Arboretum type vision creates framing ‘For the Ages’
Value for Money (out of 5) – 5
It takes vision to plant an arboretum as its creator is dead by the time planting has matured, something both sad and somewhat magical. This was how I felt playing one of James Braid’s canvasses – East ‘Ren’.
The beautifully framed par four 2nd hole at East Ren from its elevated tee.
In 1922 when Braid designed this moorland layout there were almost no trees and this is a great example how courses evolve over the years.
The original open heathland vista of East Ren, a picture courtesy of the golf club. The clubhouse is still in use.
Looking at the original open heathland layout of the course in 1922, one wonders whether Braid imagined what the course would become? If he did, he really was visionary, because the course is now a beautiful mix of holes and incredibly framed by fir trees. I could have published pictures of every hole.
The great conditioning of East Ren shown here at the 4th green, the 135 yard par three, which also demonstrates the large bunkering on many holes.
This very bonny golf course was in great condition when we played, despite the recent wet weather. It fully justifies its high placing in lists of Scotland’s finest courses.
The downhill dog leg left 331 yard par four 6th hole.
With constantly changing directions and a great use of the sloping braes, Braid’s course is one that you’ll want to come back to again and again. It’s a tough walk in places, no more so than the severe uphill par three 11th, “Brae Shouther”, at over 200 yards.
Moly at the difficult 200 yard par three 7th hole.
There are also many slight dog leg holes, and the odd blind shot thrown in for good measure. The bunkering is strong, yet the fairways are overall pretty generous. The greens subtle, but not overly sloping.
The approach at the par five 14th hole, with the burn challenging the longer hitters, attempting to go for the green in two.
The use of craftily routed burns, feeding the adjacent reservoir, means strategy off the tee is a consideration. Overall, it’s an architectural gem, clearly benefitting from Braid’s growing experience by the early 1920s.
The beautiful 17th at East Ren, yet another hole with excellent framing.
Almost every hole is materially different from its predecessor, many with outstanding view of the Renfrewshire countryside. This is a ‘must play’ course and in the top handful of Scottish moorland courses.
The excellent short 13th hole, at only 120 yards the shortest hole.
Go out of your way to play East ‘Ren’, which has shot towards the top of courses I would like to play regularly.
Facts:
Round List Price £75.Actual Paid £30 through Golfnow.
Quirky opening fairway at club with “progressive” ambitions.
Value for Money (out of 5) – 4
As a friendly Starter briefed me, I was pre-occupied by two groups of golfers only 40 yards in front of the first tee – one group on the 16th tee the other on the 2nd green. As a wayward driver, I was trying to remember if I had paid my annual golf insurance. His summarised message had been, “take great care!”.
The good conditioning of Uphall seen from the 1st tee. It’s a hazardous area, with both teeing ground and greens in immediate view – take great care.
Uphall’s first and second holes share a fairway with a green at either end, which I reasoned may have been okay at the turn of the 19th century, when balls didn’t travel so far and times were less litigious. I kept musing on this somewhat dangerous layout, my feelings later reinforced when I met a long standing member who told me “someone’s going to get seriously hurt one day”.
The par 3 third hole – Uphall’s best hole in my opinion, where one has to avoid the Brox Burn.
The golf course (in the village of the same name) sits either side of the A899 with holes 1 to 3, and 15 to 18 on the north side, and holes 4 through 14 on the south. It is near Junction 3 of the M8, and therefore very accessible from any direction.
Autumn colour on display into the trickily placed 5th green, a short par 4.
This Central Scotland location, coupled with the interesting course layout makes for a good society venue, albeit at the time of writing the club are yet to rebuild the clubhouse which was sadly burnt down during the Covid Pandemic.
The mature Uphall parkland on view here as Fran drives at the tough par four 8th hole.
Much of the course lies amongst mature parkland, once part of the Houstoun House Estate. The estate ‘castle’, dating back to 1598, is now a MacDonald Hotel, and sits behind the 4th, 5th and 6th holes.
At just 5366 yards from the yellow tees, with a slope rating of 113, I should have been challenging 80, whereas I didn’t break 100 in the wet and windy autumnal conditions. My score wasn’t helped by losing 3 balls in the leaves. It was very picturesque though with the trees in good colour.
The par three 16th, “burn”, where good club selection is needed at this 95 yard hole (yellow).
