The Pursuit Of Perfection – A Stay And Play Review Of Gleneagles

In my experience, when somebody or something gets to number one in their field, one of two things happen: they either spend a lot of time telling everyone how good they are and then end up resting on their laurels, or else they take stock of what’s got them to the top and start making plans for what they can do to be even better. Gleneagles, most definitely falls into the latter camp. 

I first visited this glorious slice of Perthshire back in 2005 to cover the Grand Final of the Volkswagen Masters, an international event for amateur golfers. I’d read a lot about Gleneagles over the years, starting with my favourite golf book of all time – Play the Best Courses: Great Golf in the British Isles by Peter Allen – where the author’s verdict that, “on a fine day in early autumn there is no more beautiful place in the word to play golf, not any” immediately put it on my bucket list, and then in later years through write-ups in Golf Monthly and other magazines. They’d all built Gleneagles up into being something special, and when I got there it certainly managed to live up to, and indeed exceed, my expectations. I was blown away by the grandeur of the hotel, the brilliance of the golf courses and the warm welcome from the staff. 

In the 18 years since my first visit I have been back to stay five times and have visited to play golf on many more occasions. Each time there has been something new or improved to see or do, whether that’s been renovation work to the golf courses, upgrades to hotel rooms, new restaurants to eat in or new activities to try. 

Not only has Gleneagles never stopped striving to improve the visitor experience, but in recent years they have totally refreshed the way in which they market themselves: ‘The Glorious Playground’ is a fitting description of what’s on offer and the beautiful illustrations by the Ennismore Agency that feature on everything, from its website to the map of the resort that you are given on arrival, captures the essence of ‘the Glen’ – a sophisticated but playful place to spend time.