A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Before 1850 (Page 1 of 2)

154. Montrose 1562. 11 July 22.

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

91. Musselburgh Links, Old. 23 Oct 2018.

The oldest golf course in the world. A Must Play 9 holes.

Round  £15.30.   Par 34.  Value (out of 5) – 5

Called either Musselburgh “Links” or Musselburgh “Old”, this course is the only one of the three ‘Musselburgh’ courses actually in Musselburgh, the East Lothian town 5 miles east of Edinburgh. If you are in any way interested in the history of golf, you have to play here because, quite simply, it is the oldest golf course in the world, recognised as such by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Moly and Fran at Musselburgh Links, The oldest golf course in the world.

People mainly associate the origins of the game with St Andrews, but there is a much richer history in Musselburgh Links. The record books for the course talk of Mary, Queen of Scots, King James VI and Oliver Cromwell; albeit if you check their dates of birth they certainly never played a 3 ball.

Move forward a couple of hundred years, the record book speaks of an early Open Championship venue, between 1874 and 1889, won by the likes of Mungo Park, Willie Fernie and Willie Park Jr.

The tough 6th green at Musselburgh Links

The Old Course at Musselburgh also must have another record. It has been the home of more golf clubs and societies than any other course; not any old clubs either and includes The Royal Musselburgh, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Royal Burgess Golfing Society and the Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, all either formed or were based at Musselburgh. Plus a further 60 clubs or societies of note.

The club sits on Common Good land, and the land’s use was extended in 1816 by building a race track around it, which is still in use today.

The long par 3 8th hole at Musselburgh.

Which left me wondering whether a links course could be sited inside a racecourse? The answer is undoubtedly yes – this feels very much a links, with firm turf, deep revetted bunkering, whispy rough and wind! It was actually gusting over 40 mph when I played and unsurprisingly Fran and I were the only players! In the wind, my score of 45 against the par of 34 was about the best I’d played for a while.

The course is basically a clockwise loop of holes, with a out and back layout. It starts with a great par 3, then three par 4s of increasing length with the 4th hole, the stroke index 1, called Mrs Foreman’s, after the name of the pub behind the green. Then you turn for home, with the 8th on the way back being a long par 3, the most noteworthy.

This course is very well maintained and greens, fairways and bunkers being in really good condition.

The wind shows at the 9th at Musselburgh, with the racetrack grandstand in the background

Its also worth noting the world’s first golfing competition for women took place on New Year’s Day in 1811, competed for by the town’s fishwives. I wonder if the date was set by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers?

At just £15, this is unrivalled value to grab a piece of genuine golfing history.

Some Facts

Course Type: Links

Par 34 (1 par 5, 5 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance:  2954 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  45

45 in a 45 mph wind was very good!

81. St Andrews Old Course. 30 Jul 2018

The Home of Golf – thanks especially to The Champion Golfer of 1995, Mr John Daly! WOW!

Round £180.   Par 72.  Value (out of 5) – 5

A few weeks before playing at The Old Course, I received a surprise call from Richard Rooney of D C Thomson, the Scottish Media conglomerate;  “Congratulations, Moly, you’ve won our St Andrews Memory competition run by The Courier newspaper.  The prize includes joining the D C Thomson 4 ball in the Rolex sponsored “Patrons Day” on the Monday following the Senior Open”.  WOW!

The Auld Toon of St Andrews provides the backdrop to Moly playing at the 16th from just in front of the “Principals Nose” bunker.

I’d actually forgotten I had entered a competition some weeks earlier, but no matter, there I was standing on the Championship 1st tee at 8am on Monday 30th July 2018,  only about 40 yards from where Miguel Angel Jimenez was crowned the Senior Open Champion a little over 12 hours previous. WOW!

The Courier report of the Competition which won Moly his Old Course round. Thanks John!

Assisted by local caddie, John, from Kingsbarns, and along with Keve Hodgson, fellow winner, and our 2 D C Thomson hosts, conveniently both called Richard, we played The Old Course in beautiful links conditions (a fair westerly breeze), using the Sunday pin positions.  WOW!

I shot a stroke-play 87, including 8 pars, with the same ball. WOW!

Including par 4s at the 1st and 18th, from the championship tees, the 18th where I played a 150 yard 6 iron into the breeze to only 15 feet, with Caddy John announcing as my ball launched  “its all over it!” and received a round of applause from the 30 or so spectators milling around.  Putter in hand, the walk to the green was “golfing heaven”.  WOW!

A typically huge and undulating double green – the 2nd and 16th (Keve putting up the green)

If you are reading this blog, you probably don’t need me to tell you much, if anything, about The Old Course, as it’s embedded in the very essence of golf.   So many great players have made so many comments, I’ll just quote my favourite:

“This is the origin of the game. This is golf in its purest form and it’s still played that way on a course seemingly untouched by time. Every time I play here, it reminds me this is still a game.” – Arnold Palmer.

