A guide to green fee value for money

Category: 18 holes (Page 1 of 32)

172. Craigie Hill. 29 Nov 22.

The “Spion Kop”

Value 4/5

Most golfers don’t know the hole names on their own course, yet would instantly know the locations of “Road Hole”, “Hogan’s Alley”, “Postage Stamp” or “Golden Bell”. Some stretches of holes become famous, such as “Amen Corner”.

The original Boer War “Spion Kop”(top left) presents an uncanny resemblance to the Craigie Hill fifth hole (bottom right).

As a carry bag player, the hole name “Spion Kop” fills me with dread and Craigie Hill’s 5th hole was no exception. It is a worthy candidate for the toughest “Spion Kop” in Scotland.

The outstanding views of the Perthshire countryside seen from the top of the “Spioen Kop” 5th, with Moly lining up a rare birdie attempt on this SI 1 hole. Hit long and slightly right on your approach.

“Spioenkop”, means ‘lookout hill’ in Afrikaans/Dutch, and became famous after the Boer War battle of the same name at the dawn of the twentieth century. “Spion Kop” has become a commemorative name for steep standing terraces in many football stadiums in the UK. It is also a common name for several Scottish holes (Edzell 16th, Traigh 2nd and Strathtay’s 5th) in memory of the Scots who fought at Spioenkop.

Moly playing an approach to the par 4 first at Craigie Hill, a typical undulating fairway at this well laid out course.

Craigie Hill was founded in 1911 and well designed by two of the best architects of its day, Willie Fernie and Joe Anderson. It sits on the south of Perth and is the course seen from the M90 which bypasses Perth. Like many readers, I’ve seen this course hundreds of times as I’ve driven past over the years.

Fran playing off a forward winter tee at the par 3 eighth hole.

Craigie Hill is a tough trek and therein lies one of the big challenges for such clubs. The aging golfing population (the average age of Scotland’s club members in 2020 was 55 years old) means that physically demanding courses will struggle to attract older people and societies. Although a very nice course and attractively priced, I was advised that the membership was in decline (around 200) and the course would likely “reduce to 9 holes within three years”. The state of the buildings were also run down.

The 13th, another of the tough par 3s at Craigie Hill

The course had several holes where it was necessary to carry over long gulleys. Again, I imaging this also a struggle for golfers without a long carry in their armoury and has likely contributed to the declining membership.

The approach to the 15th, a par 4 of 319 yards.

The undulations of the course though meant that drainage was very good with the greens in decent shape for the time of year. Unfortunately, all bunkers were “GUR”. The all round fairway condition was excellent. I can well imagine this being a spectacular place to play on a mid summer evening.

The difficult 17th at Craigie Hill, looking back towards the tee, a Par 3 of about 200 yards. One of the holes that might put people off joining Craigie Hill.

We payed only £10 for a winter round, albeit we couldn’t access the clubhouse and no score cards were available, luckily a local member had a spare card and was very helpful to Fran and I.

The Club website says its “dog friendly”. That was certainly true, as one of the greenkeepers dogs ran off with my ball!

For the record, I managed a par on the “Spion Kop”.

Facts:

Round List Price £30. Actual Paid £10.

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 118/65.7.

Course Type: Parkland

Par 67  (13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (blue): 5131 yards

Moly’s Criagie Hill scorecard – 85

171. Pitlochry. 27 Nov 22.

Very good, but a world best?

Value for Money (out of 5) – 4.5

The club website reports “The best course in the world ….under 6000 yards”.

The uphill opening hole at Pitlochry – a par 4 of nearly 400 yards and stroke index 3 it was the site of an old distillery, so not all golf clubs improve the environment!

Pitlochry is unquestionably a good course, laid out in 1908 by a great designer, Willie Fernie (Turnberry Ailsa). But a “best in the world?”. Has anyone ever played more than 10% of the world’s 40,000 courses or listed them by yardage?