With four par threes and only one par five, the courses variety was aided by a good variety of par fours, from the drivable downhill second hole of 293 yards, to the stroke index 1, 14th at over 400 yards.
Moly’s short approach into the par five 11th at Uphall.
The course was in decent condition, with good turf, and is likely a delight on a dry Summer day. I paid only £18 through golfnow.com, a sizable discount on the £30 list price. Overall, I give this 4 out of 5 for value, and worth checking out. Just take great care on the first tee shot.
The short dog leg right par four 17th hole at only 240 yards is a good birdie chance, but be mindful not to run out of fairway like Moly did.
It’s worth noting the Club’s commitment to junior golfers, with its website declaring “a strong focus on the development of our Junior players”, well done.
Facts:
Round List Price £25.Actual Paid £18 using Golfnow.com
Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 65.9/113.
Course Type:Parkland
Par 69 (1 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 4 par 3s)
Distance (yellow): 5366 yards
Moly’s scorecard – high winds didn’t help, but it was a poor day.
Round £65. Par 70. Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 70.1/124. Value (out of 5) – 5
Moly’s score – 96
In immaculate condition, I still found a rabbit hole at Lanark and one which didn’t afford a free drop. Lanark’s website claimed a brilliant story; “In 1920 the LSM Railway Company decided, only on the casting vote of its chairman, to build its hotel at Gleneagles rather than Lanark.”
The beautifully stunning Lanark golf course evident from the first tee, a 350 yard par four.
Disappointingly, I couldn’t find corroboration for Lanark’s story; for example, the excellent 1951 club’s centenary history makes no mention of the ‘Gleneagles’ decision. Jamie Darling, of Lanark GC, was very helpful in my enquiries, but he too found evidence elusive.
The challenging 4th, here the view from 200 yards, at this 430 yard par four stroke index 1 hole.
The more I researched, the more convinced I am The Gleneagles resort vision existed long before 1920; in fact as early as 1910 by Perthshire born Donald Matheson, the Chief Engineer with Caledonian Railways. The Kings course opened in 1919, with the final hotel site decided around 1920. Matheson later became the GM of Caledonian Railways, then Dep GM in Scotland for LMS, and seems likely the driving force.
The sixth requires two “Sunday best” shots to get close to the green at this uphill par four.
Lanark, unlike Gleneagles, is one of the UK’s best kept golfing secrets – a quite beautiful moorland course, nestled 600 feet up in the Clyde Valley of South Lanarkshire, only 25 miles from Glasgow’s city centre. The town is an ancient burgh and historically important, evidenced by the golf course being one of the oldest “inland” courses in the world. A full 18 holes was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1897, although some holes are traced back to 1851.
The delightful 125 yard seventh – played downhill to a web of bunkers.The 8th is seen beyond and is the only hole playing the same direction as its predecessor.
This tough course was in majestic condition when I played in good playing conditions yet still struggled to break 100 – I had one of those rounds where you play better than you score. The turf is very firm and certainly played like a links. With beautifully crafted greens and surrounds, I suspect anyone playing to handicap will have made several single putts.
The exquisite condition of the course, seen here at the uphill par three 10th at 147 yards, adorned in Autumn sunshine.
The course is well laid out with constant changes in direction (except the 7th and 8th), so wind is always a strong consideration, especially as the course sits high up in exposed countryside. My only (very slight) criticism is that the approach to the second can be confusing; I hit into the 14th green, to be met by some members telling me “loads of visitors do that!”; later in my round I was advising other visitors the same!
Approach to the 11th, with OOB getting closer at the greenside.
The fairways are pretty generous, but miss these and the rough is at times very brutal. With discounts available through golfnow.com, I paid only £32, which was outstanding value.
I would really love to be able to confirm that Gleneagles is “The Lanark of the North”. It would be nice if anyone could point me to evidence of the chairman’s decision to validate the club’s great story. For the record, Henry Allan, was Caledonian Railway chairman between 1918-23, are would be the “Chairman” in Lanark’s claim.
It’s worth going out of your way to play Lanark, a wonderful moorland course, arguably one of Scotland’s very best.
Round £80. Par 69. Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 70.6/127. Value (out of 5) – 5
Moly’s Score – 98
Southerness, pronounced ‘Sutherness’, is a beautifully deceptive and top quality golf course. But, had it not been for an unsuccessful search for coal, it may not exist.
