Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Links (Page 2 of 10)

143. Gullane Number 1. 24 May 2022.

August 10, 2022 /

Arguably the epi-centric viewpoint of world links golf

Round £195. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.4/122. Value (out of 5) – 5

In Michael Murphy’s great book, “Golf in The Kingdom”, golf is eulogised in metaphysical or spiritual terms. In starting to write about Gullane, I can’t do better than Murphy’s epigraph, the Scottish golf saying:

“Golf was invented a billion years ago; don’t you remember?”

Oh, to win the lottery and live next to Gullane Number 1’s first tee.

That epigraph made complete sense as I walked onto the 7th tee at Gullane Number 1 for the first time. Set on the small Gullane Hill, it is said on a clear day you can see fourteen counties. What is without debate, I think, is that you have the greatest links land view on earth. Perched there, you are at the mid point of the East Lothian ‘golf coast’ stretching from Dunbar to the east and Musselburgh to the west, with names synonymous with world golf – Dunbar, North Berwick, Archerfield, Renaissance, Muirfield, Luffness, Kilspindie, Craigie Law and Longniddry.

Moly on the epi-centric viewpoint of world golf – the 7th tee at Gullane No 1.

Look north across the Firth of Forth towards the Kingdom of Fife, with Leven, Crail, Elie and St Andrews; see past the Tentsmuir Forrest towards the links of Carnoustie, Montrose, Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay. Golf has been played on the East Coast of Scotland for hundreds of years, perhaps indeed ‘billions’. This 7th tee on Gullane Number 1 could be the epi-centric viewpoint of world golf; the Old Course is undoubtedly the “home”, but Gullane’s viewpoint is unparalleled.

The second hole at Gullane No 1, a par four “carved into the Ancient Links”

So much has been written about Gullane, including the crafted explanation of posh ‘Gillin’ versus humble ‘Gullan’ in his book, “Playing Through”, by Curtis Gillespie, that I decided to more or less tell this story mainly through pictures.

Alastair Allanach plays his low top spin drawing drive, which galloped down the “Racecourse” third; a swing honed and bartered over many years of tutelage by a South African pro. The Hill was used in bygone days by racehorses.

Accompanied by Gullane member, Alastair Allanach, a man who has played more golf courses than anyone I know, we had an absolute blast, waxing lyrical about Gullane and its history. Alastair, a great all round sportsman, and now well into his 70s, was keen to get in at least two of the three Gullane courses on the day, as he struggles to “carry my bag for three rounds nowadays!”

Gullane is one of a few nesting grounds where Larks abound, here encountered at the 8th green.

I met Alasdair a few years ago, when I helped a tiny bit in his editing of the golf book, “The Golfing Life of Jock Kirkcaldy“, the alter ego of our mutual great friend Frank Crowe. The book was forwarded by Gary Player, a friend of Alastair’s – of course!

The brilliant bunkering at the par 3, ninth hole. Although not “the turn”, as with constant directional changes on the interweaving course, it’s unlike the many “out and back” links in Scotland.

This Championship course, the first of the three Gullane courses, dates back to 1882, (the others being innovatively named Gullane 2 and Gullane 3) and it was in brilliant condition. It could have immediately held another Scottish Open without any adjustment. The greens had a little more grass than a professional tournament would have, in order to ensure they didn’t become unplayable in the wind. We had a relatively still day on the links – only a 10mph breeze. Whilst Gullane 2 and 3 were both designed by golfing royalty, Willie Park Jr, the designer of Gullane 1 remains a mystery, which seems so apt.

The bunkers at the left of the 12th fairway, a short par 5, but played slightly uphill and into the prevailing wind – a challenge. Moly’s birdie 4, was witnessed by a group of Swedish golfers, among the many international visitors Gullane gets each year.

The bunkering was exceptional. Strategically placed, penal, but not impossible, many of the new US style courses could learn from a Gullane recce. I recently played on the Ryder Cup course at the K Club and found that almost all the bunkers required a shot height and carry I no longer had in my bag. Gullane bunkers give you a chance.

The immaculate bunker at the 14th green – penal but not impossible.

