Author: Moly McMillan (Page 39 of 45)

Moly McMillan lives in Somerset. He is a business management consultant helping businesses scale and also devotes time to playing all of Scotland's golf courses, assessing their value for money.

27. Letham Grange Old. 19 Aug 2015. CLOSED

August 20, 2015 / Moly McMillan

8th at Letham – “Augusta of Angus”

10th tee with water in front of green in distance

Scottish Enigma with great Golfing Architecture

Round £30 ( any day). Par 73. Value (out of 5) – 4

18th tee towards Letham Grange

Letham Grange, on the outskirts of Arbroath, has likely had more written about it in court proceedings than in golfing magazines! It is one of the failed attempts in Scotland to create an American style Golf & Country Club Estate similar to Gleneagles, or Wentworth in Surrey. Opened in 1987 as a full resort, the hotel and many facilities are long since closed.

The club members, several living in the many fine houses which still adorn the fairways, now do a great job at keeping the Old course and the smaller Glens course open.

The Old Course is a par 73 Championship American-style parkland layout, designed by the renowned Donald Steel, and which twice held the Scottish Open in its heyday.

There is great variety on this course, presenting a variety of challenges. It has, in particular, some memorable water hazards on the par 3 8th hole, and par 4 10th hole – indeed the 8th through 10th feel like an “Amen Corner” of Angus – the 9th, the stroke index 1 hole, is a long and very difficult par 5, with a demanding drive.

12th tee Letham

The highlight of this course is now in the architecture, and it’s probably not surprising to find the quality level of greens, fairways and tees less than in it’s prime – the bunkers were the most disappointing when I played, being filled with very stony sand. However, the lessor quality is more than compensated for in the relatively low price of £30 per round. I was able to play on the Carnoustie Country offer, and paid only £15.

I had a reasonable round with 33 stableford points, but again two 9s on the par 5s, put paid to a decent medal score.

18th Green at Letham with the Grange

It’s well worth playing Letham Grange Old course, and just imagining the fine old building behind the 18th green in full use. Now empty, it provides a rather forlorn backdrop.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (white) 6348 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 97

Moly’s Letham Grange Old Scorecard- 97

26. Grantown-on-Spey. 6th Aug 2015.

August 11, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Best Value Highland Golf

Round £29 ( any day). Par 70. Value (out of 5) – 5

The Signature 9th at Grantown on Spey

Grantown-on-Spey is in the Strathspey area of The Highlands, an important location for whiskey and salmon fishing lovers, both of which benefit from the waters of the Spey river.

The difficult drive at 10th tee

This course was formed in 1890 and designed by Willie Park with assistance from James Braid. Unlike some if its neighbouring “highland” courses, Grantown is a traditional parkland course, with holes 7-12 played through some hilly woodland, without the expected broom and heather.

12th green Grantown on Spey

In many ways I think Grantown is overshadowed by the nearby Boat of Garten course, which gets so many accolades, although it is a similar length to “The Boat”, and represents a good challenge for all.

In terms of condition, it is unparalleled in the area in my view, and gives some of the prestigious more expensive courses a run for their money. One of my visiting playing partners said “the last time I saw a course so well presented was the K-Club during the Ryder Cup!” That’s high praise indeed to the small green keeping staff. Considering it has a £29 round change on any day, it scores the highest “Value for Money” rating of 5. It also has a well presented clubhouse with all the expected facilities.

The well bunkered par 3 16th

The ‘signature’ hole is the 275 yard 9th, a short downhill par 4 with a spectacular backdrop of the Cromdale Hills. There are also views of the Cairngorms. There are some difficult holes with out of bounds coming into play regularly for both “hookers” and “slicers” – no-one is safe. My favourite holes are the 3rd, 7th, 10th, 12th and 15th. The only tips I would give are take enough club at the par 3 8th and 11th, both played uphill. Also, don’t have a disaster in the middle of your round like I did (12 over for the 13th, 14th and 15th – my 32 Stableford points tells I played well otherwise).

