Category: under £20 (Page 6 of 11)

65. Lochore Meadows. 1st Sep 2017

September 1, 2017 / Moly McMillan

Good value 9 hole course managed by Fife Golf Trust

Summary: Round £12. Par 36. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Lochore Meadows 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. 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 1st at Lochore Meadows, with a mine shaft a reminder of better times for this poor area.

Lochore Meadows Golf Course, located within Lochore Meadows Country Park, was formerly called Ballingry Golf Course. It was founded in 1981.

The country park is just north of Lochgelly, in the Benarty area, comprising the separate villages of Ballingry, Lochore, Crosshill, and Glencraig; this is a poor part of Scotland still in need of economic regeneration following the demise of the coal mining industry – a former mine shaft being a major feature to the left of the first hole.

The 3rd green at Lochore Meadows.

The 9 hole golf course is really good value. It has a very traditional layout with 2 par 3s and 2 par 5s, and at over 3000 yards, from the yellow tees, is a full length course. It was also in very good condition when I played, with the medal tees looking like they would have been at home on a much more prestigious Fife course.

The par 5 8th hole at Lochore Meadows with the hazard in play for the second shot.

The fairways are very generous so you can take driver on most holes. There is also a stream running across the course which comes into play on the 1st, 8th and 9th. The large greens were also in great condition when I played.

There are some lovely views of the surrounding hillsides, which coupled with the good course, means that it is worth travelling to play Lochore Meadows.

Key Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 36 (2 par 5s, 5 par 4s, 2 par 3s)

Distance (yellow):3010

Moly’s Gross score: 48.

Moly’s Lochore Meadows scorecard – 48 for 16 points (off 17 hcp)

58. Falkland. 12th Dec 2016.

December 12, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Flat uninteresting course with a football pitch on the second fairway!

Round (9 holes) £10. Par 34. Value (out of 5) 2

I had been looking forward to playing Falkland, home of the historic Falkland Palace, for such a long time. As a sought after location in Fife, within commuting distance to Edinburgh and set close to the Lomond Hills, I had been expecting much more than I found. Especially, after reading of the “undulating parkland with breathtaking views” on the club’s web site.

8th at Falkland, the only 2 tier green on the course

So here are the facts: the course is very flat; the 2 dog leg holes (7 and 9) are enforced through right angle fences of adjacent property; and there is a football pitch on the 2nd fairway! There are, granted, some nice views of the Lomond Hills but they are in no way “breathtaking”.

The 2nd fairway at Falkland and football pitch!

The 9 hole course was founded in 1902. However, there are records of golf being played on 3rd Feb 1503 in the vicinity of the Palace by King James in a match against the Earl of Boswell who reportedly won.

On the day I played, the clubhouse was closed although the green keeper was very friendly, and also fully engaged on treating the greens to rid them of the moss which has set in.

Approach to the 7th at Falkland with Lomond Hills in view

The course presents an interesting challenge off the tee, if you are a hooker of the ball that is, with out of bounds coming into play on holes 1, 2, 3 and 7. Other than that there wasn’t much to write about of interest, other than the view beyond the 9th green of the majestic Falkland Palace.

Approach to the 9th at Falkland with the Palace in the background

Ata price of £15 for 18 holes, this is a course, in my opinion, suited for those taking up golf or just an occasional golfer, but likely to be a disappointment to many well travelled golfers. On the day I shot 43, including hitting it out of bounds at the 3rd!

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 34 (1 par 5, 5 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance yards: 2494

Moly’s Gross Score: 43

Moly’s Falkland 9 hole scorecard – 43

56. Portobello. 25th Oct 2016.

November 4, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Easy walking 9 hole public course – but a no rake policy!

Round £9.30. Par 32. Value (out of 5) 1.5

Portobello is a short 9 hole pay-for-play course operated by Edinburgh Leisure, which manages 6 golf courses on behalf of Edinburgh Council; an annual 7-day membership to play all courses costs around only £400 – excellent value. However, Edinburgh Leisure’s pricing policy, with all courses priced the same on a pay-per-play basis, makes Portobello very poor value compared with the other more substantial courses (e.g. Braid Hills) on offer. That is a great shame.

