A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Region (Page 1 of 44)

The 15 regions are as defined by the visitscotland website, the Nation Tourism Organisation; http://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/

175. Strathtay. 30 Nov 2022.

Enchanting Course from a ‘one off’ Architect?

Value 4/5

Strathtay golf course, in Highland Perthshire, is the delightful 1909 creation of “Captain Steuart of Ballechin”. With so many good holes on this well crafted layout, I wondered who “Captain Stueart” was. Surely this had to have been designed by an experienced architect?

The picturesque stone cottages make the first hole feel like a village green. The Victorian village of Strathtay maintained strict planning laws, demanding use of certain stone, and became a beacon of the Affluent in society.

This 9 hole course is short, at under 2000 yards, with 5 par threes and 4 par fours, although the “11th” is played as a par 4 on the “back 9” from a back tee. Being set into the slopes above the Victorian village of Strathtay, the course feels much longer, with plenty of guile.

The 6th, a tough slight dog leg left par 4, making good use of the natural contours of this landscape. The green to the right of the picture is actually the 4th.

The “Captain” turns out to be John Malcolm Stueart, an officer in the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own). His nearby home, Ballechin House, was an ancestral seat of the Jacobean Steuart’s (‘Steuart’ being the French spelling of ‘Stewart’). John’s great uncle of the same name, Major John Steuart (1806-1876) had become intrigued with Indian religions, and reportedly came back after his death as a reincarnated dog, resulting in Ballechin house being termed “The most haunted Scotland!”.

One starts to admire the architecture on the 196 yard 2nd hole – a very strong par 3, which requires a long drawing ball, or to be played using a par 4 strategy.

The golfing “Captain” was clearly one of those highly sporty people, and regimental chronicles cite his being the best shot in the battalion, being placed first at rowing and leading the regiment’s best team on sports day. There is also mention of his proficiency at Highland dancing!

The tricky par three 7th hole, “Chapel”, another of the well designed holes. Play to the measured yardage, as if looks longer than it is, with a very difficult chip if you go long.

The Rifle Regiment also fought in the Boer War and, whilst it cannot be said with certainty, there is a good chance that Captain Steuart fought at the Battle of Speionkop, which is relevant to the course; the 5th hole is dedicated to the people who died in that battle. The 5th hole is so steep, it is impossible for trolleys and buggies to ascend to the green. It would feel very fitting that the course designer had actually been to the real Spion Kop (see the Craigie Hill blog for the back story).

The 5th hole, justified as a par 4, although only 203 yards, with Moly seen climbing the steep “Spion Kop” slope. Buggies and Trolleys have no access.

The course was in excellent condition when we played, despite the recent very wet weather. The small greens are often set into or alongside trees, with some sharp greenside drop offs, making up for the absence of bunkers.

The steep drop at the par 3 third hole, with the Perthshire Hills in the background.

We paid just £10 and thought this was excellent value, given the condition and general ambiance of the course. There is also a nice little clubhouse which I can imagine is a great place to sit on a warm summers day. Highly recommended.

Round List Price £15. Actual Paid £10 (Winter rate).

Moly’s Score – 39 for 16 points (off 12)

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) nk/nk

Course Type: Heathland

Par 31  (4 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 1745 yards

Moly’s Gross 39 on this delightful golf course.

174. Aberfeldy. 30 Nov 2022.

Better Days

Value 1/5

I played the three 9-hole courses of Aberfeldy, Mains of Taymouth and Strathtay on the same wet Highland Perthshire day. This is important context, because whereas Mains of Taymouth and Strathtay were well presented, Aberfeldy was in awful condition.

The 8th green at Aberfeldy, on a day the course should have been closed.

All three courses sit along a 12 mile stretch of the River Tay, between Kenmore and Grantully, and experience the same climate. It’s evident Aberfeldy GC is struggling to maintain the course with its small membership, with volunteering a critical resource.

The length of fairway meant Moly lost 3 balls from shots hit into the “fairway”.

Finding the course in such a bad state, especially from the 2nd hole onwards, leaves me somewhat uncomfortable in writing a review, as I’m sure there will be reasons why the course was effectively unplayable. Nonetheless, I’m committed to writing what I found on the day; all it would have taken by the club was a “course closed” sign on the first tee.

The Moness Burn, which feeds the Tay, is the key feature and hazard, which has to be crossed several times, here shown on the approach shot to the par 4, 7th hole, one of the more difficult holes. Beware the dog walkers, as the burn seemed a well used route.

Golf in Aberfeldy, much like in Scotland overall, is a story of expansion and contraction; the websites Missing Links and Breadalbane Heritage collectively tell Aberfeldy’s story, but there are gaps likely created by the old matter of ‘club’ versus ‘course’. There is also a book, intriguingly “Never an Old Tin Hut”, by local historian Jack Rees, published to mark Aberfeldy’s centenary in 1995.

The 2nd green was GUR. It wasn’t the worst!

