A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Highland (Page 2 of 4)

48. Kingussie. 5th Aug 2016.

Challenging highland course with great views

Round £30.  Par 67.  Value (out of 5) 3.5

Kingussie golf course sits above the village of Kingussie in the Badenoch area of the Cairngorms National Park and is easily accessed using the A9 Perth-Inverness road.  The River Gynack, a tributary of the Spey, runs through the course and along with the wonderful highland surrounds and heather in view (and in play!) make Kinussie a classic Highland golf challenge.

The par 5 4th with a plateau green - think through your course management here

The par 5 4th with a plateau green – think through your course management here

The club was founded in 1891 and like most highland courses has gone through periods of economic downturn, but the current 18 hole layout is very well established and can be traced back to the early part of last century, including significant input from the great Harry Vardon.

There is a good mix of holes at Kingussie.  The long 225 yard par 3 first is very difficult start, followed immediately by the SI 1 431 yard par 4 2nd, which has a ditch and thick rough down the left.   After the only par 5 at the 4th, played to a high plateau green, things quieten down a little with good opportunities to score at short par 4s and par 3s.

A real birdie opportunity at the par 3 7th

A real birdie opportunity at the par 3 7th

The opening par 3 actually sets the tone for a rather unorthodox layout, which twice has back-to-back par 3s, the short 7th and 8th, and later the 15th and 16th.  The 16th is actually a great par 3, at almost 200 yards, with the river sitting close to the right of the green.

The 18th is a very difficult driving hole, with the river tight on the driving line on the left, but if you manouver that you are left with inly a short iron – a great risk-reward finish.

The 11th green, with classic Highland surrounds

The 11th green, with classic Highland surrounds

The course was in beautiful condition when I played. The fairways and greens were excellent, but like most highland courses there were only limited bunkers around – but, hey, who’s going to complain about that.

I paid £18 using the teeofftimes.co.uk web site rather than the standard £30.  I think these on-line system are providing a dillema for clubs’ pricing policy;  is it better to have a standard fee of £18 without discount (like Huntly GC) or the model used at Kingussie? On-line booking gives opportunities, but only if that pricing policy isn’t putting off the normal highland tourist?

Fran at the 14th tee, the tough SI2 hole at Kingussie

Fran at the 14th tee, the tough SI2 hole at Kingussie

On the day I scored 95, as usual including a disaster which this time occured at the 17th, when my snap hook went further left than it went forward forward – then an 8 with the second ball!  That, coupled with another 3 off the tee at the last, kept me to 29 stableford points.

This really is a gem of a golf course within a spectacular highland environment and I would highly recommend playing, especially making use of the discounts on offer through the on-line booking system.

The 17th at Kingussie - Moly scored a 10 - with classic vistas

The 17th at Kingussie – Moly scored a 10 – with classic vistas

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 67 (1 par 5s, 11 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance Yards   5501 (white) 5315 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross Score95

Moly's Kingussie Scorecard, including a 10 at 17!

Moly’s Kingussie Scorecard, including a 10 at 17!

39. Dalmunzie. 18th May 2016

Enjoy the great views but don’t bother playing the course  

Round  £15.   Par 30.  Value (out of 5) – 1.5

Dalmunzie golf course is situated on the Dalmunzie Estate located at the Spital of Glenshee, mid way between Blairgowrie and Braemar, just south of the Glenshee skiing centre.

Long 235 yards Par 3 first hole at Dalmunzie

Long 235 yards Par 3 first hole at Dalmunzie

The course was designed by Tom Simpson in the 1920s as a private course for Sir Archibald Birkmyre, who was from a family line of “Jute Barons” based in India.

The views from the course are pretty spectacular.  However, the estate and the course have long since past their glory days, and show signs of a lack of maintenance.  This is a shame as the architect created some really challenging holes.

The 1st, 4th, 5th and 7th in my view are all really tough par 3s, all with very different challenges.

Fran on 3rd tee at Dalmunzie

Fran on 3rd tee at Dalmunzie

The opening hole plays like a short par 4, judgement of distance is difficult on both the mid-iron 4th and 5th holes, and the short 7th plays over the “Shee Water” burn to a very small “front to back” target.  Play well on these holes and you’ll likely score well overall.  The long par 4 6th at 450 yards is also a challenge.

Difficult 5th hole

Difficult 5th hole with Green tucked on the plateau on the right

 

The course was in poor condition when we played, in particular the greens were badly in need of cutting.  The general condition of the course was “tired”.

Critical to get distance right on the par 3 7th hole.

Critical to get distance right on the par 3 7th hole.

On the day, I played to one over handicap, which given that the greens were so poor I was pretty happy with – I also hit it in the water in front of the 7th green but at least found 3 others in the water waiting to be found!

