A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Local Authority (Page 2 of 6)

136. Troon Links (Darley). 29 Mar 22.

Modernity and Tradition collide full on at this South Ayrshire Council course, which exposes the real challenges facing Scottish Golf everywhere – if you become a local councilor, beware the “golf brief”

Round £dynamic – typically £37. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.1/123. Value (out of 5) – 4

Scotland has a tradition of great municipal courses, some of the world’s best. However, green fees and subscriptions often don’t cover costs, taxpayers paying the deficit, making municipal golf a political hot potato.

The 18th green at Darley with the impressive clubhouse serving the 3 Troon Links Municipal courses.

‘Golf South Ayrshire’ operates 8 municipal courses; Troon Links (Lochgreen, Fullarton, Darley), Belleisle Park Ayr (Belleisle, Seafield), Ayr Dalmilling, North Carrick Maybole, and South Carrick Girvan. In 2021 the Council’s new golfing strategy, to address a £300,000 annual deficit in the golf budget, resulted in annual 7 day membership to play all 8 courses rising by almost 50% to just over £500. This received extensive press coverage including “South Ayrshire golfers hit out at council’s ‘enforced changes’ to sport”, (Daily Record).

An overplayed and under cared for Troon Darley course.

In stark contrast, I recently visited Monteray in California, where a green fee at any one of the three headline ‘public’ Pebble Beach courses (Pebble Beach Links, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay Links) would have cost nearly $700. So, the price to play all eight Golf South Ayrshire courses as often as you want in a year, is about the same as a single green fee at a Pebble Beach course.

Why can’t you play with your practice swing? – Moly at the 11th, a par four over 400 yards. The fairways were pretty rough.

It’s little wonder, that golf holidaying Americans think golf is still cheap in Scotland, even when paying £300+ for a round at Royal Troon. The clubhouses of municipal Troon (Darley) Links and Open venue Royal Troon are less than a mile, but yet a world, apart.

There are two tiers of access to golf in Scotland. First, courses for the masses, like Troon Darley Links, which is incredibly affordable. Second, courses in the (say) top100 Scottish golf courses for the lucky local residents and/or those often professionally or family connected to existing members. These second category courses, have visitor green fees ranging from £140 to £300+ per round , equivalent to as much as about 25% to 50% of the lucky members’ annual subscriptions. Members of these affluent courses never relinquish membership readily and only wealthy visitors can afford green fees (Kingsbarns rate for 2023 will be £374, or more than £20 per hole).

The four par 3s at Darley, clockwise from top left; 4th, 9th, 12th and 16th. The highlight at Darley.

The truth is, the vast majority of the Scottish golfing public playing “The People’s Game” will never play an Open venue.

Admittedly, the concept of “Scottish Resident” rates have emerged at the very expensive courses, but these are still sometimes up to £200. Scottish Golf have also introduced lotteries for members of all Scottish clubs to play at the great courses, typically at about £300-£400 per 4-ball, but these are limited and only available in the winter season.

Add into the mix the growing use of Golf discounted green fee apps, such as Golfnow, and you have an interesting time for golf pricing. Interestingly, the top clubs never appear on Golfnow, in fact you can probably gauge the wealth of a club by how many tee time are available on these apps.

Fran teeing off at the par five 6th hole, at 535 yards from the red tee.

Strategically, looking at the bigger economic picture in Scotland, which still has well over 600 courses, it has more courses per person, per GDP, than any other country with more than 200 courses. In effect, the economy is not big enough to sustain the cheaper “courses for the masses”. This is one of the reasons behind the number of course closures since 2000.

I played Darley, one of the 3 Troon Links courses, on an unseasonably warm March day. I paid only £16.99 (via Golfnow), against the typical £37 for the summer rate, albeit the Troon Links website does advocate ‘dynamic pricing’, responding, in part, to users using the competing commercial green fee apps.

The course was basically ‘beaten up’, by the volume of winter play. I met a number of people who are based in Glasgow, whose courses are waterlogged in winter, and who make the short trip down the coast.

The burn in front of the 14th, a fairly long par four, which was a card wrecker for Moly, carding an 8.

The greens had held up, but the tees, fairways and bunkers were unkempt. There were very few rakes in the bunkers (the pandemic was ending and no longer an excuse). On advising one of the three people who were chatting in the green fee kiosk of the rakes situation, I got the comment “we thought all the locals would have all had a rake by now!”

Maybe the Ayrshire golfers complaining to the Daily Record, had contextualised their criticism on fees, with the ‘condition of the courses’. And there lies another conundrum – it takes effort and money to produce a course in great playing condition, and increasing fees restricts the volume of demand, making it good for the members. I’m not saying all this is easy to balance.

The tee shot at the 5th at Darley, the stroke index 1 par four a 411 yards, displaying the links land.

The Troon Links clubhouse has been a major investment for the Darley, Lochgreen and Fullarton courses.

As to the Darley course itself, between the pretty benign opening two holes and the closing two holes, the holes 3 through 16, represent a decent links layout, on firm turf, several good bunkers, with gorse lined fairways, and some tricky greens. Its a good test of golf, albeit the signage to navigate between holes would be a good investment. The four par 3s are the highlight for me, with the 9th standing up well to many more expensive club par threes; its the really stand out hole at Darley.

The 158 yard par three 9th hole, the absolutely stand out hole at Darley. Brilliant green complex.

I had a mixed round, with birdies at the 4th and 10th, but then 2 triples and 1 quadruple bogie at the 14th. So my gross 91, equated to 32 points off 15. Not bad for me.

It must be said that South Ayrshire Council probably leads the way in the provision of Municipal golf in Scotland. I would advocate more investment on the courses please, even if the price needs to rise a little. A good value course, which could have been really great value with a little more attention.

