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Gleneagles (PGA Centenary), Scotland |
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Gleneagles Hotel
Auchterarder
Perthshire
PH3 1NF
Scotland |  | Jack Nicklaus |  | Andrew Jowett |
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 | +44 (0) 1764 662231 |  | 20 miles S of Perth |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Welcome, contact in advance |  | Heather Edment |
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Few places in the British Isles can boast three courses, let alone three Top 100 courses, but then, there's only one Gleneagles. James Braid was the master architect behind the King's and Queen's but the PGA Centenary is the course that Jack Nicklaus built, so it goes without saying that this is an American-styled layout.
The PGA Centenary (formerly known as the Monarch) opened for play in 1993 and it's a big stadium course. In fact, it's the longest inland course in Scotland, measuring a whopping 7,088 yards from the back tees. There are five tee boxes to choose from, so select carefully to ensure maximum enjoyment. We're not buggy lovers, but there are some long walks between the greens and tees. If the PGA Centenary is your second round of the day at Gleneagles, a buggy comes highly recommended.
“The finest parcel of land in the world I have ever been given to work with,” was how Jack Nicklaus described the rolling moorland. This is Nicklaus's first and only design project in Scotland and he's done a fine understated job. Only a couple of holes feature water hazards, and these are for practical, irrigation reasons rather than for effect. The PGA Centenary definitely complements, but also contrasts markedly with the King's and Queen's. The usual Nicklaus features are in place – huge undulating greens, bold bunkering and, of course, a number of risk and reward holes.
The key to scoring well on the PGA Centenary is to avoid coming up short with your approach shots. Invariably, much of the trouble is at the front of the greens, so take enough club. Our favourite holes are those adjacent to the King's course and the 5th is a cracker. The long par four is called "Crookit Cratur" and it's a fun rollercoaster of a hole with a bottle-necked entrance to the green. The 9th is also superb – a par five which has trouble in the shape of water and bunkers (one of which is huge) lurking down the right.
We wonder what Bernard Darwin might think of the PGA Centenary. We do know that he loved the King's and the Queen's. We suspect he might say something along these lines: “The PGA Centenary is intended to test the rampaging animal to the full. Jack Nicklaus has unquestionably made of the PGA Centenary a 'big' course on which it will be good fun to see the big men stretch themselves during the 2014 Ryder Cup.”
In consultation with Jack Nicklaus, the PGA Centenary course closed for renovation in October 2011 and reopened at the end of April 2012. Click here for full details. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | | Played this course quite a few times always enjoy playing it to a certain extent after seeing some pro's playing at it and see how you can do on the course. And by the way i have played the course i cant see why the Pro's dont shoot much lower than they do greens seem to be always soft so pefect pin seeking chances for pro's. The lay out of the course is good, holes all provide a good challenge but the walk from tee to tee is ridiculously long you spend most of your time walking, it is a course that you have to use buggies unless you cant. As for this course being venue for the Ryder Cup in 2014 it may be good for viewing as its a good layout to watch golf but wont be as enjoyable for the players i thnk, they will need to sort out the drainage on fairways badly so it wont be wash out for the time of year it gets played. It is still a good course in its own rights but i would rather play the other two courses first for the money they are asking for the PGA but worth playing it once to get that experience ;). |
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| 19 November 2011
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| Shocking! I don’t normally believe in writing negative reviews of anything but in this instance I feel it is necessary. The PGA Centenary course is set in stunning scenery with many visually appealing holes but woefully let down by its condition (in early September 2011). I learnt the game on a course which resembled a bog in winter so am used to muddy conditions. I also paid low green fees in line with the poor conditioning. All golfers have the right to expect better conditions in return for Gleneagles’ level of green fees. Casual water squelched up from my feet on every fairway. On the 4th green I managed to plug a 3 iron shot in its own pitch mark. The fifth fairway moved under foot like stepping on a blancmange as if damaged by frost. Many tees were hollow tined which I understand is necessary work (but this was not advised at time of booking or before starting play) but combined with soft conditions made teeing off more perilous than necessary. Due to tour schedules the upcoming 2014 Ryder cup cannot be held during the dry of high summer so I fear course conditions could be worse than 2010. I suspect both captains will load their teams with bombers and gougers in order to compete on this ‘everything-through-the-air’ course. The 17th and 18th are unlikely to provide dramatic finishes although the 16th may compensate to some degree. It seems to me that the course looked great on paper during the design stage but with little consideration to drainage and Scotland’s weather. Perhaps the other courses at the resort started life this way too. |