I was very pleased with my 91, despite 3 triple bogies, including at the stroke indexes 1 and 2 holes, the 5th and 10th respectively. I played off the yellow tees at 6162 yards, plenty enough distance for me. I had such a great time playing Gullane. I only hope all of the very fortunate 1200 members feel as blessed as Alastair does, who was a joy to play with on a memorable day for me.

The approach at the long par 5 15th hole.

The course sits on a vast area, so expect to 3 putt some of the monstrous greens. Despite being a busy day with all tee slots taken, I was amazed to only hear one shout of “fore”, a measure of the space here.

Moly has a rare birdie chance at the uphill par 3, 17th. Note the rain in the Firth of Forth, which never arrived on the course.

Now for the assessment of value. Golfing visitor fee inflation has really impacted Scottish golf. In 2018, in my St Andrews Old Course blog, I said anything higher priced than the old course can’t be worth the money. At the time the Old Course was £180 for a high season round, this year it is £270, a compound annual rise of over 10% per year, or more than three times the retail price index over the same period. Put another way, using 2018 as the datum, the Old Course should be £205.

All good things come to an end – here Moly walks towards the 17th green, a deceptive par four, with the town of Gullane awaiting, watched over by Berwick Law.

No matter how much might have wanted to, in the end I couldn’t give this course anything less than 5 out of 5 for value, despite the price tag of £195. It’s a must play links golf course with unbeatable turf, bunkering, green surrounds, sea breeze, wispy rough.

Play, if for nothing else, to stand on the exact epi-centric viewpoint of world links golf. If such a thing could exist.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

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

Distance (yellow): 6162 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s Gullane Number 1 scorecard – 91

136. Troon Links (Darley). 29 Mar 22.

June 24, 2022 /

Modernity and Tradition collide full on at this South Ayrshire Council course, which exposes the real challenges facing Scottish Golf everywhere – if you become a local councilor, beware the “golf brief”

Round £dynamic – typically £37. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.1/123. Value (out of 5) – 4

Scotland has a tradition of great municipal courses, some of the world’s best. However, green fees and subscriptions often don’t cover costs, taxpayers paying the deficit, making municipal golf a political hot potato.

The 18th green at Darley with the impressive clubhouse serving the 3 Troon Links Municipal courses.

‘Golf South Ayrshire’ operates 8 municipal courses; Troon Links (Lochgreen, Fullarton, Darley), Belleisle Park Ayr (Belleisle, Seafield), Ayr Dalmilling, North Carrick Maybole, and South Carrick Girvan. In 2021 the Council’s new golfing strategy, to address a £300,000 annual deficit in the golf budget, resulted in annual 7 day membership to play all 8 courses rising by almost 50% to just over £500. This received extensive press coverage including “South Ayrshire golfers hit out at council’s ‘enforced changes’ to sport”, (Daily Record).

An overplayed and under cared for Troon Darley course.

In stark contrast, I recently visited Monteray in California, where a green fee at any one of the three headline ‘public’ Pebble Beach courses (Pebble Beach Links, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay Links) would have cost nearly $700. So, the price to play all eight Golf South Ayrshire courses as often as you want in a year, is about the same as a single green fee at a Pebble Beach course.

Why can’t you play with your practice swing? – Moly at the 11th, a par four over 400 yards. The fairways were pretty rough.

It’s little wonder, that golf holidaying Americans think golf is still cheap in Scotland, even when paying £300+ for a round at Royal Troon. The clubhouses of municipal Troon (Darley) Links and Open venue Royal Troon are less than a mile, but yet a world, apart.

There are two tiers of access to golf in Scotland. First, courses for the masses, like Troon Darley Links, which is incredibly affordable. Second, courses in the (say) top100 Scottish golf courses for the lucky local residents and/or those often professionally or family connected to existing members. These second category courses, have visitor green fees ranging from £140 to £300+ per round , equivalent to as much as about 25% to 50% of the lucky members’ annual subscriptions. Members of these affluent courses never relinquish membership readily and only wealthy visitors can afford green fees (Kingsbarns rate for 2023 will be £374, or more than £20 per hole).