Magnificent views surround Pitlochry, the Tummel Valley seen here at the 9th, a downhill dog leg left par 4.

The website statement is marketing hyperbole of course but, in a way, is fitting as this “Gateway to the Highlands” course has always been a commercial venture since a development consortium built the course above the town. Having laid the new golf course, the original 9 hole Pitlochry course was later flooded in creating Faskally Reservoir for a major hydro eclectic plant. I doubt any visitors to Pitlochry’s dam to watch salmon leaping, through the man made fish ladder, know they are standing above a golf course.

The 11th, one of three strong par 3s at Pitlochry, arguably the highlight of the design. Here looking back towards the elevated tee.

So how good is the course? Setting aside the hubris from the website, it’s a really good one. It is fairly short, but the undulations and the many plateaued greens make it feel longer. Despite, arguably, a lack of variation (there are 15 par 4s and 3 par 3s) the regular changes in hole elevation is the real challenge, especially for a visiting golfer. Weaving it’s way around relevant sites of Pictish Forts, and with stories of visits by Robert The Bruce and Queen Ann, there is plenty of history here as well, all described on the excellent course guide on the club website here. The greens are beautifully constructed and difficult to read.

The deceptive 15th, a short par 4, where a good drive might leave a good birdie chance, as long as you judge uphill approach distance. But note the stroke index 5 rating!

The course was in excellent all round condition when we played, despite recent heavy rain. We played off a shortened winter layout, and paid only £21.99 via golfnow.com. This is incredible value and as a business there are often deals to be had here.

Although several changes have been made to the course over the years, the signature mid iron 16th, clearly didn’t need improving.

Being only 25 miles north of Perth on the A9, Pitlochry became a key holiday destination in late Victorian times and still remains a desirable holiday venue. The Golf Club’s opens competitions are very popular, not least because of the great clubhouse hospitality and food.

The 18th green, a downhill par 4 and a good birdie opportunity, with the “New England” feel clubhouse, which houses a good restaurant.

Back to the hyperbolic claims. Of the courses I’ve played, Pitlochry isn’t even the best Willie Fernie designed course under 6000 yards – that’s Shiskine for me. I also think Boat of Garton, Kilspindie and Carnoustie Burnside (where Hogan qualified for the 1953 Open) are all better courses and under 6000 yards from their longest tees.

Pitlochry’s course guide also states the short par 15th hole is “probably the most difficult par four in the world”! Whilst it’s likely ‘tongue in cheek’, I did take 7!

Facts:

Round List Price £65. Actual Paid £21.99 through Golfnow.

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 67/116.

Course Type: Heathland

Par 69  (15 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (blue): 5517 yards

Moly’s Pitlochry Scorecard – 86

170. Tulliallan. 25 Nov 22.

Where exactly is Kincardine Golf Club?

Value for Money (out of 5) – 3.5

I love marketing using “it does exactly what it says on the tin“.

Most Scots know where the Kincardine Bridge is, but few know where Tulliallan is. Tulliallan Golf Club is less than a mile north of the Kincardine Bridge which crosses the Firth of Forth about 20 miles west of Edinburgh, at a cross roads of several Scottish Counties, including Stirlingshire, Fife and Perthshire.

The tough par four uphill 3rd hole, at well over 400 yards, rightly the stroke index 1.

‘Tulliallan’, meaning ‘beautiful knoll’ in Gaelic, was the name of an estate owned by the Lairds of Blackadder, which is unusual given the Blackadder Clan (now defunct) were from Berwickshire. The original 9 hole golf course was founded in 1902 with 5 holes occupying the ground of Blackadder Castle (sometimes called the Old Tulliallan Castle). For the record the New Tulliallan Castle, built in the 19th Century, is home of the Scottish Police College. The golf clubhouse bisects the two castles which are only a mile apart.

The short par four 262 yard 11th, a potential card wrecker or equally a birdie chance.

