Category: Course Owned By (Page 40 of 45)

22. Kinghorn. 14th July 2015

July 15, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Small Historical Links Challenge at a Bargain Price

Summary: Round weekday £18; weekend £22 . Par 65. Value (out of 5) – 4

Detail:

Kinghorn's second green with views over the course to Burntisland and the Forth Estuary

Kinghorn’s second green with views over the course to the Forth Estuary

Kinghorn Golf Club, was founded in 1887, with the initial 9 holes being designed by Old Tom Morris – the remaining 9 holes were laid out in 1905 by Willie Fernie of Troon. Kinghorn therefore represents a fine historical pedigree of golfing architecture.

Kinghorn is one of 7 courses managed by the Fife Golf Trust which was established in 2011 to take over Fife Council’s directly managed courses.

The tricky Par 3 3rd with the wall in play!

This is becoming a common practice by Local Authorities in Scotland to manage golf courses. The golf club is private, like many Scottish clubs associated with public courses.

The course presents a fine test of all aspects of your game, especially your course management – my advice would be that other than the long par 4 8th and 13th holes (the 2 hardest on the course), leave your driver in the bag. Accuracy from the tee will pay dividends here.

An “eagle” at the par 4 6th – putting a joy on these greens

There are some tricky blind tee shots, with the 2nd and the 6th, both par 3s (from the yellow), needing good club selection to reach the green. Although I played from the yellow tees, it was easy to imagine how much more difficult from the white boxes several of the holes were. The SSS is 3 shots different between white and yellow.

Uphill approach to the Par 4 10th

The longest hole on the course – the 8th – a might 2 shots might not reach here.

The greens, and their immediate surrounds, were the highlight of the course condition when I played, and must be amongst the best in Fife; hard, true and very fast, it was difficult to judge your approach shots at times. The fairways were mixed, most were very good but some, notably the 18th, were poor. The tee boxes in particular needed attention. I think if some of the considerable effort placed on the greens, were shared to other areas, the whole course would benefit greatly.

This is a great little course, with magnificent views of the Forth Estuary and if you’re able to play after 3pm during the week in Summer, the twilight round rate of £12 represents great value.

Key Facts

Course Type: Links

Green Fees:

weekday £18 (round), £24 (day)
weekend £22 (round), £29 (day)

Par 65 (0 par 5, 11 par 4s, 7 par 3s)

Distance(white) 4587 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 88

Moly’s Kinghorn Scorecard – 88

21. Kirriemuir. 9th July 2015

July 9, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Kirriemuir – Gateway to the Angus Glens

Summary: Round Sun-Fri £24; Sat £28 . Par 68. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Detail: Kirriemuir is the “Gateway” to the Angus Glens, the collective name for the six

Approach to 4th, with Angus Glens in the background

glens (Glens Doll, Clova, Prosen, Isla, Lethnot and Esk) which run in the same general direction stretching through the Angus countryside towards the edge of the Cairngorm National Park.

Kirriemuir, close to Glamis Castle, is one of several towns in the area with golf courses, therefore golf here can be part of a holiday, with walking, cycling and fishing being other sports abundantly on offer.

7th green at Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir is a lovely course, with spectacular open country views of the Glens, particularly on the front 9. The course is not long, so if you get off the tee well, you’ll be leaving your mid irons in the bag. I didn’t use an iron longer than an 8 off the fairway. Therefore, this is a course that most players can play well on.

13th Green at Kirriemuir looking towards the tee

The greens were excellent when I played, as were the fairways – overall a very well kept course, with ample fairways. The course has been described as Heathland, but I think Parkland if more fitting given the amount of trees. The main difficultly I faced was the slickness of the greens, which meant holding an iron onto the green difficult.

The only annoyance when I played was the use of mats on the par 3s, which given the condition of the tees was not necessary in my view.

16th Green at Kirriemuir

The highlights of the course for me, was the par 4 13th stoke index 1, which you need to be to the right of the fairway to approach the well guarded green. There was the unusual finish of par 3s at both the 16th and 17th holes, with the 17th being the toughest of the par 3s.

