Round £10. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 69/124. Value (out of 5) – 4
South Lanarkshire Council state on their website they are “proud to operate six quality golf courses” – and so they should be if Strathclyde Park represents the offering, being one of the two 9 hole golf courses in the package which can all be played by subscribing to their season long Rover deal.
Looking back from the 8th green at Strathclyde Park, towards the Hamilton Racecourse grandstand.
Having been brought up on Caird Park “9 holer”, a Dundee Council course, I was expecting a similar set up from Strathclyde Park. How wrong I was – this is a serious and ‘meaty’ golf course. A little under 6000 equivalent yards (from the Yellow), this is a a big challenge, especially for those taking up the sport.
The nice fairway on show at the 1st, a good starting hole at well over 350 yards, making you realise this is not ‘pitch ‘n putt’, with the natural edge bunkering dominating the approach.
Set in Strathclyde Country Park, adjacent to junction 6 of the M74, with the backdrop of Hamilton racecourse on the finishing holes, I really enjoyed this great value course.
The view from the 4th tee at Strathclyde, the SI 1 hole.
Because there was one winter green still in play and still being on the winter rate (even though I was able to play in shorts on an unseasonably warm March day), I paid only £5.40 for 9 holes. The tees were in poor condition, but the fairways were very good as were the bunkers. The greens are varied in size, shape and contour with many very challenging (I three putted several times).
There is plenty of wildlife on show at Strathclyde, with the adjacent nature reserve. Here, some residents sharing my journey to the 3rd green, a difficult par 3.
I got to thinking, at only £10, for the high season rate for 18 holes, what is the value of a course as the price tends to zero? Or put another way, how do you really offset course quality and value?
Overall, this course is probably 2 out of 5 for ‘quality’ on a national basis, but at such a low price it is 4 for ‘value’, a score I would say provides an upper bound for the quality – even if free, because you still have to spend the time playing! It’s a great debate.
The second par three, the uphill 7th, requiring your 180+ yardage club.Against the backdrop of the housing developed alongside the Racecourse.
The course is well designed with a rounded mix of two par 3s, two par 5s and five par 4s – a classic combination. The fairways were wide, and very firm for the time of year.
I played better than I scored with several three putts in my gross 48.
We were staying in our caravan in Strathclyde Country park, which is a great location to set down to play all the courses on offer from South Lanarkshire Council.
Course Type:Parkland
Par 36 (2 par 5s, 5 par 4s, 2 par 3s)
Distance: 5891 (yellow)
Moly’s Gross score: 48
Moly lost count of the number of 3 putt greens on this tough 9 hole council course. Played better than 48 suggests.
High architectural pedigree at this well rated, but over priced, course that is a tale of two very different surrounds. Is this a camel I wonder?
Round £75. Par 68. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 69.8/119. Value (out of 5) – 3
Sometimes expectation can get the better of you. I’d read that Longniddry, one of the courses along the so called “golf coast” of East Lothian, had been designed through its evolution by no less than four of the worlds best course architects.
Gordon at the first. Lucky to miss the bunker off the tee, he sadly played his second into trouble to the left (see the bushes!). Always a great start:(
Harry Colt laid out the initial design in 1921, with subsequent adjustments by James Braid, Philip Mackenzie Ross and, finally, Donald Steele. That’s quite a pedigree.
Sir Alec Issigonis, designer of the original Mini motorcar, said, “a camel is a horse designed by committee.” The meaning was intended to convey how groups can be an ineffective method of development. Alternatively, “Too many cooks..” could also be used, in the same context.
Brian, again displaying his well coached follow through, here at the par three 6th hole, surrounded by greenside bunkers. I think all 4 of us might have been bunkered here – teamwork:).
These comments came to the fore of my mind when playing Longniddry, along with three good friends with whom I had worked with at Apex Scotland, a not for profit organisation dedicated to supporting people with convictions find work and improve their lives.
The plateaued 5th green, with bunkering awaiting the misjudged approach shots.
Set in the affluent village of Longniddry, only 20 minutes by commuter train to Edinburgh, the course occupies a relatively contained acreage, and has many £1m++ houses adorning several fairways. It is a heavenly place to reside for golfers. But the impression is that Longniddry is not a stuffy place, and one of the few “Golf Coast” upper rated courses that allow booking and discounts through the Golfnow app. That is to be applauded, but it can backfire a little; after booking a round at £75 a head with the clubhouse, I found out about a week before that tee times very close to ours were available at only£50 – on phoning up to challenge our fees, it must be said the club responded well. I do recognise the difficulty for clubs, especially when third party marketing app tee time pricing is sometimes controlled by the club, sometimes by the app marketers direct.
Frank putts out on the 173 yard uphill par three 13th, with backdrop of the Firth of Forth.
