorophyll to start with and then things really take off. The Firth of Clyde shows the way. The 5th – a par 4 – 430 yards shows that we have been spoiled by a false sense of security and we run into problems – links trouble. The 6th – a par 5 – has a classic sand dune gateway behind an unmowed hollow and naturally a sunken, bathtub green. A lot of links love. The 7th – par 3 Sea – is real links75 class. A fantastic hole that gets better the nearer you get to the green. Magnificently difficult, a real gem.
7th green, Western Gailes
We proceed in true delight. The 8th, 9th and 10th are all wonderful par 4s, of which two have a burn running in front of the green. The sun comes out and we sense summer. After 12 the course turns with a classic par 3, with the flag just behind one of seven bunkers and a burn in front – links class. From the 13th the course follows a railway track – railway links from the Industrial Revolution. On the 14th – a par 5 – we go for an eagle but get a bogey instead. The 17th remains, a links challenge of the highest order of over 400 yards with a ridge that runs parallel through the fairway and waiting dark green rough on one side and a railway line on the other. Behind the green is a red and white cross that indicates the line needed to hit the landing zone.
18th at Western Gailes
This is high quality links-class – a hole to challenge in all seasons – pure links delight. We finish at a white tablecloth and a view over a lesson in proper links play. Western Gailes
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