6th tee – a typically bind tee shot, where a Caddy becomes invaluable

 

I’ll therefore use this blog to discuss the concept of value, the prime measure I make of Scottish golf courses, which takes on an added mystery when applied to the Old Course at St Andrews.  It’s by no means the most difficult course in the world, or anywhere near the most expensive; albeit at £180 its not cheap.  However, it’s arguably the most accessible great sporting location in the world – anyone is free to walk its hallowed turf on Sundays when the course is closed to play.  By all accounts, turn up on Christmas day and play for free (without the flags though!).

Lining up a putt for bogie at 17, with the iconic backdrop. Oh for the day to go on and on….

In deciding how to assess its value, I came up with this conundrum.  Ask any golfer the world over this question:  “Regardless of price, you can play golf once only in your lifetime at either The Old Course or Course X (name any course) – which would you choose to play?”.  Other than perhaps Augusta, The Old Course would likely come out top every time.  Therefore, for me, this defines the top price one should pay for a round of golf anywhere.  Any course costing more than £180 can’t be worth it, by definition, if you would actually rather play the Old Course anyway instead, regardless of price.

Of course, its only my opinion!

The beautiful par 4 7th hole, short at only 359 yards (white), but a true SI 4 hole.

So, play it once in your lifetime.  Hire a caddy if you can afford to.  Walk the hallowed turf and pray that you hit some nice shots.  Hope for a nice day, but also hope that the wind gets up sufficiently to understand its defence.  Hope for some “Sunday pins” to wrestle with a pro’s dilemma.   Hope you (maybe) find one or two of the almost mythical bunkers that dot the course.   Hope…..for so many things!

Four very happy golfers – for the record the DC Thompson Richards won the match play game 2 up,

I only found one bunker, Hill, on the par 3 11th …..thank goodness:)   I made a miraculous bogie, which was somehow symmetrical, as it was John Daly’s miraculous bunker shot from “Road” bunker, that won me the round of golf!  WOW!

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 72 (yellow:  2 par 5s, 14 par 4s,  2 par 3s)

Distance: 6387 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 87

Moly’s Hope; a well played round of 87 at The Old Course, St Andrews.

79. Fortrose & Rosemarkie. 24 June 2018.

Possibly the best located Scottish golf course, with evidence that James Braid’s bunkering came pretty cheap!      

Round £55.   Par 69.  Value (out of 5) – 4.5

“The Black Isle?”  Well, it’s not an isle and it’s not particularly black!  But it is a 10 mile wide by 20 mile long peninsular just north of Inverness, which also has a further very small peninsular on it’s southern Moray Firth coastline which is the heavenly location of Fortrose & Rosemarkie golf course.

The 9th green looking back to the tee with the Moray and Beauly Firths in the background.

Scots sometimes refer (tongue in cheek) to being “from God’s own country”.  If that were the case, it might just be that God chose the Fortrose & Rosemarkie peninsular for his (or her!) own personal golf course.  I played the course on a wonderfully warm and sunny late midsummer evening for a twilight fee of only £30, shot 39 (4 over) on the back 9, including 2 birdies, and seriously thought that maybe I should just stop played with that golfing memory etched on my brain.  It really can’t get much better…can it?

The Black Isle has recently become a popular destination with the creation of the North Coast 500  but has long been a destination to play some of the cream of Scottish Links, with Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Tain all close by, plus the recent addition of Castle Stuart. Fortrose & Rosemarkie has actually been attracting golfing visitors in high numbers since the expansion of the railways in the late 19th century and golf in the course location is traceable back to 1702.  Established in 1793, is the Club is the 15th oldest in the world, of which they are very proud.

The 11th tee, which is one of several arguably bland holes around the turn at Fortrose and Rosemarkie.

The course is quite short, at only 5893 yards from white tees and 5594 yards from yellow tees which I used.   It is essentially 2 horseshoe loops with the outer loop played clockwise with sea (only in play at a few holes) on your left , then an inner smaller loop played in opposite direction.  The difficulty will be dominated by the weather, but the bunkering and greens are tricky and provide protection when the wind is down.    Originally a 9 hole layout, it was extended to 18 in 1924 and in both 1932 and 1934 James Braid was engaged to advise on layout and bunkering – his 1934 fee was £12.10/  which ended in the course in its current layout.   That is only about  £1000 in current value!

The 17th at Fortrose & Rosemarkie; play left to ensure reaching to the plateau fairway.

There are some majestic holes, most notably the long par 4 4th, played towards the lighthouse at Chanonry Point, which protects the small channel through the Moray Firth towards Inverness, which is a popular viewpoint to see the many dolphins which inhabit the area.  I have spoken to people who have played the course many times and never parred the 4th.

Mission Impossible – the long par 4 4th hole at Fortrose and Rosemarkie, with Lighthouse and Fort George in view.

The 13th is also a great example of visible links architecture and Braid’s bunkers.  A hole with many options from the tee box.

The 13th – a magnificent short par 4.

The course was in all round excellent condition when I played and the club are happy for visitors to use any of the tee boxes.    In the benign conditions I shot gross 84 (net 2 under), including 4 double bogies – inevitably one of these was at the 4th!.

This is a must play course, with a twilight fee at only £30 being especially great value.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 69 (yellow; 15 par 4s,  3 par 3s)

Distance: 5594 yards

Moly’s Gross score84

Moly’s scorecard – 84 with only 39 on the back 9.

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