Long par 3 17th at Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir is a course where every level of golfer has the opportunity to play well, and is well worth a visit

Key Facts

Course Type: parkland/heathland

Green Fees:

Round: Sun-Fri £24; Sat £28
Day: Sun-Fri £32; Sat £36

Par 68 (0 par 5, 14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance(white) 5223 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 91

Moly’s Kirriemuir Scorecard – 91

20. Wee Braids. 3rd July 2015

July 7, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Wee Course – Massive Views

Summary: Midweek £22 (round) £12 (9 holes); weekend £23.25/£12.50 . Par 33. Value (out of 5) – 3

Detail:

Edinburgh views beyond the 6th green of the Wee Braids Course

The “Wee Braids”, sometimes know as the “Princes Course”, is a 9 hole golf course run by Edinburgh Council. It is on Braids Hill, on the south side of Edinburgh, accessed from the city via Morningside Road. It shares the hill with several golf courses, although it is the highest one, perched on top, which makes for quite magnificent views of Edinburgh and the Forth Estuary. Indeed, it’s worth starting any Edinburgh holiday with a round here to orientate you to the city and area: with the many restaurants and cafes of Morningside there is plenty to do for non-golfing partners.

Approach to 1st at Wee Braids

It’s a very tricky little course, with several of the tee shots and approach shots being blind, therefore its especially difficult if you only play 9 holes without any local knowledge as I did – plus it was not accessible from my golfshot mobile application, my trusty golfing companion.

5th approach at Wee Braids

The course itself, was in good condition. It is part parkland, part heathland on the upper slopes, with very dry fairways and greens, making for great difficulty getting your ball to stay on the greens.

The first 2 holes are difficult, being uphill, with the first being the SI 1 hole, and the second played through a thin channel to a very small green. The blind drive on the 5th is a particular challenge if the wind is off the left.

Wee Braids 8th green

The 8th, played through an avenue of trees, demands a straight drive; my recompense for hitting into the trees was finding about 5 balls, but not my own!

I had a bad start with an 8 at the first, then after some steady holes, a 7 and 8 and the 7th and 8th respectfully, made for a fairly miserable 50, versus the par 33.

Nonetheless, a nice little course, well worth a visit.

Key Facts

Course Type: parkland/heathland

Green Fees:

Round (18 holes):
Weekday (£16.50 (concession) £22.00)
Weekend (£17.35 (concession) £23.25

9 holes:
Weekday (£9.00 (concession), £12.00)
Weekend (£9.35 (concession), £12.50)

Par 33 (0 par 5, 6 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance(white) 2390 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 50

Moly’d Wee Braids Scorecard – 50

19. Camperdown. 2 July 2015. CLOSED

July 7, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Camperdown’s 1st hole – a wonderful start.

This might just be the best value golf in Scotland, if not the World!

Summary: Midweek £20 (round); £30 (day); weekend £25/£35 . Par 71. Value (out of 5) – 5

Detail: This championship quality golf course is within the grounds of Camperdown Country Park, on the North-East boundary of Dundee. The course is carved into the wonderful woodland surrounding, with many holes being unseen from each other. This, coupled with the undulating fairways, make it a truly great layout. Add the excellent fairway, green, tee and bunker conditions and the £20 per round fee, and you have incredible value golf.

Camperdown 3rd Green in bloom

Golfing visitors should make every effort to play at Camperdown, and ask themselves this question: Have I played better value golf anywhere else in the world? I have played golf in many countries and nothing comes close in pay per play value.

The long Avenue of trees which mark the 11th at Camperdown

Described in the national press as one of the ‘Magnificent 7’ courses in ‘Carnoustie Country’, this is a ‘must play’ for every level of golfer. However, be aware it is a tough test of golf, especially the back 9, which is more penal off the tee than the front 9, compounded by the legs starting to tire on this long walk.

I was out in 46 and back in 56, with a typically mercurial round: only 3 over for the first 6 holes, I was 18 over for the next 6, and a 9 at the 16th scuppered any chance of breaking 100. My 29 stableford points using 7/8 allowance, is a better reflection of my play.

Moly on Camperdown’s 13th Green

There are many fine holes at Camperdown, with the key premium being straight off the tee, the best example being the par 5 11th, played down a long avenue of trees with a small dog leg to the green, making it inaccessible in 2 shots (to my eye anyway!).

The magnificent backdrop to the 18th at Camperdown

The 18th is a magnificent final hole, played towards the Camperdown House with a wide variety of trees in view.

Although off course facilities are limited, the golf course is the star here – I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Key Facts

Course Type: Woodland

Green Fees:

Weekday £20 round (£16 concession), £30 day
Weekend £25 round (£19 concession), £35 day
Winter Greens £12

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance(yellow) yards

Moly’s Gross score: 102

Moly’s Camperdown Scorecard – 46 out, 56 back!

Category: Course Owned By (Page 40 of 45)

22. Kinghorn. 14th July 2015

Par 65 (0 par 5, 11 par 4s, 7 par 3s)

21. Kirriemuir. 9th July 2015

Par 68 (0 par 5, 14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

20. Wee Braids. 3rd July 2015

Par 33 (0 par 5, 6 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

19. Camperdown. 2 July 2015. CLOSED

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

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