The par four 14th, the original 1st hole, with the abundant ‘blooming’ heather.
Southern Scotland’s bloody history of struggle amongst noblemen jockeying between the warring Scots and English, meant choosing the right marriage or alliance determined life or death and, invariably, who came to own the land.
In Tudor fallout, James Douglas, Earl of Morton, was executed under the rule of James VI, by means of a Maiden (a pre-cursor to the Guillotine) in 1581, and his land in the Southerness area resorted to the Maxwell clan.
The second, a 400+ yard par 4, and stroke index 3. A characteristic hole at Southerness.
The land was then sold to Richard Oswald, a successful Scottish merchant and friend of US Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, in the 1700s, with an intent to mine for coal. This instigated the building of the small village of Southerness and one of the world’s first lighthouses. No coal was ever found and the land lay largely undisturbed.
The beautiful approach view to the par four 3rd. The tree says it all about the prevailing wind.
One of Richard Oswald’s name sake descendants, on returning from fighting in the second world war, mercifully decided to build a golf course, which opened in 1947. Presumably as an antidote to the horrors of his war.
This history puts our golfing and life woes in context. As you play Southerness, on its serene and beautiful landscape, perhaps feel blessed that most of our lives have not shed or witnessed the blood compared with those who went before us.
The 12th green has been shored up over the years by the club. Another tough par four.
Set on the north bank of the Solway Firth, with outstanding views towards the Lake District, Oswald had the foresight to engage one of the great architects of his generation, Philip MacKenzie Ross. Often referred to just as ‘MacKenzie Ross’, a name seemingly destined to be a course designer, Southerness is his masterpiece.
The sixth hole, at 367 yards, here showing the exceptional conditioning of the course.
The golf course is a little off the beaten track, and without other world class courses in the immediate area, the pricing reflects that needed detour. I paid only £50 for a late August twilight and, starting at 3pm, had the course virtually to myself. The sun was out, it was warm, but the breeze was up – it was heavenly links golf weather. With the heather starting to bloom along with the Scottish light of late summer, it was aesthetically stunning.
The 4th, one of the five par 3s, has brilliant bunkering. Here showing views towards the “marilyn” Criffel.
In immaculate condition, the course was scheduled to host a Scottish Seniors matchplay championship the following week, and is clearly a worthy championship venue. Albeit it’s a deceptive course on the eye.
From the tee it looks very generous. However, unlike many great Scottish links, which have rough solely of fescue and bent grasses, Southerness is surrounded by heather; find this and you’re doing well to get double bogie. The heather wraps round the club head, meaning your next shot is often still from the heather.
The approach to the par four 8th, displaying one of the features of MacKenzie Ross’s design – the use of deceptive bunkers about 50 yards short of the green.
Having racked up six triple bogies, by missing fairways, my advice would be to consider a penalty drop from the heather if it results in a decent lie, especially if two club lengths reaches the fairway. Had I taken 6 penalty drops my score would have been lower.
The course starts with three very difficult holes, although this is not MacKenzie Ross’s original layout. In 1974, the building of the current clubhouse, changed the order of the holes. The original 6th hole became the new opening hole, and all others follow the same designed order of play. The club’s website has an excellent history of the course here.
The stroke index 1 hole – the 9th, a par four of 404 yards – again showing the immaculate course condition. One of my triple bogie holes.
The club’s website also says ” a course for all abilities”. Whilst I normally loathe such ‘sound bites’, I think they have a point, since there are no long carries, little water other than the odd ditch, and pot bunkers that are penal but not impossible. The construction of the greens and surrounds, coupled with pin positions, could make this course almost unplayable in certain wind conditions. With centrally placed pins and benign conditions, high handicappers could score well – not always the case in new design – as long as you miss the heather! It’s a wonderfully crafted course.
The approach to the 13th was the original finishing hole at Southerness, fittingly with the club’s emblematic lighthouse in the background. With the small village of Southerness on show, looking towards the Lake District over the Solway Firth.
Southerness is well worth a detour for any visiting golfer, it’s the best isolated course in Scotland for me. Despite my poor 98, I still had as much enjoyment as I’ve ever had on a golf course.
If you found the history pre-amble interesting, I would recommend The Lymond Chronicles, by Dorothy Dunnett, one of Scotland’s greatest writers, which tells the warring stories in 16th century Scotland, including many Douglas’ and Maxwell’s.