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| 14 September 2011
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| I returned to the PGA six years after posting the first review for the course on this site as I was keen to see if any of the changes in recent years by David McLay Kidd might endear the place to me a little bit more this time around – after all, I absolutely love the oversized layouts of Spey Valley and the Duke’s in St Andrews so why should I not be able to take to the PGA the same way?  The opening half dozen holes are excellent, especially the par five 2nd and two par threes at 3 and 6. I wasn’t enamoured by the large mounding and bunkers to the left of the fairway on the 8th and the enormous lateral sand trap on the following hole still jars my golfing sensibilities. Holes 10 and 11 are solid but then the stretch between 12 and 15 are easily the weakest on the card as they occupy the most elevated and least interesting portion of the property. Granted, the round picks up again at the tough par five 16th but the long uphill march to the 18th green really is an unavoidable trek back to the home hole. So for me, a mixed bag of very good and not so good, even though the Gleneagles stamp of quality is evident on every tee, fairway and putting surface. I’ve heard the 18 holes here described as “the 4th best course in Auchterarder,” which really is unkind. I’ve also read uncomplimentary quotes from a couple of prominent professionals who are not big fans of the PGA course. Never mind, the Gleneagles brand is big enough to absorb such barbs and, anyway, all those comments will be long forgotten in three years’ time when fans roll up in their tens of thousands to spectate at the 41st series of Ryder Cup matches… c’mon Europe!!! Jim McCann |
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| 13 September 2011
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| | I am surprised to see this course rated at 42. I have played on about 150 courses in Scotland and I would not rate it in the top 100. On a top course you would expect to remember most of the holes after playing the course and I cerainly remembered quite a few but all for the wrong reasons. It gives the immpression of having been stuck in the only available piece of land so a third course could be created. To get a true perspective given the choice would anyone prefer to play this course rather than the King's or Queen's? It is just a long slog and a very long walk! |
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| 12 October 2010
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| Having played the King's several times I had always pretty much avoided Centenary as I had heard stories of the hard slog it could be and never really fancied it. By chance though I played it twice in the last 6 weeks. My first visit was fairly horrific. We played it on the Bank Holiday weekend at the beginning of May. I was staying at Glenmor and a friend joined me for a round. He paid £75 for the round and we shared a buggy for, I think, £40. At the time of booking there was no mention of the horror of what to come. The greens were to all intents and purposes unplayable. Two months of snow and frost at the beginning of the year had left them holed and pitted. In all my years of playing, growing up on council courses in Edinburgh, I had never seen anything like it. There was no way it was possible to move the ball to avoid the holes - they were everywhere. What was so galling was that no-one at Gleneagles had mentioned this to us. It epitomises so much of this place these days - they are out for the money and don't really care about your experience. The fairways were all cut to aid drainage I guess and again there was no mention of this.
As for the course itself, it wasn't as bad as I had expected! While nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as the King's or Queen's it is quite a plesant track with a handful of memorable holes but also some pretty weak holes - surely they are going to have to do something to 18 before the Ryder Cup as it is hard to imagine the hole generating much in the way of drama. The back 9 is probably the more interesting stretch with some short par 4s which require more than brute force and the par 5 16th is a very pleasant hole with a real risk or reward across water. There have been changes on the course over recent years - notably the 12th becoming a long par 4 (3rd longest on the course from the yellows) rather than a shortish par 5. However, and excuse me but this really annoys me, they have not changed the stroke index of the hole. It plays as stroke index 14. That is just laziness for a course which has prentences to be world class.