Incidentally, I decided not to play the main Pebble Beach courses, instead I had a good walk around ‘The Links at Spanish Bay’, and nearly had to pay excess baggage for the about 150 golf balls (All grade A) I found in less than an hour!

Course Type: Links

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

Distance: 5984 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score91

Moly’s Troon Darley scorecard. 91, but a very mixed bag with a couple of birdies and 4 blobs.

132. Grangemouth. 24 Mar 22.

Forget the industrial surround to experience Scottish golfing value at its best

Round £15. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 69/121. Value (out of 5) – 5

As long as courses like Grangemouth remain open and accessible, Scotland will easily retain its lead in providing the best value golf worldwide. At only £10 for a ‘winter round’ or £15 for summer, this is as good value golf as you can get.

You quickly realise the quality on offer at Grangemouth, with the approach at the first hole.

But Grangemouth Golf Club and it’s courses, have not always had a guaranteed existence and the Scottish golfing community can’t take venues like Grangemouth for granted – its history is worth dwelling on.

The current parkland municipal course, opened in 1974 by the local council, is just outside the village of Polmont and close to junction 4 of the M9 motorway. However, the first Grangemouth golf course can be traced back to the mid 1890s, and its growth and decline are charted on the excellent web site “Forgotten Greens of Scotland”. After a few false starts, a 9 hole course opened in 1908 at Abottsgrange, including greens created through “beating, rolling, sanding, cutting”. A “small shelter was built to protect against the ‘Sudden Blast'”. Initially there were 113 men and 67 lady members, highlighting the non sexist nature of golf in Scotland. A clubhouse was soon built but burned down in 1924, with the most informative comment being the sad loss of 200 sets of clubs, “only those few who took clubs away at the weekend were saved”.

The original Grangemouth members. We should never take the longevity of courses for granted.

By the early 1950s the course, now with 18 holes, became a victim of a mix of expanding urban growth, the building of a new Scottish Central airfield and political wrangling within Stirling County and the local Town councils. This led to the closure of that course in 1954, now the sight of a school and housing estate, with the political promise of a new replacement course on Polmonthill. It was finally established 30 years later! Politics.

The long par four 8th, “Gambler’s Gap” (you can see it), the most difficult hole.

Arguably, the current course was worth the wait. At well over 6000 yards, this undulating layout, bordering Polmont Woods, is very challenging. When I played, on a fine March day, along with my old friend Frank Crowe and two of his friends, Colin Campbell (a local member) and Ian Ponton, it was in remarkable condition. It beggared belief that it is maintained by only two greenkeepers; the greens were first class.

My playing partners in action.
Top – Ian Ponton at the 2nd; Bottom left Colin at the 15th; Frank at the 18th.

The course has won a “Scottish Municipal Course of the Year” award in the past, and you could see why. The bunkers, where admittedly more rakes were needed, and tees, could have been a bit sprucer; but this was golf costing about the same as two pints of beer, with high summer rates still being well short of £20. If any international tourists wanted to see what is on offer elsewhere in Scotland, other than the heady courses in nearby Fife or East Lothian costing over 10 times the green fee, this would be a great course to play.

There are some memorable holes, not least the brilliantly framed par fours first and fourth holes, both played uphill into well bunkered greens. The signature hole, “Reflections”, the par three seventh at 178 yards, played over a resevoir, left me ‘reflecting’ how I racked up a 7, including my first ball finding the water.

The par three 7th. Is there a finer visual par three on any other UK municipal course?

The greens were very tricky, as my seven 3 putts attest; this was due to the large and sloping nature of them, not the surfaces which were true. My gross 90, therefore, indicting my otherwise decent ball striking.

The overall layout has a nice variety of dog leg holes, blind shots, and some easier respite holes to catch the odd birdie or par. The four par 3s, collectively, are the course highlight for me.

The great framing on the par four 4th hole. A tough challenge to reach the green in two here.

It is worth getting ready for the industrial views of the refinery, which only comes into view on a few holes, most notably at the 11th and 12th. Also nearby is one of the largest land fill sites in Scotland, but local member Colin commented that there was never any impact from smells. I would not let the local industrial surround put you off playing Grangemouth, it’s actually a reason to go.

The very difficult long par four 11th (a par five from the white tees), with the inset showing the view at the tee of Colin, Ian and Frank (L to R) with the Grangemouth refinery in the background

The course, laid out as 4 loops of holes, makes it easy to just play a few holes, or cut out some of the track. As I was leaving, I saw a local member, taking advantage by jumping onto the back nine. He was a old guy, in jeans and t-shirt, whose clubs looked like they could have survived the 1924 fire. “Could be the Algarve” I said, commenting on the unseasonal weather. “Aye, yer right, ma five pals have gone tae Turkey and its pissing down and four o’ them have caught that ‘covee’, ****ing brilliant eh!”

Frank and I, played Colin and Ian, in a tightly contested four ball game that went to the last. Well played everyone, a memorable day’s golf on one of the finest municipal courses in the world. Now that is “****ing brilliant”.

Play Grangemouth. Its currently going through a change from municipal to private management, so you never know how long it might be there.

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (2 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance: 6077 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score90

Moly’s 90 scorecard at Grangemouth, for 31 stableford points, on this brilliant value golf course.

129. Strathclyde Park. 21 Mar 22.

A challenging Council “9 holer”

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 score48

Moly lost count of the number of 3 putt greens on this tough 9 hole council course. Played better than 48 suggests.

127. Winterfield. 26 Sep 21.

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 score88

Moly’s decent round of 88, for 30 stableford points, including a 10 at the par four 12th hole!
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