9th green at Dalmuzie with dilapidated tennis courts in the background - an apt finishing hole at Dalmunzie

The mole surrounded 9th green at Dalmuzie with dilapidated tennis courts in the background – an apt finishing hole sadly at Dalmunzie

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 30  (3 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance   2099 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  41 

Stableford 16

Moly's Dalmunzie Scorecard - 40

Moly’s Dalmunzie Scorecard – 40

32. Abernethy. 9th Sep 2015.

Great Fun Highland Golf – but overpriced for just 9 holes.

Round  £25  (£18 for 9).   Par 33.  Value (out of 5) – 2.5

I was a member of Abernethy golf club for many years and the course is my favourite place on earth!  I have had no greater golfing pleasure than playing on my own on a late June evening with the course completely to myself – I have felt the spirit of Shivas Irons.

The war memorial hazard on the long par 3 8th hole.

The war memorial hazard on the long par 3 8th hole.

Abernethy GC is in the village of Nethy Bridge, near Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorms National Park.  Founded in 1893, it is a quintessential Highland 9-hole course –  small “tea room” style clubhouse, open to visitors of all standards, lovely views from natural heathland with majestic trees, and terrifying heather in places.  There is also an abundance of wildlife, so a good course for non-playing partners to accompany golfers around this lovely walk, which, if not busy, will take comfortably less than 1 hours 30 mins to play 9 holes.

Beware cars on the short par 3 2nd hole.

Beware cars on the short par 3 2nd hole.

 

Abernethy is one of those courses where all golfers will feel they should break their handicap;  its short, with many inviting tee shots, and “feels easy”.  However, there are some key reasons why most people won’t break their handicap; the fairways become very tight over 220 yards, the excellent greens are small with many having difficult slopes, plus 3 of the holes – the long par 3s at the 5th and 8th, and the par 4 7th – are amongst the toughest holes in the Highlands.  Off the back tee on the 7th, all bar the longest hitters would be advised to play this hole as a par 5 – the white tee carry being around 250 yards to a dog leg!  

The mighty carry of the 7th drive at Abernethy GC

The mighty carry of the 7th drive at Abernethy GC

The course has got great variety and the small green keeping staff do a good job keeping the course in fantastic condition, with the greens being some of the best in the area.  It’s a great course to play, especially for those on holiday wanting to play a quick and casual game.

The beautiful view of the 6th tee at "nethy"

The beautiful view of the 6th tee at “nethy”

However, in my opinion, the pricing is really a shame and is discouraging anyone wanting to play just a quick 9 holes.  It is £18 for 9 holes, but only £25 for the whole day, with no 18 hole price, hence I’m forced to conclude its not particularly good value – my recommendation would be £13 for 9 and £18 for 18. 

On the day, I got a 5 on the 7th:) – which always makes me happy! 

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 33 (6 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (yellow)   2297 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  44

Stableford 17

Moly's Abernethy Scorecard - 44 for 17 stableford points

Moly’s Abernethy Scorecard – 44 for 17 stableford points

29. Comrie. 25th Aug 2015

Comrie’s 9 is better than most 18s

Round (9 holes)  £15.   Par 35.  Value (out of 5) – 4

Moly's approach to the short par 4 2nd at Comrie

Moly’s approach to the short par 4 2nd at Comrie

Ever played on a course where the original layout was 9 holes, but a later extension to 18 completely destroyed the beauty and originality of the initial layout?  Comrie, in Perthshire, is testament to why sometimes leaving a great 9 hole layout as just that is the best thing to do!

Comrie's Par 3 3rd tee

Comrie’s Par 3 3rd tee

Comrie is a really great 9 hole course, founded in 1891, and with significant input later by the renowned architect James Braid.  Off the white tees it is over 3000 yards, but even off the yellow (at 2699 yards) it is a demanding test of golf.  No two holes are similar, and with the high standard of the course, coupled with great views of the local Perthshire hills, it’s well worth going out of your way to play Comrie.  It also has a delightful clubhouse with a comfortably furnished lounge to while away the hours in the lovely surroundings.
Views of Perthshire Hills above the Comrie clubhouse viewed from 5th tee

Views of Perthshire Hills above the Comrie clubhouse viewed from 5th tee

The fairways are quite generous, but the rough is very penal, so think twice about taking driver, even on the long par 5 6th – even for long hitters, this is likely to be a 3 shot hole, because of the very clever short dog leg right to the green, only some 50 yards further on.
The greens were also in excellent condition when I played, albeit slower than what one might expect in August.
Par 3 5th at Comrie

Par 3 5th at Comrie

It would be difficult to pick any signature hole, but I thought the par 3 5th, par 5 6th and par 4 7th, represented a run of great golfing architecture.

For my own game, I was 3 over after 5, and then 10 over for the next 4;  I just cant help getting a bit excited when I string some form together, then the golfing gods always decide to teach me a lesson.  Oh well, if you cant help but play badly, Comrie’s delightful course lifts your spirits.

In trouble at the 6th!

In trouble at the 6th!

Well worth a game here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 35 (1 par 5, 6 par 4s, 2 par 3s)

Distance (yellow)   2699 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  48

Stableford 15

Moly's Comrie Scorecard - 48

Moly’s Comrie Scorecard – 48

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