A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Woodland

156. Airdrie. 17 Aug 22.

This true “Hidden Gem” is an absolute joy.

Round £30. Par 69. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.5/118. Value (out of 5) – 5

Moly’s Score – 97

When deciding to play all Scotland’s golf courses, I had no idea of the joy I would find from learning about Scotland’s geography and local histories, plus on the few occasions I would find a course that overwhelmingly surpassed my expectations. Airdrie is such a course.

Airdrie’s far reaching views, on show here at the 8th, a difficult par 3, played slightly uphill.

Scottish football fans are well aware of Airdrieonians, the club with the distinctive red ‘V’ embossed on its white football top. However, I would never have played golf in Airdrie, a town of some 40,000 people in the central part of Scotland, had it not been for my golfing ambition.

The pristine 10th tee at Airdrie, a 320 yard par four.

Along with neighbouring Coatbridge, this collective municipal ‘working class’ area is called “The Monklands”. As the name suggests, this land was used by the monks of Newbattle Abbey in West Lothian, who were granted charter over the land by King Malcolm in 1160.

The beautiful short third, “Virtue Well”, at only 130 yards, requires enough club, despite the drop from the tee, to avoid the visually hidden front burn. Clever design.

Dates can be both clues and conundrums. Airdrie is regarded as one of James Braid’s courses, albeit it was founded in 1877 when James was only 7 years old; no record could be found who laid out the original course.

Good use of internal OOB at the seventh, to the left of this dog leg left hole of 363 yards. The green is visible through the trees.

The golf course sits high over Airdrie which already lies 400 feet above sea level. The 14th, “Arran View”, tells its own story – Arran is 50 miles away to the east. Despite the altitude, there is surprisingly no “heathland” feel to the course, which I consider a “parkland” venue, albeit the club describe it as “woodland”.

The dog leg right 17th, at around 400 yards, presents a tough driving challenge – keep the ball left, to avoid the left to right sloping fairway taking the ball OOB.

The course is relatively short – it has one par 5 (the 9th) and four par 3s, but still has variety in abundance through the undulating layout, a number of dog legs (both right and left) and deceiving gullies. This course suits a player who understand their yardages. My gross 97, for 25 stableford points, suggests I need to get back on the driving range to assess my distances!

Moly playing into the par five 9th hole at Airdrie, which the club considers a “woodland” layout. Regardless of classification, this course is a beauty.

With brilliantly named holes, the course was in superb condition, especially the teeing grounds that made it feel higher quality. The greenkeeping staff are doing a great job.

Fran putts at the 11th, a par three, played downhill, with a “haa haa” fronted green. The beatiful greens on show.

Airdrie is a delightful golf course and, at £30, almost defines 5 star value. I paid only £20 through a Golfnow discount. There is something for everyone at this course, that is worth travelling to Airdrie for other than football.

Airdrie was in excellent condition, that this view of the 1st green and 2nd teeing ground shows.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland/Heathland/Woodland?

Par 69  (1 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5530 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 97

Moly’s 97 at Airdrie, wasn’t great, but his enjoyment gained despite this score, is perhaps the greatest testament to Airdrie’s “Hidden Gem” status.

42. Murrayshall Lynedoch. 6th June 2016.

The “junior” Murrayshall course provides a surprisingly outstanding challenge  

Round  £30 ( variable on-line).   Par 68.  Value (out of 5) – 4

The Murrayshall estate, first built in 1664, was established as a commercially successful Country House hotel in the early 1970s, following the sale of the estate by the Norrie-Millar family, of whom Francis Norrie-Millar was one of the key instrumentalists in building the General Accident insurance company in nearby Perth, only 3 miles to the west of Murrayshall.

Approach to the par 4 second - requiring a well placed tee shot, into a narrow green over a deep ditch.

Approach to the par 4 2nd – requiring a well placed tee shot, into a narrow green over a deep ditch.

