Routenburn

Few coastal towns on the Firth of Clyde carry quite the golfing heritage of Largs, and Routenburn sits at the quieter, more elevated end of that tradition. The course climbs away from the town into the Ayrshire hills, offering the kind of panoramic views across to Arran, Great Cumbrae, and the open Clyde that stop you mid-swing if you let them. This is west-of-Scotland golf in its honest form — exposed to the Atlantic weather that rolls in off the Firth, where wind direction can reshape the challenge of any given hole from one hour to the next.

Ayrshire is, of course, sacred ground for the game, sitting within reach of some of Scotland's most storied links. Routenburn occupies a different register — a members' club rooted in the community rather than the championship circuit — but that's precisely its appeal. Golf here has a lived-in, unpretentious character.

Largs itself is a classic Clyde coast town, known for its ferry connections to the islands and a certain unhurried pace that carries over onto the course.