The four par 3s at Darley, clockwise from top left; 4th, 9th, 12th and 16th. The highlight at Darley.

The truth is, the vast majority of the Scottish golfing public playing “The People’s Game” will never play an Open venue.

Admittedly, the concept of “Scottish Resident” rates have emerged at the very expensive courses, but these are still sometimes up to £200. Scottish Golf have also introduced lotteries for members of all Scottish clubs to play at the great courses, typically at about £300-£400 per 4-ball, but these are limited and only available in the winter season.

Add into the mix the growing use of Golf discounted green fee apps, such as Golfnow, and you have an interesting time for golf pricing. Interestingly, the top clubs never appear on Golfnow, in fact you can probably gauge the wealth of a club by how many tee time are available on these apps.

Fran teeing off at the par five 6th hole, at 535 yards from the red tee.

Strategically, looking at the bigger economic picture in Scotland, which still has well over 600 courses, it has more courses per person, per GDP, than any other country with more than 200 courses. In effect, the economy is not big enough to sustain the cheaper “courses for the masses”. This is one of the reasons behind the number of course closures since 2000.

I played Darley, one of the 3 Troon Links courses, on an unseasonably warm March day. I paid only £16.99 (via Golfnow), against the typical £37 for the summer rate, albeit the Troon Links website does advocate ‘dynamic pricing’, responding, in part, to users using the competing commercial green fee apps.

The course was basically ‘beaten up’, by the volume of winter play. I met a number of people who are based in Glasgow, whose courses are waterlogged in winter, and who make the short trip down the coast.

The burn in front of the 14th, a fairly long par four, which was a card wrecker for Moly, carding an 8.

The greens had held up, but the tees, fairways and bunkers were unkempt. There were very few rakes in the bunkers (the pandemic was ending and no longer an excuse). On advising one of the three people who were chatting in the green fee kiosk of the rakes situation, I got the comment “we thought all the locals would have all had a rake by now!”

Maybe the Ayrshire golfers complaining to the Daily Record, had contextualised their criticism on fees, with the ‘condition of the courses’. And there lies another conundrum – it takes effort and money to produce a course in great playing condition, and increasing fees restricts the volume of demand, making it good for the members. I’m not saying all this is easy to balance.

The tee shot at the 5th at Darley, the stroke index 1 par four a 411 yards, displaying the links land.

The Troon Links clubhouse has been a major investment for the Darley, Lochgreen and Fullarton courses.

As to the Darley course itself, between the pretty benign opening two holes and the closing two holes, the holes 3 through 16, represent a decent links layout, on firm turf, several good bunkers, with gorse lined fairways, and some tricky greens. Its a good test of golf, albeit the signage to navigate between holes would be a good investment. The four par 3s are the highlight for me, with the 9th standing up well to many more expensive club par threes; its the really stand out hole at Darley.

The 158 yard par three 9th hole, the absolutely stand out hole at Darley. Brilliant green complex.

I had a mixed round, with birdies at the 4th and 10th, but then 2 triples and 1 quadruple bogie at the 14th. So my gross 91, equated to 32 points off 15. Not bad for me.

It must be said that South Ayrshire Council probably leads the way in the provision of Municipal golf in Scotland. I would advocate more investment on the courses please, even if the price needs to rise a little. A good value course, which could have been really great value with a little more attention.

Incidentally, I decided not to play the main Pebble Beach courses, instead I had a good walk around ‘The Links at Spanish Bay’, and nearly had to pay excess baggage for the about 150 golf balls (All grade A) I found in less than an hour!

Course Type: Links

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

Distance: 5984 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s Troon Darley scorecard. 91, but a very mixed bag with a couple of birdies and 4 blobs.

131. (Glasgow) Gailes Links. 23 Mar 22.

April 28, 2022 /

I wonder how many visitors drive to Killermont to uncover this true links test?

Round £110. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 71.5/130. Value (out of 5) – 3

I probably know more than most about Scotland’s golf courses, plus I also lived in Glasgow; one of my son’s attended school in Killermont. Despite this, I find a geography lesson is needed for ‘Glasgow’ Gailes as I almost ended up back in Glasgow to play at the Gailes Links. That would have been a big mistake!

