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Gleneagles Has Been Scotland's Grand Golfing Address Since 1924, and Still Sets the Pace
Opened in 1924 to headlines calling it the 'eighth wonder of the world', Gleneagles still sits on 850 acres of Perthshire countryside, built around three championship golf courses including the Jack Nicklaus-designed venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Sep 26, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Gleneagles opened on 7 June 1924 in Perthshire, roughly an hour north of Edinburgh, to newspaper coverage that called it the 'eighth wonder of the world'. The hotel was built by the Caledonian Railway and completed under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which took full control of Gleneagles Ltd shortly before opening, part of a wider pattern of Britain's railway companies building grand hotels to draw travellers onto their lines.
An opening broadcast to the nation
The hotel's launch Gala Ball featured bandleader Henry Hall's orchestra, and the performance was broadcast live on BBC Radio, an early example of a hotel opening reaching a national audience rather than just the guests in the room. That instinct for occasion has stayed part of Gleneagles' identity ever since, through two world wars, a spell as a military hospital and, later, a miners' rehabilitation centre during the Second World War.
Three courses, one built for a Ryder Cup
Golf has always been the point of Gleneagles rather than an add-on. The King's and Queen's courses opened in 1919, five years before the hotel itself, and marked their own centenary in 2019. The estate's third course, the PGA Centenary Course, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and stretches to 7,262 yards from the championship tees, built specifically with tournament golf in mind.
The 2014 Ryder Cup
That course hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup, only the second time Scotland had staged the event. Europe, captained by Paul McGinley, beat a United States team led by Tom Watson by 16.5 points to 12.5, cementing the PGA Centenary Course's place among the sport's recognised championship venues rather than simply a well-regarded resort layout.
A working estate beyond the fairways
Beyond golf, the 850-acre estate runs falconry, off-road driving and country pursuits through its own dedicated schools, activities that trace back to Gleneagles' original ambition of functioning as a self-contained countryside retreat rather than a hotel guests leave to see the surrounding area.
Traveller tips
- Gleneagles sits around an hour's drive from Edinburgh, near the village of Auchterarder in Perthshire.
- Tee times on the King's, Queen's and PGA Centenary courses are bookable by hotel guests and, subject to availability, by day visitors.
- The estate's falconry and off-road driving schools can be booked as standalone activities, independent of a golf itinerary.
- Scotland's weather is changeable year-round; pack layers even for a summer visit to the estate.
Where this is
Auchterarder, Perthshire