The 17th green – Grantown on Spey

Go out of your way to play Grantown, it is amongst the best value golf anywhere in the world.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (1 par 5, 14 par 4s, 34 par 3s)

Distance (white) 5710 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 96

Moly’s Grantown scorecard – 96

25. Boat of Garten. 4 Aug 2015

August 8, 2015 / Moly McMillan

“The Boat” – the “must play” highland course

Weekday round £45; weekend £49. Par 70. Value (out of 5) – 4.5

The Ladies 2nd tee,, with Cairngorms in the background

“The Boat”, close to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, was founded in 1898, with the current 18 hole layout designed by the renowned James Braid in 1930.

The course could serve as the definition of what a “highland course” should be – a good variation of challenging holes carved into a surrounding landscape of trees, heather and broom, against a backdrop of the Cairngorm mountains.

The magnificent 6th “Avenue”

On a good day, especially if playing well, then this may be as close to golfing paradise as it gets. This has been recognised through the many accolades the course has won, including being “Scotland’s No 1 Hidden Gem”.

8th approach – Boat of Garten

The combination of (invariably) wind, changeable weather and some undulating fairways, makes “the Boat” feel and play longer than its 5876 yards from the white tees. Play to your handicap here versus the SSS 69 and many will rightly be referring you to the Handicap committee.

Regardless of your play, this is a beautifully architected course. The unusual opening par 3 first hole at nearly 190 yards is normally played into the prevailing wind – with danger left and right – par or bogie is a good start. Then the 2nd and 4th played in the same direction, mean that getting to the 5th tee with your score intact is key to your overall score. After a bit of respite at the 5th, normally with the wind, the 6th, called “Avenue” is a magnificent longer par 4, played to a plateau green.

Boat of Garten – 11th Ladies Tee

There are then many further great holes on this course, with only the 9th and 10th being the main easier birdie contenders. The 18th is a fantastic hole, demanding a long drive if you are to have any chance of holding a shot on the plateau green.

The course was in lovely condition when I played, with the greens true and fast.

Boat of Garten’s 18th approach

Due to its celebrity this is a popular course with visitors from both home and abroad, therefore ensure to make a booking. I played a twilight round (after 4pm) at only £30 – brilliant value.

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 70 (2 par 5, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (white) 5876 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 99

Moly’s Boat of Garten Scorecard

24. Glenrothes. 15th July 2015.

July 17, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Challenging Parkland Golf in Centre of Fife

Weekday round £18; weekend £22 . Par 71. Value (out of 5) – 4.5

1st tee at Glenrothes

Glenrothes golf course is set in a prominent position on the high ground to the west of Glenrothes and offers a mainly parkland setting; some of the back 9 is exposed to the elements with a more heathland feel.

Approach to the 7th at Glenrothes

It is one of 7 courses managed by the Fife Golf Trust which was established in 2011 to take over Fife Council’s directly managed courses. This is becoming a common practice by Local Authorities in Scotland to manage golf courses. The golf club itself is private, like many Scottish clubs associated with publicly owned courses, and welcomes visitors .

The heathland feel of the 12th at Glenrothes

This is a challenging golf course, with quite wide fairways, although if you stray into the rough you are penalised severely, so be well equipped with balls if you are wayward from the tee. There are some great individual holes, with the highlights for me being the 9th, 10th and 12th. The bunkers to the long par 3 10th being very well positioned, so better being long than short.

18th green and clubhouse at Glenrothes

The heathland holes on the back 9, 11th through 13th, are exposed to the elements and in a breeze (which I had) proved to be a card wrecker – I was 15 over for these 3 holes, with several lost balls in the heavy rough. Another thing to be aware of is the large greens, therefore ample opportunity to 3 putt.

Amply named final hole – given my 62 on the back 9.

The course was in very good condition when I played, with only some attention to some fairways needed to get to the next level. However, with a twilight round only £12 (after 3pm), this is fantastic value golf. I think many visitors to Scotland would be surprised at the quality of such a public golf course.

This is a highly recommended course to play.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland/heathland

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow) 6223 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 107

Moly’s Glenrothes Scorecard – 107 (62 on back 9!)

Author: Moly McMillan (Page 39 of 45)

27. Letham Grange Old. 19 Aug 2015. CLOSED

Par 70 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

26. Grantown-on-Spey. 6th Aug 2015.

Par 70 (1 par 5, 14 par 4s, 34 par 3s)

25. Boat of Garten. 4 Aug 2015

Par 70 (2 par 5, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

24. Glenrothes. 15th July 2015.

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

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