The bunkers at the first hole, a par four of 341 yards, serves notice of what lies ahead at Gailes Links.

Glasgow Golf Club was established in 1787 by the wealthy men of Glasgow making it the first club in the West of Scotland, and the ‘9th oldest club in the world’. It retains an exclusive air and its main headquarter club, based in Killermont in Glasgow, is not open for visitors, other than as a members’ guest. In 1892, the club built the Gailes Links course, initially designed by Willie Fernie, just south of the town of Irvine on the North Ayrshire coast. It is the most northerly of the great set of Ayrshire links courses, starting from Turnberry about 30 miles south. Since its inauguration the Gailes Links has been called ‘Glasgow’ Gailes, in part to distinguish itself from Western Gailes which it adjoins. Hence the confusion about its location. The Glasgow Golf Club might hold the record for the biggest distance between two club courses.

The ‘gorsy’ remains, where trees used to be, on full display at the 3rd, the challenging par 4, stroke index 1 hole, at Gailes Links.

The layout as it exists today, required a redesign by Willie Park Junior in 1912. Furthermore, and controversially, the course has undergone a complete transformation in the last few years, having uprooted tens of thousands of trees. I got mixed feedback from some members about the ‘carnage’ of the trees, which I understand is the reason that the Gailes Links course has been removed from the Open Qualifying rota.

The delightful fifth green complex at Gailes Links, with the social housing of Irvine in the background. A beautiful contrast.

One of the members said the resulting treeless course is much easier, as it has become a wide open links course. On at least two occasions I played from where trees would have been, likely saving me 4 shots. The courses main defense is now through clever and some severe bunkering – other than the westerly prevailing wind of course! This bunkering became sharply evident to me when, after a sound opening 5 holes, being called through by a 4 ball grouping, who then witnessed my 6, including 4 bunker shots, at a short par 3!

The 6th, the first of only three par 3 holes at ‘Glasgow’ Gailes.

My six at the 6th, provides a lesson how to score well at Gailes. Study the course guide and stay away from the bunkers, some of which are out of sight. I actually played well for my gross 88, albeit the course was playing short due to the very dry March weather. Along with no wind and sunny weather it felt more like the Algarve for the time of year.

The only blind tee shot at Gailes Links is at the 7th (bottom right of the collage). There is much more space right of the ‘eye’ line, especially with the large scale tree removal.

The course is long at over 6300 yards from the yellow tees, and comprises a zig-zagged ‘north/south out and back’ layout, with about 4 transverse holes. The resulting layout provides a great many subtle changes of direction, which must be very challenging when the wind gets up.

The 9th is the shortest par 4 at Gailes Links, at 304 yards, but well bunkered at a typical driving length for most players, who might be best to play a longish iron off the tee, to avoid the sand.

Without the trees, being wayward off the tees is not penalised, especially as there is only one ‘blind’ tee shot (par four 7th), and only one ‘blind’ approach, at the 14th, one of only two par 5s on the course. Along with only three par 3s, this makes the main challenge to score well, being your long iron/hybrid game being up to the challenge of the several par 4s over 400 yards. The resulting par is 71, although the yellow course rating is 71.5, with white being one more.

The approach at the 14th, a short but good par 5, where the long hitters will be tempted to reach the green in two, but will require to avoid a narrow bunker filled gap (above) about 100 yards short of the putting surface.

On the day I played, several of the bunkers were GUR, although not the ones I found at the 6th (my only bunkers of the day). I felt the winter rate I paid of £60 a little steep, with a few winter tees still in play, and despite the dry weather there was surprising indications of muddy locations – I wondered if that was a legacy of the tree removal, and impact on the drainage?

The local pro “Arthur” was really friendly and very welcoming, and therefore worth a mention.

If you get lucky with a winter rate in dry conditions, its fairish value, but the main fee of £110 for a mid week summer round, is not great value and getting out of range of affordability for most.

Course Type: Links

Par 72 (2 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance: 6322 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 88

Moly’s Gailes Links scorecard – 88, best round in a while.