1st green at Portobello, with good view of Arthur’s seat over this flat course.

It is a short, open and easy walking course of only 2566 yards, with some excellent views of Arthur’s seat, one of Edinburgh’s signature landmarks.

There is however little variation on this course, with only a couple of playing highlights of note. The 6th approach shot over a bunker some 40 yards in front of the green provides a distance judgment challenge, with the green being one of the few sloping ones. The signature hole is the long par 3 9th at nearly 200 yards and requiring a fairway wood for most I suspect.

Approach at the 6th at Portobello

The only memory of the club which will endure was the chat I had with the starter attendant, who explained the policy of not leaving rakes in the bunkers, due to the theft risk. This is a great shame, and I concluded that a better policy might be to at least put the rakes out in the morning and then take them in when the starter box closes.

The signature 9th at Portobello

The greens were in OK condition, but the tees were poor, and of course the bunkers at the mercy of the previous occupant.

Overall, a good course to learn on, or if you’re looking for a quick 9 holes.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 32 (5 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance yards: 2566

Moly’s Gross Score: 44

Moly’s Portobello scorecard – 44 (12 over)

51. Ballindalloch Castle. 11th Sep 2016.

September 16, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Creatively ambitious Highland Estate course with single malt 19th hole

Round £15(9)/£25(18). Par 36(72). Value (out of 5) 4.

Ballindalloch Castle golf course is 14 miles north east of Grantown on Spey and sits alongside the River Avon not far from it’s confluence with the River Spey. The Castle has been the home of the Macpherson-Grant family since it was finished in 1546; the golf course is a little younger, having been designed by 2 of the more prestigious designers around, Donald Steel and Tom MacKenzie, in 2002-3. They obviously work well together, having also designed the well regarded Carnegie layout at Skibo Castle – maybe they just like castles?

Approach to the 1st (Par 5) or 10th (Par 4) – a difficult green to reach in regulation.

The resulting golf course, with views of hills and birch woods, is a rather marvelous and pleasantly surprising layout at 6417 yards from the white tees. Although a “9 hole” course, there are 18 tees, with many of the tee combinations significantly altering the front and back 9s – I would strongly recommend playing 18 holes to appreciate the architectural cleverness of this Steel and MacKenzie design.

The magnificent 4th / 13th at Ballindalloch Castle – here showing the 2nd shot view.

The effect of the different tees, is exemplified straight away with the 1st playing as a par 5 at 488 yards, but the 10th as a par 4 at 405 yards – however, the westerly prevailing wind make both holes very difficult. The tees at the 5th/14th are 100 yards apart, with the 14th playing as a near 90 degree dog leg right. Arguably most stark is the par 3 7th/16th, where I suspect most players need at least a rescue club on the 7th, but only a wedge on 16th; the holes are 70 yards different in length.

The 7th/16th green (here showing the 16th tee view)

As I played around this very ambitious project for a highland estate, I was struck with how fitting the course adds to the colourful history of the castle, which is the original home of the Black Watch, the oldest of the Highland regiments, and also the place where Captain W.E. Johns wrote many of his Biggles stories.

View from behind the 7th/16th green at Ballindalloch

View from behind the 8th/17th green at Ballindalloch

The course was in excellent condition when I played, which I suspect might be helped by the relatively small number of members and players the course attracts. I guess it’s because not many people want to travel too far “just for 9 holes”. I think they are making a big mistake – this must be one of the best 9 hole courses in Scotland, and it is very competitively priced against its Strathspey and Baddenoch neighbours.

The 12th tee at Ballindalloch

On the day, I played pretty poorly, scoring 103 for 23 points, although I was only 1 over for the 4 par 3s.

Finally, there is plenty to keep non golfing family members busy on the estate, which has also recently opened a whisky distillery right next door to the golf course, again reinforcing this highland estate’s ambition.

I highly recommend playing at Ballindalloch Castle.

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 72 (4 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance Yards 6170 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross Score: 103

Moly’s Ballindalloch scorecard – 103, for 23 points!