Southerness

Southerness was founded in 1947 after Major Richard Oswald identified the sandy ground on the Solway coast as ideal for a links course, and commissioned Philip Mackenzie Ross — the architect who later restored Turnberry — to lay it out for what was then the modest sum of £2,000. It's widely regarded as Ross's finest solo design, a true links built on naturally rolling, walkable terrain with no artificial mounding needed. The course looks out over the Solway Firth to the Lake District and across to the Galloway Hills, and has hosted both the Scottish Amateur Championship (1985) and the Scottish Ladies Championship (1988). It has featured among Britain's top 50 courses since the late 1980s, with ongoing work to restore Ross's original layout and counter coastal erosion.