The esteemed golf architect Hamilton J Strutt (grandson of James Braid’s foreman) designed the original Championship course in the 70s, and returned to design the Lynedoch course which opened in 2000.  The latter course is named after Thomas Graham, aka Lord Lynedoch, who became second in command to the Duke of Wellinton’s Armies in the early 1800s.

Playing the Lynedoch actually reminds you of the Duke of Wellington when importalised in song for “marching them up to the top of the hill, and marching them down again!” There’s plenty of hills to march up and down on the Lynedoch course, which feels longer than its 5279 yards off the white tees.   I wouldn’t recommend carrying a full bag!

The demanding SI 1, par 5 14th hole on The Lynedoch

The demanding SI 1, narrow par 5 14th hole on The Lynedoch

The Lynedoch Course really surprised me for both its quality and character, given that it is very much the junior course at Murrayshall.  It is very difficult to give a single course type categorisation, and is a mix of woodland and parkland/medow, and has some wonderful highland views to the north.  It also has a fair amount of bracken, ditch/water hazards and Disney sized bunkers on some holes.

Given its all round quality and design, it’s arguably better value than the longer Championship course.  It has many memorable holes, starting on the first, a dog leg right par 4, which is much harder than the stroke index of 10 would suggest.  The second, a shorter par 4, starts to lay out the need for accuracy needed here.  Then the 3rd is the first of 6 delighful par 3s, with a hugh amount of variety.

The long par 3 15th tee on The Lynedoch, with deep ditch just visible on the left - cant impagine many 2s here!

The long par 3 15th tee on The Lynedoch, with deep ditch just visible on the left – can’t imagine many 2s here!

My favourite holes were the 14th, 15th and 16th, with stroke indexes 1, 5 and 3 repectively – I rather suspect these holes have defined many match play games here.  The 15th is particularly interesting played as a long par 3 (212 yards) off white but as a short par 4 (294 yards) off yellow.  It requires the most accurate tee shot, due to a right to left sloping fairway into a deep ravine/ditch – which I had to chip out of!

View from green at the par 3 15th (although par 4 from yellow tees)

View from green at the par 3 15th (although par 4 from yellow tees)

The course was in excellent all round condition when I played and I had a very mercurial round of 88 (net 2 over), including 3 birdies for the second time in my life, but unfortunately 2 quadruple and 1 triple bogie!  I think this scorecard rather sums up the Lynedoch course – lots of opportunity and hazard, but very true greens!

I highly recommend playing here.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland/Woodland

Par 68 (2 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance (white)   5279 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  88

A mercurial 88, with 3 birdies and 2 quadruple bogies!

A mercurial 88, with 3 birdies and 2 quadruple bogies!

19. Camperdown. 2 July 2015. CLOSED

Camperdown's 1st hole - a wonderful start.

Camperdown’s 1st hole – a wonderful start.

This might just be the best value golf in Scotland, if not the World! 

Summary:  Midweek £20 (round); £30 (day); weekend £25/£35 .   Par 71.  Value (out of 5) – 5

Detail:   This championship quality golf course is within the grounds of Camperdown Country Park, on the North-East boundary of Dundee.   The course is carved into the wonderful woodland surrounding, with many holes being unseen from each other.  This, coupled with the undulating fairways, make it a truly great layout.  Add the excellent fairway, green, tee and bunker conditions and the £20 per round fee, and you have incredible value golf.

Camperdown 3rd Green in bloom

Camperdown 3rd Green in bloom

Golfing visitors should make every effort to play at Camperdown, and ask themselves this question:  Have I played better value golf anywhere else in the world?  I have played golf in many countries and nothing comes close in pay per play value.

The long Avenue of trees which mark the 11th at Camperdown

The long Avenue of trees which mark the 11th at Camperdown

Described in the national press as one of the ‘Magnificent 7’ courses in ‘Carnoustie Country’, this is a ‘must play’ for every level of golfer.   However, be aware it is a tough test of golf, especially the back 9, which is more penal off the tee than the front 9, compounded by the legs starting to tire on this long walk.

