The Best 36-Hole Days Across the Pond

For many golfers, especially those making their first golf trip to Scotland and Ireland, the urge to play as much golf as humanly possible in the time allotted is hard to resist.

Although we understand this rationale, we generally avoid building itineraries which are chocked full of 36-hole days.

In our experience, when an overseas golf trip turns into an endless slog from course to course, the golfer usually returns home with an exhausted body and fuzzy memories.

Remember that, when the days are long and the body still feels fresh, there’s usually the option of adding extra golf to your trip on the fly.

But this doesn’t mean that we won’t sprinkle a 36-hole day into the itinerary when the group is up for it and the location is right.

Here are some of the best 36-hole days to consider for Scotland golf packages, plus some great picks in Ireland and England.

Muirfield

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers didn’t invent the 36-hole day, but they’ve certainly perfected it. In the morning, the game is fourballs. In the afternoon, it’s foursomes (what we call alternate shot). In-between is arguably the finest carvery lunch in Scotland. And the golf course at Muirfield was seemingly designed with all of this in mind.

After you putt out and exit the green, one path leads to the tee, while another leads to the middle of the fairway, enabling your partner to swipe away the moment your drive comes to rest. Believe us when we say, after the amount of consumption at lunch, you’ll be grateful for this ingenuity and the 2-hour pace of play in the afternoon.

Sunningdale Old & New

When it comes to the best 36-hole days, the setup at the Sunningdale Golf Club near London gives Muirfield a run for its money. The golf consists of not one, but two heathland courses currently ranked among the Top 100 golf courses in the world. The Old was designed by Willie Park, Jr., the New by the great Harry Colt. Between rounds is a coat and tie lunch that, were it not for Muirfield, would be the finest in golf. All of which is best capped with a Pimm’s & Lemonade or a Gin & Tonic on the clubhouse patio as the final rays of sunshine fade over the towering pines.

Royal Dornoch & Brora

As the highest ranked golf course in Scotland, there is little which can enhance a round at Royal Dornoch. But an afternoon loop at nearby Brora Golf Club does exactly that. The former is a sublime link that is, by itself, worth crossing an ocean to experience. The latter transports the golfer back in time, courtesy of a wild and tumbling course that’s partially maintained roaming livestock. The combination makes for one unforgettable day.

Royal Troon & Prestwick

Between them, Royal Troon and Prestwick Golf Club have hosted The Open Championship some 33 times, with a 34th already on the calendar. The duo also happens to be located right next door to one another. So close, in fact, that the two clubs play an annual “Cross Country Match.” The players begin at one clubhouse, play the outward-nine of that club and the inward-nine of the other. Lunch is enjoyed, then the opposite trek back to the original clubhouse commences.

If there’s a more unique 36-hole day, we have yet to see it.

The path between Royal Troon and Prestwick

Kingsbarns & Crail

If ever there was a place where old meets new in golf, this would be it. Kingsbarns Golf Links debuted in 2000 and has come to define the phrase “modern classic.” In contrast, the Crail Golfing Society is the 7th oldest golf club in the world whose course - the Balcomie Links - was crafted by Old Tom Morris. Like Royal Troon & Prestwick, the two happen to be neighbors. So when you leave Kingsbarns inspired and anxious for more golf, stop in for a round at Crail and a 36-hole day that literally spans centuries.

Old Head Golf Links

In Ireland, great 36-hole days are a little harder to come by. It’s not that they don’t exist, but the courses are either too far apart to try in a single day, or too arduous of a walk to attempt without a night of sleep in-between. One exception, however, is Old Head Golf Links.

Simply put, the journey around Old Head delivers one show-stopping moment after another. The second the ball is holed on the 18th, the desire to do it all over again is hard to ignore. And by staying in the onsite lodges, the day doesn’t have to end on the 18th green. In fact, we suggest enjoying every last moment of it from the patio overlooking one of the most spectacular panoramas in golf.