The Gleneagles Hotel, PGA Centenary Course

Perthshire, Scotland

www.gleneagles.com

Gleneagles presented me with the opportunity—and the challenge—of reexamining the PGA Centenary Course with an eye on readying it for one of golf’s biggest stages: the 2014 Ryder Cup matches.

Modern golf technology continues to advance exponentially, so we are making the course longer and stronger in a preemptive effort to keep ahead of the curve. When the best golfers that Europe and America have to offer come and tee it up for the Ryder Cup they will encounter a test that is not for the faint of heart.

Designing for stroke play requires a mindset of defending par, however designing for match play—and the game’s most celebrated match play event, no less—demands that the course provide combatants with ample make-or-break opportunities.

A number of holes are already in play and being enjoyed by Gleneagles resort guests. The changes we are making are intended to not only test the best, but also to delight the rest of us who will never be counted among or confused with the world’s greatest golfers.