I was out in 46 and back in 56, with a typically mercurial round:  only 3 over for the first 6 holes, I was 18 over for the next 6, and a 9 at the 16th scuppered any chance of breaking 100.  My 29 stableford points using 7/8 allowance, is a better reflection of my play.

Moly on Camperdown's 13th  Green

Moly on Camperdown’s 13th Green

There are many fine holes at Camperdown, with the key premium being straight off the tee, the best example being the par 5 11th, played down a long avenue of trees with a small dog leg to the green, making it inaccessible in 2 shots (to my eye anyway!).

The magnificent backdrop to the 18th at Camperdown

The magnificent backdrop to the 18th at Camperdown

The 18th is a magnificent final hole, played towards the Camperdown House with a wide variety of trees in view.

Although off course facilities are limited, the golf course is the star here – I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Key Facts

Course Type: Woodland

Green Fees:  

  • Weekday £20 round (£16 concession), £30 day
  • Weekend £25 round (£19 concession), £35 day
  • Winter Greens £12

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance(yellow)    yards

Moly’s Gross score102

Moly's Camperdown Scorecard - 46 out, 56 back!

Moly’s Camperdown Scorecard – 46 out, 56 back!

16. Downfield. 20th May 2015.

Dundee’s other wonderful Discovery

Summary:  (hi/lo season) £65/£45 (round); £75/£60 (day).   Par 72.  Value (out of 5) – 4

Detail; 

Captain Scott's Discovery in Dundee

Captain Scott’s Discovery in Dundee

Dundee, on the east coast of Scotland, can proudly boast of being a city closest to some of the greatest golf courses in the world, many being very accessible.  It is less than 20 minutes drive to either St Andews or Carnoustie.  The “City of Discovery”, named because of its association with Captain Scott of the Antartic, is blessed with another wonderful discovery – Downfield golf course.

Downfield's 3rd Green

Downfield’s 3rd Green

Downfield, nestled amongst Adler, Black and Templeton Woods, can safely be categorised as a Woodland course!  It’s on the north-west of Dundee adjacent to industrial and large housing estates – entered via iron gates it soon becomes apparent you are in a golfing oasis.  You could be in Surrey or New England once inside the fence!

14th Green towards the fairway

14th Green towards the fairway

Surrounded by an arboretum, Downfield is a outstanding golf course, and well worth its place amongst the best courses in the UK.  Tees, fairways and greens were all excellent when I played, as were the bunkers filled with some of the finest sand I’ve experienced.

Moly and Eric on the majestic 11th hole

Moly and Eric on the majestic 11th hole

 

 

Its very important to drive straight and keep the ball on the fairway – something I regularly failed to do for the first 13 holes.  However, a good finish (2 over for the last 5) enabled me to win a close fought contest with Eric and Moira Brown, my partners for the day.

 

 

There are many highlights on the course, but the 11th is surely one of the best inland holes in Scotland:

From the 11th green towards the fairway with the water hazard in view

From the 11th green towards the fairway with the water hazard in view

a drive needs to be on the right to view the green, which has a water hazard in front, not unlike something from Augusta.

Downfield also has a very impressive club house, with a fantastic view over the course.  It would be well worth planning to eat there to take full benefit of the surroundings.

 

So, a classic layout, and a real gem in the industrial heartland of Dundee – please don’t miss this treat whilst on your tour of the hallowed links nearby.

Key Facts

Course Type: Woodland

Green Fees:  

Day – Hi Season (May-Sep): £75.00, otherwise £60.00
Round – Hi season: £65, otherwise £45
Deposit, £20.00

Par 72 (4 par 5, 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance(blue)  6560 yards

Moly’s Gross score99

 

Moly's Downfield Scorecard - 99

Moly’s Downfield Scorecard – 99

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