I was invited back a month later and for sure the greens had come on a lot and they may be just about playable for when the tour comes in August. I walked the course on the second visit and while some of the 400 yard plus walks between green and tee were annoying it was just about doable so don't feel you absolutely need to take a cart if you have a basic level of fitness.
To have the Ryder Cup in Scotland in 2014 is a great event for all of us fans who live here. The course will no doubt accomodate spectators very well and hopefully it will be in acceptable condition by then. However, to look over so many great courses in the country and to follow the money to Gleneagles is a real shame. The course is just about acceptable as a Challenge Tour venue and we will be portraying it as the Pride of Scotland and that just isn't right. |
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| 03 June 2010
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| | Played this on saturday 18th April - and have to say that i kind of slightly disagree with some of the strength of the comments below. Whilst I agree it does feel slightly manufactured - it is mainly due I think to the lack of age. In a few years this will feel much more natural. I played it off the tips and it was more of a test than the King's course in my mind in that the King's was easier to score on. The condition of the course was poor though as the fairways were all a mess and the greens shocking. I can however imagine the course in full glory with banks of ryder cup spectators. I may be slightly rose tinted in my assessment as the stay was a freebie and I would have been slightly harsher if I paid full green fee which is not good value right now - which even the starter affirmed. To my mind though was the holes i birdied which will be re-told in 2014 when I watch the ryder cup. It's good but not great.... |
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| 20 April 2010
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| While for the most part the PGA Centenary Course designed by Jack Nicklaus keeps to a similar bunkering style to that of the two Braid courses, the same cannot be said for the integration of the golf holes into the landscape. While James Braid used manual labor and horses and carts, Jack Nicklaus had large excavators and bulldozers at his disposal to construct the PGA Centenary course, the problem is that the machinery created golf holes that are disconnected with the natural landscape.
While many of the golf holes are a good test of skill and offer great views to the greater landscape of Perthshire, it is on a finer level that it falls short. On many of the holes it appears that a bulldozer flattened the area for the fairway and green and pushed it to the sides, leaving some nice mounding to the sides of the hole but that stop before the fairway instead of flowing into the fairway to create an undulating surface rather than a flat fairway. The lack of movement in the fairways is not only evident from a visual standpoint but also from a functional one as many of the flat fairways are soggy because there is not enough slope. The feeling that many of the holes give you on the PGA Centenary course is that the golf holes were "bulldozed" into the landscape instead of being overlaid onto the natural topography like the King's and Queen's courses. This lack of integration provides a stark contrast to the Braid courses which seem much more compact because they are fitted into the landscape. James Braid uses the natural slope on the sides of fairways to create a target area that is wider than it looks because the slope will kick a ball into the fairway, while Nicklaus has cleared the topography away to create a wide, expansive and flat target area that is much less interesting.
While the PGA Centenary Course challenges golfers and is still a scenic and aesthetically pleasing course to play from a golfer's point of view, it could be a great golf course instead of just a good one had it been better integrated with the landscape. While all three courses offer a slightly different challenge among the rolling terrain of Perthshire, it is the landscape integration like that of James Braid on the King's and Queen's courses that all golf course architects should strive for in creating great golf courses. It is the attention to detail that creates the unique character of the King's and Queen's courses that makes them a must-play destination for golf-goers in Scotland, but in contrast it is attention to detail that leaves golfers begging for more on the PGA Centenary Course. |
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| 09 March 2010
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| | This is my idea of a nightmare. It might look good in USA but is totally out of place in Scotland. Long walks between green and tee make using a buggy almost esential. It may suit low single figure handicaps under 30 years but not the vast majority of golfers. The only reason the Ryder Cup is to be here is Money. From previous comments it is clear some people like it but the world would be a strange place if we all thought alike! |
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| 22 December 2009
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| | PGA was a fun course to play, but its location in amongst houses and with long trips from green to tee is incongruous in the beauty of Gleneagles - King's then Queen's then (long gap) PGA for me. |
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| 10 August 2009
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| | Excellent long golf course, lots of excellent holes that challenge you. The first is an excellent par 4 and the 16th and 18th are strong par 5's. One of my favourites in scotland but needs to go some to be in same league as Loch Lomond or even the King's course |
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| 21 April 2009
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| Response: | | | Chris Jones | 22 April 2009 | | Sorry to disagree but the 18th cannot be described as strong. It is just rather long and a bit boring - needs a facelift prior to the Ryder Cup in 2014 to be honest. | | | ADC | 26 April 2009 | | King's front 9 and Queen's back 9 remains the best hybrid course at Gleneagles. PGA course is not in the same league - nice walk but it is hard to see the Ryder Cup there alongside a better set of holes!! |