The course is very interesting. It has wide fairways, making for a relatively straight forward game off the tees, especially as the fairway bunkering is not as penal as some of its Lothian neighbours. The green surrounds are at times a real challenge, especially at the four par threes, where I lost count of the number of greenside bunkers. Unfortunately, the bunkers were still suffering (sic) from the Pandemic, like much of the population. If you plan to play Longniddry, spend a bit of time practicing your bunker play.
The par four 11th hole at Longniddry the start of the more ‘links’ feeling holes.
The fairways were fairly decent when we played on a lovely late September day. But the teeing grounds needed a little more care. The greens were good and clearly well watered.
The layout is a tale of two quite different environs. The course was created largely by carving out an area from the Boghill Wood, and holes 5 through 10, in particular feel like a woodland course. From 11 onwards the course opens out into a much more traditional links land layout with most holes with gorse in play.
The tough par four 7th hole at Longniddry, in the tree lined section of the course – stroke index 1.
The course is quite long at over 6000 yards from the yellow tees, given that it is a par 68. The real question I have, architecturally, is why none of the renowned architects after Colt said, “what about extending a couple of longer par 4s to make par 5s”, getting the par to (say) 70. Without this, you are left with 14 par 4s, with precious few birdie opportunities for the higher handicappers. The 17th/18th, both challenging par 4s of well over 400 yards, could relatively easily be altered, as could the long par four 3rd at 450 yards. I’m certain it must have been a debate down the years.
The short 16th hole with some of the residences of the well heeled in the background – I suspect that’s envy on my part?
The stoke indices also seemed to not reflect the difficulty. For example, the well bunkered par 3s, being labeled as the 4 easiest holes (not so, surely!), and the last, a long par 4 at 420 yards (yellow) being only stroke index 12? It would be intriguing to get the membership views on this.
There were two stand out holes for me:
> The 5th, a dog leg left par four of only 320 yards, with the approach played to a green on a plateau fronted by two mass grave like bunkers. Stay well right with the drive, and commit to at least one extra club on the approach. Its the most un ‘links’ like hole.
The cleverly designed par four 14th hole, where the burn comes into play for all but the longest off the tee. Good green complex.
> The 14th, a difficult par four, where only the long hitters can confidently drive over a ditch at around 200 yards, but the downhill fairway means that even a hybrid might run into the ditch. Then the approach is uphill to a carefully set green with difficult slopes.
The nice clubhouse awaits at the 18th – a demanding finish, more difficult than the SI of 12, in my opinion.
I played pretty well. After a 10 at the ninth, having been in trouble on both sides of the fairway, I came back in 41 (7 over), to actually win our small stableford competition. The winner was meant to get their meal paid for after by the other 3, but a number of my colleagues had to rush off, quashing my opportunity to milk any praise. But I’ve not forgotten!
Finally, going back to the camel proverb. A camel is actually a highly efficient design for its environment, in which horses would soon die. You can make your own mind up about the course being a camel or not.
Finally, finally. It is reported that Mary Queen of Scots played in the area of Longniddry. But how so, I say, when the location of the course was previously the Boghill Wood?
Course Type:Parkland/Links
Par 68 (0 par 5s, 14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)
Distance: 6052 (yellow)
Moly’s Gross score: 90
Moly’s Longniddry scorecard – a 90 with an excellent 41 on the back 9; but, a 10 on the 9th!.
The greens might be the firmest in Scotland – any fast bowling attack would like them!
Round £31. Par 65. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 63.2/103. Value (out of 5) – 4
When I played Winterfield golf course, on a blustery, but warm, late September day, certain questions and thoughts kept going through my mind:
This is the most fun golf I’ve had in years.
The West Indies fast bowing heroes of my youth could bowl on these rock hard greens!
Tiger Woods couldn’t get near this pin – it’s impossible!
This is mickey mouse golf!
How can this be assessed as a 103 slope rating, with 4 par 3s well over 200 yards?
Fran at the very difficult par 3 opening hole, which is a par 4 for the ladies.
Winterfield golf course is located in Dunbar on the “golf coast” of East Lothian. Overshadowed by the magnificent Dunbar golf course, which is also known as the “East Links” course in Dunbar, Winterfield is close to the “West Links” area of Dunbar where golf is first recorded as being played in 1616. Therefore, there is arguably a greater historical story with Winterfield, albeit the course was only established by the local town council in 1935, without any note of the course designer in the club website.
The Bass Rock dominates the backdrop of the 5th green, where Moly was putting for birdie (missed!).
The golf course sits on a beautiful piece of ‘links’ land around the fine clubhouse, called St Margaret’s House, which is home to the “Fairways” restaurant.
The 18 hole course is not long, at only 4817 yards from the yellow tees most visitors will use. However, the slope rating of only 103, belies the real challenge of the course. It has some of the toughest and long par 3s in the area, starting at the opening hole which is 224 yards long, over a long carry. It deserves the Stroke Index 3 rating. Play the first hole as if a par 4, and be happy with a bogie is my advice, as the holes 3 through 6 is the easiest stretch on the course and enable you to get under your handicap; the long par four 7th, SI 1, will challenge the best and has the most difficult green on the outward 9.