In summary, Breadalbane GC and course, was founded in 1895 at its current location and would later be renamed Aberfeldy GC. But there are records of 2 other courses as early as 1891, in nearby Weem and in a place called Welar, the latter course can still be made out on Google Maps just north-east of Camernay. The current very flat course was characterised by sharing its ground with cows for many years.

The course expanded to 18 holes in 1995 including 6 holes north of the river, but was returned to 9 holes in 2016, due to the drop off in demand.

The “advanced composite footbridge” over the Tay, shown here from the 5th hole, made accessible 6 holes on the north of the river between 1995 and 2016.

The pictures tell their own story about the course condition. With much better courses nearby, one can’t see the long term survival of Aberfeldy GC. The local interest in golf can also be gauged in the lack of business sponsorship, even although Aberfeldy is base to one of the great whiskey distillers, Dewars. Plus, Breadalbane Academy, Highland Perthshire’s main school, is only 500 yards away, yet sadly has no mention of golf within its sporting curriculum.

The 9th green, adjacent the main road and clubhouse, was the most manicured.

This was a sad day for me, but I’m sure many people have fond memories of Summer golf in Aberfeldy. I thought the course condition when I played might be reminiscent of the course in the late 1890 – ever an optimist.

Round List Price £15. Actual Paid £10 (Winter rate).

Moly’s Score – 45 for 14 points (off 13)

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) nk/~65

Course Type: Parkland

Par 35  ( 1 par 5s, 5 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 2688 yards

Moly’s score of 45 included losing 3 balls on fairways doubling as rough!

173. Mains of Taymouth. 30 Nov 22.

I was ‘green with envy’ on this country estate course but no longer confused by the two Taymouths.

Value 3.5/5.

Kenmore, in highland Perthshire, is a village on the eastern end of Loch Tay, which is where the main part of the River Tay begins, Scotland’s longest river and the UK’s largest measured by discharge. People like myself from Dundee, where The ‘Silvery’ Tay reaches the sea, claim any small victory!

9th at Mains of Taymouth, a hole shortened to make way for new holiday lodges; technically a long par 3 rather than the par 4 of 263 yards shown on the card.

Now to my confusion. Kenmore is home to two golf courses, both on separate Country Estate developments and only separated by 30 yards of river. Taymouth Castle Estate golf course, on the south bank, was founded in 1925, designed by James Braid, and grew a championship level kudos; however, the castle and course is currently “closed for a £300m development” following its purchase in 2018 by American real estate company, Discovery Land Company.

Fran on the par four 2nd, reportedly the Designer Robert Menzies’ favourite hole.

Meanwhile, north of the river, Kenmore Golf Course was founded, designed and constructed in 1992 by civil engineer Robert Menzies, on diversified farming land that had been in his family for many decades. With Taymouth Castle closed, Robert renamed his estate and course, “Mains of Taymouth”. The whole estate was sold for £13.5m in 2022 to Pure Leisure Group, the owner of the well known Westmoreland Golf Resort in Barbados, home to many British celebrities.

Moly at the 5th, a well designed par three. The bunkers could have been better raked.

So ‘Mains of Taymouth’ and ‘Taymouth Castle’ are separate country estates, both with golf courses with similar branding. I anticipate a lawsuit at some point over the use of Taymouth, a name which seems to have begun when the Clan Campbell rebuilt the former Balloch Castle, their ancestral seat.

The irony is that Kenmore isn’t technically the location of a mouth of a river, defined as “where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river or the sea”. Thankfully, any geographically minded golfer that mistakenly turn up at the real Mouth of the Tay, has better golf course options to choose from.

Wide fairways are characteristic at “Kenmore”, shown here at the par five 4th hole, a picture also highlighting the good course conditioning.

My envy in the title is of Robert Menzies, who has done an admirable job on his “home made” nine hole golf course. How many of us have had that dream over the years. He has created a lovely course, which was well maintained and playable on this early winter day.

The course has wide fairways, and is protected by small greens that are well bunkered. Set alongside the river the land is flat and easy walking, so would suit the occasional golfer, but also useful for golf course “baggers” who can easily “bag” 3 or 4 nine hole courses on a summer day (including nearby Killin, Aberfeldy and Strathtay). I bagged three (omitting Killin) on the day, despite the limited light.

The beautiful Perthshire landscape on show here at the par 3 seventh hole, with “ha-ha”.

We paid only £12 for a winter day rate, but at £18 for a round it represents decent value in the Summer.

Sadly, although the 3rd is called “Loch View”, there are no river or loch views from the course. Making my big deal about “Taymouth” seem somewhat arbitrary – never mind.

Round List Price £18. Actual Paid £12 (Winter rate).

Moly’s Score – 44 for 14 points (off 12)

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 107/66.8.

Course Type: Parkland

Par 34  ( 2 par 5s, 3 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 2531 yards

Moly’s Mains of Taymouth Scorecard – 44

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
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