Four courses at three Qualifying Venues for the 2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open have now been confirmed, giving hopefuls the opportunity to earn a place at Gleneagles when Europe’s only Senior Major returns to the Perthshire venue next year.
Blairgowrie Golf Club, also in Perthshire, will host two Qualifying events on its Lansdowne and Rosemount courses, with Glenbervie Golf Club in Falkirk and Stirling Golf Club in Stirlingshire rounding out the venues. Qualifying will take place on Monday July 20 ahead of the 40th edition of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open from July 23-26.
Gleneagles will host the ISPS HANDA Senior Open for the second time next year, following on from its first staging on the King’s Course in 2022, won by Darren Clarke. Clarke added his name to the history books as he became the fourth player in history to have won both The Open and Senior Open, and Pádraig Harrington will be the defending champion after securing a three-stroke win at Sunningdale in 2025.
A Qualifying Venue in 2022, Blairgowrie’s Lansdowne and Rosemount courses regularly appear in Scotland’s Top 100 Golf Courses. Founded as a private members’ club in 1889, it is nestled in the heart of Perthshire’s countryside and is a host of a number of national championships, as well as the Junior Ryder Cup in 2014.
The Rosemount course was designed primarily by James Braid, Alistair Mackenzie and Major Peter Chalmers, with upgrades by Donald Steele, Peter Alliss and Graeme Webster, while the Lansdowne course was designed by Alliss and Dave Thomas.
Also a Qualifying Venue three years ago, Glenbervie’s Championship Course has hosted the Boys’ Amateur Championship, won by José María Olazábal, and Scottish PGA. Designed by James Braid, the course makes use of the natural beauty and native hazards the parkland provides, against the backdrop of the Ochil hills.
Stirling Golf Club, redesigned by Sir Henry Cotton in 1966, lies on a tilted slab of ancient volcanic lava in full view of the historic Stirling Castle and was once a favoured hunting ground of Scottish Monarchs. The club was formed in 1869 and four-time Open Champion Tom Morris Jnr (Young Tom Morris) was appointed the club’s first professional in 1873.
Edward Kitson, Championship Director of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open, said: “We are proud to announce these three prestigious golf clubs as our Qualifying Venues for the 2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open. Each has a rich history in the game and all four courses are worthy tests for those wishing to earn a place at Gleneagles later in the week.
“With more than 500 competitors attempting to earn their place through our Qualifying events in recent years, interest in Europe’s only Senior Major continues to grow and this provides an exciting opportunity for those wishing to take part.”
To be eligible for entry into the ISPS HANDA Senior Open, players must be either male Professionals with a current Tour affiliation or PGA Membership, or male Amateurs with an exact handicap index of 0.4 (scratch) or lower under the World Handicap System, or the scheme adopted by the recognised authority controlling golf in their country.