| | | Have been to Gleneagles many times, but had not played the PGA. The course was in immaculate condition. There are some great holes on the front nine, but I was very disappointed by some of the holes on the back nine. They gave the impression that they had run out of space, time and money. That being said, changes are being made. I played off the white tees and did not find the course unduly long. There are some holes where the blue tees would have made a fair difference. It is a fair course with good shots generally being rewarded. The undulations on the greens make holing any length of putt difficult. A buggy is highly recommended, but only if you are allowed to take them on the fairway. Otherwise you will have some long walks and no idea what club to take, as the buggies do not have Sat Nav!! |
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| 08 June 2007
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| Response: | | | Jim McCann | 08 June 2007 | | If the kind of golf you play requires buggies with Satnav then SCOTLAND, never mind Gleneagles, is not the place for you, sorry! | | | dan | 10 August 2009 | | Jim, not that you are wrong but to follow the tenor of your note you would avoid the PGA entirely. This course should not be played without a buggy, some long stretches between holes. King's beats it hands down - playing round houses ?!? |
| | | Wwould have played the King's but i had never played a jack nicklaus before and looking to play another, the course was immaculate, you would never known there was tour event here 3 weeks earlier and the front nine very tough in the wind, didnt play very well but birdied the 5th. over all a great deal only cost £40 each and they give you a course guide and stayed dry when it looked like it could have rained any second, the whole gleaneagles estate was excellent. |
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| 10 September 2006
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| | I can believe my ears! Some of you guys have no understanding of what makes a great course. For e.g. Fantastic scenery, immaculate conditon all year round. Now i will agree that the 18th is a let down but for the Ryder Cup theyve already changed 3 holes and their are making further adjustments. Personally I love this course and with a handicap of 5 I am delighted to score under 80. A sign of a good course if you can be happy with a rubbish score. Best time to play this course is at night, get away from the americans and see the scenery |
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| 02 June 2006
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| Response: | | | Hugh | 03 June 2010 | | Didn't realise they'd installed floodlights at Gleneagles... nightime golf in Scotland, now there's an idea! |
| | | One of the biggest disappointments of my golfing life. The third course at Gleneagles and by some distance the worst - the Gleneagles rankings are right on this website, except for the fact that this course should be significantly lower. Expectation unfulfilled. As I made the uphill walk from the 2nd green to the 3rd tee (I had plenty of time to think and it wasn't the last time !) I yearned to be back on the King's or Queen's which I had played on the previous two days. The word bland came into my mind early and never left. A satisfactory front 9 with the 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th being the better holes. I was appauled by the back 9. I have seen better Par 3's on a pitch'n'putt than the 10th. The 18th has to be seen to be believed - I think Nicklaus left before finishing it. It is a crying shame the 2014 Ryder Cup is to be held here - I'd rather have a few less spectators and play over the road on the King's or better still a composite course. The Ryder Cup remodelling has started but I just can't see how they can bring this up to standard. |
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| 14 April 2006
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| | I can only echo other reviews. This is American golf design in the heart of Scotland. Sometimes it works, much of the time it doesn't. I actually think the 1st is the most interesting hole on the course with the signature 16th the most memorable. But the 18th may be the most boring finishing hole in golf and the par 3s lack variety, interest and shot-making challenge. Play it but you may well not want to repeat the experience. |
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| 04 February 2006
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| | This is a Jack Nicklaus course in Scotland; nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing unique about this course that is any different from one of the many Nicklaus projects in the States. If you are a fan of Jack's designs, then this course will not disappoint you. The holes are long and demanding with the par 5 holes being the best of the group. If you are in the area then I would certainly play this course. I would not take a trip to Scotland to play here, however. I think the King's course is a significantly better and more interesting layout. In addition, make sure you take a buggy (golf cart for us Americans). When the waiters at the hotel recommended buggies, I knew I had better take their advice. As in most Nicklaus courses you have to take a minor hike betweeen most holes, and if you walk this course you will wind up exhausted. I would give this course high marks for it's hole design but low marks because it is unwalkable and demonstrates a lack of imagination. Richard Smith Knoxville, Tennessee |
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| 04 December 2005
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| | Wow. I played this course 3 weeks before the PGA event and all I can say is that you are going to need
1). Patience of a saint, 2). The accuracy of Mike Weir, 3). A buggy, 4). Provisions, 5). A bag full of balls. Off 12 this was a very difficult course. Poor shots are normally lost for ever and good shots just about keep your head above water. A real experience despite the course beating me up.
