Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: 18 holes (Page 5 of 32)

156. Airdrie. 17 Aug 22.

January 4, 2023 /

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.

155. Hirsel. 12 July 22.

December 14, 2022 /

Missed opportunity as the “First and Last” in Scotland.

Round £32. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.8/124. Value (out of 5) – 3

Moly’s Score – 98

How many fuel stations or pubs on borders proclaim “First and Last”? Like many people, I suspect, I had no idea exactly where Hirsel Golf Club was. Conversely, ask Scots where Coldstream is and most would know the border town famed for the Coldstream Guards, the regiment formed in 1650 making it the oldest continuous serving unit of the British Army.

The picturesque 10th hole at only 93 yards.

Hirsel Golf club, sits on the Hirsel Estate in Coldstream, the home of the son of the former Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home. A 9 hole course was designed and built by members in 1948, after the original course in Coldstream, called Lennel Golf Club, founded 1879, fell into some disrepair, a story covered in the website Forgotten Links.

The interweaving layout is evident, with the first green on show here from the 2nd tee.

Hirsel GC remained a 9 hole course until extended to 18 in 1996. The resulting layout is a rather jumbled affair, with a number of tee/green cross overs, which must make Open events a potentially hazardous affair. There is also a significant range of hole design quality, which comes I suspect from the extension. I find the club’s website banner headline “Arguably one of Scotland’s best kept secrets” true in the sense that it’s “unknown”, but the inference of it being a “Hidden Gem” is not what I found.

The very disappointing bunkers on show, despite the rakes fully in use, here at the difficult 5th hole, a 369 yard par four.

Despite the main Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns being over, I found a course in poor condition, with some bunkers appearing to imitate 19th century photos featuring Old Tom Morris himself. Nevertheless, with perhaps half dozen really good holes, I can see why it is a popular society day out, especially with the substantial club house overlooking the final green.

The tough par three 7th, with “Leet Water” in play for one of the few times.

It does indeed have some tricky holes, notably the tough uphill par 3 third, played with a blind tee shot at well over 200 yards; it will play as a par four for most. The fairways are generous but miss them and card wrecking is the order of the day, as there are OOB on more than half the holes. As a testimony, I amassed 15 over par on only 3 holes, including a 10 on the 363 yard par four 17th.

The stroke index 2, ninth hole, a long par four, the longest hole on the front nine, with both par fives coming after the turn.

Despite several holes being routed around “Leet Water”, a tributary of the Tweed, the river doesn’t come into play much. The best aspect of the course was the variety in hole lengths, the use of dog legs (on 5 holes) and the use of quite small greens often sloping front to back. Collectively the slope rating of 124 felt spot on for me.

The par 5 18th hole, played downhill it gives a good birdie chance to finish.

At only £32 for a round, with discounts on offer though Golfnow (we paid only £22) it’s okay value, but with a bit of work, especially to the bunkers, it would be really worth playing at that price point.

As to the course name, here’s a suggestion. “Coldstream Golf Club – The First and Last in Scotland”. That would remove the secrecy.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance (yellow): 5820 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 98

Moly’s 29 points despite his 98 including 15 over collectively on holes 5, 13 and 17. Golf!

154. Montrose 1562. 11 July 22.

November 22, 2022 /

Spectacular natural links, but undermined by misleading branding.

Round £100. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.3/126. Value (out of 5) – 3

Moly’s score – 91

Golfers often stand on a tee and ask “Where’s the green?”. On Montrose’s first tee, I can imagine a newcomer to links golf asking “Where’s the course?”.

The expanse of links land on view from the Montrose 1562 first tee, albeit in 1562 there would have been no course in this view!

Montrose’s 1562 layout is one of the most natural of all links courses, and as such should be a priority for those wanting to experience this form of the game at its most basic.

Bear in mind the prevailing wind is left to right at this very formidable tee shot at the second on Montrose. Like many, I suspect, I found the brilliantly positioned left hand fairway bunker. I don’t think there can be many holes where the right hand side OOB starts to your left?

Formerly named the Montrose Medal, the ‘1562’ label has only been used since 2018; ‘1562’ derived from the claim that golf has been played on the land from that year. The current course’s story and location actually begins in the 1860s, and evolved over a 50 year period during which a number of legends, starting with Old Tom Morris and ending with Harry Colt who designed the existing course in 1913. Colt had laid out the Montrose Broomfield course a few years earlier (My earlier blog here). So in fact, the more ‘junior’ of the two Montrose courses, ‘Broomfield’, actually pre-dates the ‘1562’ course!

Frank Crowe playing a typical links shot with the putter from well off the 6th green, with the poor fairway condition on show.

Like a number of Scottish Links, there were several different golf clubs that played on the same course, often in club matches versus each other, but sadly only two of them – Royal Montrose Mercantile and Montrose Caledonia – still exist and can be used by visiting golfers.

Brian Fearon putts onto the par three 12th green, one of the holes on the east-west spur away from the coast. Looked over by Gordon Samson

The course is a really honest test of links golf, set on the robust and fast running links land of the Angus coastline. There are six northbound coastal holes, starting from the daunting 2nd, then turning back south for a couple of holes, before an east to west and back gorse-laden spur from holes 10 through 15.