The wonderful par three 14th hole “The Point” (192 yards from yellow), here pictured from behind the green towards Dunbar Beach.
The back 9 is where the course presents the coastal challenges, with a number of the holes skirting Dunbar beach. No more so than at the aptly named “The Point”, the long par three 14th hole. With a very strong wind and fast running fairway I played a 9 iron (normally my 115 yard club) to the front of the green at the 192 yard hole! I four putted for a 5!
The last of the par 3s – the long 15th at 223 yards (yellow). The wind helped Moly reach the green here.
There are fantastic views views across the Firth of Forth towards The Kingdom of Fife, with the Bass Rock headlining the vistas. It is a nice walk for any non playing partners.
If you want a low cost links experience and challenge, in non stuffy surroundings, Winterfield is an ideal venue. But this is no easy holiday golf course and only the very top golfers will par many more than half of the par 3s on this course. The club also boast of a number of members who went on to play top amateur or professional golf.
The 18th, a short par 4, with St Margaret’s house in the background.
I felt I played well for my 88, which although 10 over net, was 30 stableford points. The greens were treacherous; very dry and fast, impossible to get any check spin on. The positions of the pins were also very difficult. The green side bunkering is also pretty tricky, and you should try and navigate away if you can.
There is tough bunkering at Winterfield, here shown at the par five, 17th hole; where the tough pin positions meant it was nigh impossible to flirt with the pins.
In summary, don’t be fooled by the slope index, which I imagine will adjust higher after several years data is compiled. I think if felt more like a 115 course.
Great value golf, but the hard greens devalue it a bit, hence only 4 rather than 5 for value.
Course Type:Links
Par 65 (1 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 8 par 3s)
Distance: 4817 (yellow)
Moly’s Gross score: 88
Moly’s decent round of 88, for 30 stableford points, including a 10 at the par four 12th hole!
You’ll need your best putting game on the excellent greens
Round £55. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 69.3/124. Value (out of 5) – 3
The town of Haddington, lies just off the A1, about 17 miles east of Edinburgh, and is very easily accessed. At the heart of East Lothian, Haddington is likely to be a popular venue to stay if on a golfing holiday to play the many world class golf courses on the self proclaimed “Golf Coast”, home to Muirfield and Gullane to name but two.
Moly playing the challenging par three 16th hole – take 2 more clubs than the distance, to get up the hill, plus there is little danger over the back of the green.
So if you’re planning to visit the area, should Haddington be on the play list?
First thing to say is that for a course, or rather club, founded in 1865 and claiming to be the “19th oldest course in the world”, no mention of the course architect can be found.
We found the greens very slick at Haddington, here the large green at the par three 10th.
The course is set in the nice mature parkland of Amisfield Park, much of it still walled, with some spectacular trees; it is a place with a wide and rich history, ranging from a Medieval Cistercian nunnery, through to playing a part in the Jacobean rebellion, the Napoleonic war and both world wars. The former grand Amisfield House is long gone, but its sandstone was, interestingly, used to build Longniddry Golf Course clubhouse. The park’s boundary to the north is the River Tyne, but the river doesn’t play a part on the course.
The short par three 4th, showing the mature parkland setting of Haddington.
The town of Haddington is relatively small with a population of 10,000, but in the “high middle ages” (AD 1000 – 1250) it was the fourth most significant Scottish city. So its glory days are long gone – that seems fitting in that the golf course is also a minor player in the Lothians. It’s Okay, but priced too high in my opinion.
Fran tees off at the 6th at Haddington – a par 4 of 375 yards (yellow)
The condition of the course was very mixed. The greens and fairways were very good, but the tees were terrible, other than the red ladies tees. The greens were also very large, and coupled with the fast speed, led for a real challenge to avoid 3 putting. The fairways, were wide and forgiving, but there are some excellently placed fairway bunkers, that need to be navigated.
The nice fairways at Haddington, here shown at the 9th, a par four of 329 yards (yellow)
In extremely high winds, I struggled to a gross 107, for 21 stableford points (from a playing HCP of 16). This included a birdie 3 at the long par four second hole, measuring 421 yards from the yellow – the wind was strongly behind of course! In total I lost 5 balls, never nice!
The approach to the par four 15th at Haddington, again showing the mature setting.
Haddington, is in summary over-priced in my opinion, and not worth prioritising in a Lothian golfing trip. The clubhouse building is also rather run down.
Course Type:Parkland
Par 72 (2 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 3 par 3s)
Distance: 6038
Moly’s Gross score: 107
Wind played havoc with Moly’s game, finishing with a 107, including a 10 at the last.