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| 04 September 2005
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| | This course oozes quality but it lacks pleasure for the mainstream golfer. It would be my third choice of the three Gleneagles courses, with the Queen's being my number one. If I could offer three pieces of advice they would be as follows. (1). Play in July using the twilight offer of £40 a round if you play after 5pm. (2). Rent a golf cart, the walks between tees are substantial given the stadium layout. (3). Put your pride to one side and play off the yellow tees. I am a decent 12 handicapper, but this course will grind you down if you allow it the full distance. I can not emphasise this enough, do not allow the first tee to convince you otherwise as this is probably the second easiest hole after the eighteenth. You have been warned. This course swallows balls that other courses would leave in good positions. It is tight, long, and hairy (add your own punchline). |
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| 20 August 2005
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| | Probably the best course to play at Gleneagles during the winter. The USGA greens and tees drain better than those on the King's and Queen's courses. As has already been mentioned in previous reviews, some of the walks between the greens and tees are very long...the PGA is not the course to walk as part of a 36-hole combination unless you are feeling masochistic! I personally think that the PGA nicely compliments the other two courses. Pick your tee carefully and don't play the PGA off the backs unless you game is on fire. All in all, a tough and challenging course set in lovely surroundings. |
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| 11 April 2005
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| | The third course at Gleneagles is a monster (must get a buggy next time !!). This is a toughie and is an obvious choice for hosting the Ryder Cup – Gleneagles quality remains but this is so so different from the two other ‘Eagles courses – This has been designed as a spectator watching golf venue and has got it spot on. All in all I rate this as highly as the King's but in a completely contrasting way. Holes that are most memorable for me are the 5th, 9th and 16th - One small criticism – The 18th needs a re-think before 2014 – a touch too straight forward, where will the drama come from ? |
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| 07 April 2005
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| | Played the Queen's on a morning in October 2003 as a warm up for the PGA in the afternoon. There could not be two more contrasting 18 holes at the one venue. The scenery may be the same but the whole ethos of layout, presentation and atmosphere are totally diffferent. Carnoustie has been described in the past as a great big shaggy monster. Well, move over, pussycat, the PGA is the new contender for that title. It is enormous. The walks from green to next tee will tire you out, never mind the yardage on the course itself. I played with a single figure handicapper who revelled in the challenge (scoring especially well on the back nine) but this stadium golf leaves me cold. I spend half the year at work in the Sahara desert in Libya (honest) and I thought I'd gone back there when I played the 9th hole here which has a bunker that must be 120 yards long by ten yards wide. Yeh, nice overblown, Americanised design that fits in well in Perthshire, Jack , I don't think (and this alien design is prevalent at many other holes). As for the 18th, it will have to be completely flattened around the green for the Ryder Cup in 2014 as the hillocks do nothing for spectating - and one wee word of warning for that event; the weather can turn nasty here, even at the end of September so don't take for granted that there will be glorious sunshine. If you like your golf big, bold and brash this is the course for you. The Dormy Clubhouse is a tip top place for changing, eating, drinking and relaxing but expect to pay a price for the pampering. Look out for internet special green fees in October to offset the cost of your day out. James McCann |
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| 25 January 2005
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