As with many courses of the age it was fairly quickly extended 18 although I couldn’t find out the architect, which is a shame as it’s a decent layout. The course makes good use of the gently sloping lands and excellent use of the burns. With some blind shots and sparse, but effective, bunkering, it’s slope rating of 122 means its a decent test.

The approach towards the par four 8th, at 389 yards, with water determining strategy from the tee.

The course was wet when we played, but other than some casual water on the first and last it had withstood the heavy rain well. To prevent mud paths, the club had introduced a clever winter routing altering the order of holes 7 through 13. The tee signs had been clearly marked, highlighting good course management.

The greens (here the long par three 4th) were in good condition, despite the heavy rain.

The highlight is the careful ordering of the holes, ensuring each presents a different challenge from the last. There was really good stoke indexing as well, other than the last, which I think should not be SI 18.

The course’s fairly wide fairways, good greens and very nice cafe/restaurant, as well as its decent pricing means its a good choice for a society outing, especially with its central location.

The 15th is the last of the four par 3s, a strong point of this well designed course.

Finally to ‘marketing’. One wonders how many more visitors this course would get annually it it was called “Kincardine Golf Club”? I actually searched and did find a Kincardine Golf Club – one of the oldest in Canada, founded in 1906, only 4 years after Tulliallan was founded.

Facts:

Round List Price £35. Actual Paid £17 through Golfnow.

Course/Slope Rating (white) 69/122.

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance (yellow): 5678 yards

Moly’s Tulliallan Scorecard – 82

169. East Renfrewshire (‘Ren’). 18 Oct 22.

Arboretum type vision creates framing ‘For the Ages’

Value for Money (out of 5) – 5

It takes vision to plant an arboretum as its creator is dead by the time planting has matured, something both sad and somewhat magical. This was how I felt playing one of James Braid’s canvasses – East ‘Ren’.

The beautifully framed par four 2nd hole at East Ren from its elevated tee.

In 1922 when Braid designed this moorland layout there were almost no trees and this is a great example how courses evolve over the years.

The original open heathland vista of East Ren, a picture courtesy of the golf club. The clubhouse is still in use.

Looking at the original open heathland layout of the course in 1922, one wonders whether Braid imagined what the course would become? If he did, he really was visionary, because the course is now a beautiful mix of holes and incredibly framed by fir trees. I could have published pictures of every hole.

The great conditioning of East Ren shown here at the 4th green, the 135 yard par three, which also demonstrates the large bunkering on many holes.

This very bonny golf course was in great condition when we played, despite the recent wet weather. It fully justifies its high placing in lists of Scotland’s finest courses.

The downhill dog leg left 331 yard par four 6th hole.

With constantly changing directions and a great use of the sloping braes, Braid’s course is one that you’ll want to come back to again and again. It’s a tough walk in places, no more so than the severe uphill par three 11th, “Brae Shouther”, at over 200 yards.

Moly at the difficult 200 yard par three 7th hole.

There are also many slight dog leg holes, and the odd blind shot thrown in for good measure. The bunkering is strong, yet the fairways are overall pretty generous. The greens subtle, but not overly sloping.

The approach at the par five 14th hole, with the burn challenging the longer hitters, attempting to go for the green in two.

The use of craftily routed burns, feeding the adjacent reservoir, means strategy off the tee is a consideration. Overall, it’s an architectural gem, clearly benefitting from Braid’s growing experience by the early 1920s.

The beautiful 17th at East Ren, yet another hole with excellent framing.

Almost every hole is materially different from its predecessor, many with outstanding view of the Renfrewshire countryside. This is a ‘must play’ course and in the top handful of Scottish moorland courses.

The excellent short 13th hole, at only 120 yards the shortest hole.

Go out of your way to play East ‘Ren’, which has shot towards the top of courses I would like to play regularly.

Facts:

Round List Price £75. Actual Paid £30 through Golfnow.

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 68.8/119.

Course Type: Heathland

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

Distance (yellow): 5845 yards

Moly’s ‘East Ren’ Scorecard – 85
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