The par three 16th, a very difficult hole. Arguably plays like a par 4, in the prevailing wind.

The par three 16th and par four 17th are then two holes that are good enough for the Championship course of Carnoustie; fitting, as Montrose has been used as a Final Open Qualifying venue. Many a good round will have been destroyed on those late holes.

The characteristic feel of the Montrose 1562 course, here at the “Valley” 8th hole.

Unfortunately, when I played alongside 3 of my former Apex trustees, for the inaugural “Apex Trophy”, the course was not in great condition. We encountered the ‘choice’, but very accurate, language of a few local members of this hardy Angus town, mid way between the cities of Dundee and Aberdeen. I was ‘telt’ by an old guy (in his 80s, fully adorned in football colours) that “Son, the course is in its worst …… state I’ve ever seen and I’ve been a member for more than 50 years!”. It was certainly not conditioned good enough for the £65 twilight round fee, never mind the £100 daytime fee.

Moly teeing it at the final hole, one of the easier holes at Montrose. The original course was off to the left of this hole.

Nevertheless, the bunkers and greens were decent, and the quality of the layout and challenge was never in doubt, with the yellow tees still presenting 6137 yards in length. A strong wind would undo any golfer here.

I played pretty well for 91, but this was nowhere near good enough for the trophy with Gordon Samson shooting an excellent 83 (40 points), and will be severely cut for the next trophy outing!

Facts:

Course Type: Links

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

Distance (yellow): 6137 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s Montrose 1562 scorecard – 91

153. Banchory. 10 July 22.

November 15, 2022 /

Dream society venue in this delightful Deeside setting.

Round £50. Par 69. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.1/123. Value (out of 5) – 4

Moly’s score – 91

Banchory golf course got me thinking about what makes for an ideal society venue. A course in great condition, with greens probably better than your home course. A beautiful and scenic surround. A challenge, but not one that will cost you half a dozen balls. A course that gives all handicaps a chance. Some short par 3s, to give a fun ‘nearest the pin’. Plus, a great clubhouse with good catering of course.

The short third hole, at 125 yards, where club selection will be a challenge for the visitor – I found the rear bunker ending up with a 6. Take two clubs less then yardage, into the right of the green.

I don’t think I’ve played a course that has greater society day credentials than Banchory; set in Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire, the course is just over 5500 yards from the yellow tees. Set alongside the river Dee, the water only comes into play once, for any approach shot sliced into the par four 11th green. The course favours a drawer of the ball, with several OOB being to the right of the largely anti-clockwise routed layout. That was not always the case however – more of later.

The approach to the 4th, very typical of the course, where an umbrella is not normally needed for sun.

The course has six par threes and two par fives; it is rather imbalanced with a par of 32 for the front nine and 36 on the back. The par threes are the star here, with four of them (3rd, 9th, 12th and the 80 yard 16th) being both collectively varied and memorable.

The delightful par three 16th, the “‘Doo’ Cot” (in sight on the tower), at only 80 yards. Take a 95 yard club, anything longer will likely put you on the 1st fairway (like me), facing a daunting chip back.

The start of the course is marked by a nice memorial for Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who started his formative professional career here. Fittingly, ‘Chippy’s’ monument is made of granite.

The 12th, ‘The Wood’, aptly named as for lower handicaps that’s likely the correct club selection into this 171 yard par three, with a ‘hidden’ ditch guarding the green.

Opened in 1905, the original architect is not recorded anywhere I could find, but it is noted on several websites that the course was revamped in the 1990s, by architect John Souter. Speaking to a couple of local members about some unusually sited greenside bunkers, I was told that this was a result of the revamp which changed course routing, but didn’t redesign all the greenside bunkers.

The three ‘blind’ bunkers behind the 14th green, make sense when you realise they used to be on the left of the approach to this rerouted hole. This makes for an odd resulting architectural feature

We played on a spectacularly warm day, with the course in great condition. Fast running fairways actually caused some long drives to find bunkers I would never normally reach, but I was compensated by being able to reach the par five 15th, at 490 yards, in two, resulting in a 2 putt birdie, a rare event in my golfing life.

The approach to the dog leg right par four 8th hole, worthy of being SI 4 at Banchory.

Although fairly open parkland, the trees are widely dispersed and come into play a lot. You’re always likely to find a stray shot, but you’ll probably be penalised. Additionally, most of the bunkers are fairly deep, meaning they are a proper hazard, thankfully the sand is very good. The greens were true, but slower than anticipated. I felt I played generally well, but still racked up 91, 9 over my net handicap.

‘Laird’s Cast’, the 150 yard 9th hole, with the best green surround (in my opinion) at Banchory. I think it’s tougher that SI16.

Banchory is good value golf, especially when using a Golfnow discount – we paid only £23. I can understand why it is such a desirable and popular visitors course.

The impressive clubhouse, looking over the finishing hole at Banchory.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 67  (1 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5567 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s Banchory scorecard – 91
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