130. Kilmarnock (Barrassie). 22 Mar 22

April 20, 2022 /

A course to play to help appreciate “Golf; from a new angle”

Round £95. Par 72. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 71.9/125. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

The Ayrshire coast is home to some of the finest golf Scotland has to offer. Barrassie used to be a village in its own right, but is now considered part of the town of Troon. Ironically, it was the ‘long’ distance from Troon golf course, that caused the locals of Barrassie to establish a course in 1894, designed by the Prestwick professional, John Allan.

It was in the early 1930s that a new 18 holes course was designed by Matthew M Monie, who was an author who wrote under the pseudonym ‘Theodore Moone’. As for the course in play today, it comprises nine holes from Moone’s 1930s design and nine new holes built in 1997. Nine of Moone’s original holes are retained as a 9 hole course called ‘Hillhouse’.

The scientist, golfer and author, Theodore Moone, proved that golf course architecture was also one of his numerous talents, with Barrassie being one of only a few courses he designed. I suspect we all recognise the subject of the book’s cover!

Search for Moone on the internet and you will be presented with opportunities to buy his book, “Golf from a New Angle”, based around fictional letters about the fundamentals of golf. Look a little deeper and his scientific approach to golf, may have been way ahead of his time – I suspect Bryson DeChambeau may be a fan.

The brilliantly designed approach at the par four 3rd, the stroke index 3 hole. Note the obscured view to the left hand side of the green and the sharp left to right slope towards the front right bunker; coupled with the burn 40 yards short of the green, this is a great hole, typifying Barrassie’s architectural guile. It is stroke index 1 on the Ladies card.

Although no sea is in sight, this is unquestionably a classic links course of a high standard. Playing at almost 6500 yards from the yellow tees, and with several dog leg holes and semi-blind approaches, this is also a course with plenty of guile. It was handy that I played in a group that included a long term member, who was on hand to offer advice when needed.

The aesthetic, or terrifying, view of the par three 4th hole, at 150 yards. Here, old pals, from left to right, Brian, Douglas (our host) and Stephen, look happy – before teeing off! I think this might be one of the most obvious “lateral hazards” in Scotland?

Nevertheless, I suspect you need to play Barrassie a great many times to appreciate which sides of the greens to play into, as there are often ‘hidden’ gullies and slopes which make getting up and down impossible for all, but the most gifted players, if you are “short sided”. The club has a delightful video on it’s website here – once viewed, it is clear why Barrassie has hosted many top amateur competitions and is also an Open Final Qualifying venue.

The majestic framing around the newly re-built par four 13th hole.

The course was in magnificent condition for a mid March day, with the fairways and greens playing as if it were already June. The bunker conditioning was the only thing I would criticise, but even that was likely down to the legacy of the pandemic which was just easing off.

Barrassie member Douglas driving at the 401 yard par four 17th hole.

We all played about the same with respect to our handicaps and my partner, Brian, and I, halved a closely fought 4BBB game against Douglas and Stephen, having come back from 3 down (well played Brian!). It is always nice for a ‘friendly matchplay’ (although an oxymoron for some) to be in the balance until the very last putt is holed.

Stephen eyeing another fine drive down the middle – almost right through the eye of a needle.

One thing about Barrassie worth mentioning; the winter golf rate of £45 is brilliant value, especially when compared with the £95 summer fee, an amount reflecting the significant recent price growth I’ve witnessed across Scotland. I think this has been driven by both the increased demand for golf due to the pandemic and also the ongoing tussle between clubs’ loyalty to their membership versus serving the needs of the peripatetic golfer, for whom membership is not desired. The latter conflict is a matter of fierce debate within the Scottish Golf Union organisation.

The 17th green, showing the great conditioning of the course in mid March, and the little gully left being a treacherous ‘leave’, for two of us.

I once heard the great football manager Bill Shankly describing a Stallworth player as “honest” meaning they always gave their all and could be completely relied upon. That’s how I felt when playing Barrassie – it is an “honest” links golf course, if such a thing is possible.

Course Type: Links

Par 72 (3 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance: 6460 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 96

Up and down round of golf. Gross 96, but still 29 stableford points.
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