Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Course Quality (Page 5 of 44)

This is a subjective assessment of the course, out of 5, based on a range of factors, including Design and Greenkeeping standard (tees, fairways, bunkers and greens)

160. Ladybank. 21 Aug 22.

January 15, 2023 /

One of Scotland’s highest rated heathland courses.

Round £120. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (white) 73.6/133. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Moly’s score – 97

Fife has some of the world’s greatest links golf courses, but at Ladybank, only 15 miles west of St Andrews, you will find a heathland golf course rated in Scotland’s top 50. Used as a final qualifying venue for The Open, when hosted in St Andrews, Ladybank is a great test of your game.

The green at the first at Ladybank, a good par 4 of 373 yards, lets you know what you are in for.

The course is in an area called the Howe of Fife, a low-lying strip of land that follows the course of the River Eden towards St Andrews. This flat piece of land was mostly marshland and peat bog before 1800, and the village was originally named Lady’bog’ by the monks of Lindores Abbey from Newburgh.

The par four 5th, so characteristic of Ladybank.

For some unrecorded reason the railway station, built in the 1840s, was called Ladybank, after which time the village adopted this name. So the golf course can trace its name to a railway station.

The 10th at Ladybank, a par 3 of 172 yards, with the beautiful heathland terrain on show.

Unlike the station, which is one of the most unchanged in Scotland, the golf course has undergone an evolution. In 1879, 6 holes were laid out by Old Tom Morris, who being 58 was past his golfing peak but golf course design was becoming much called for. The course became 18 holes only in 1962, designed by Laurie Auchterlonie (son of Open Champion Willie Auchterlonie), but you wouldn’t be able to choose which was the most recent 9, because the course flows so well.

Kilsyth member Ian Carstairs driving at the 14th, a very strong par 4 over 400 yards.

It’s a classic low-lying heathland setting. Flat terrain, fast running sandy turf, set amongst pine and silver birch trees, with great natural drainage. The club’s emblem is a red squirrel, the heathland setting providing an ideal habitat.

April Carstairs hits her second shot at the par 5 13th hole.

I can understand why some people find such heathland settings a little repetitive , with most holes being tree lined, obscuring any surrounding landscape. In Ladybank’s case, this is more than overcome by spectacular greenside design, a number of subtle dog leg left and right holes, genuine par 5s and a strong set of par 3s. This is the type of course better players will have to choose which side of the fairways to avoid being short sighted into the green. It deserves the high slope rating of 133 from the white tees.

The 3rd, with its brilliant green, a difficult par 4. Leaving it a bit short was a good result.

Fran and I played in the Mixed Pairs event, one of several open competitions held at Ladybank each year. Open events are a great Scottish tradition, which started in the mid 1800s, at the embryonic time of golf’s domestic growth. We paid only £60 per pair, incredible value. The full rate for a round of £120 is, I believe, starting to price out most Scottish peripatetic golfers, hence the growing popularity of open competitions. We were paired with Kilsyth members, couple Ian and April Carstairs, and we had a great time playing in their company.

The 9th, so characteristic of Ladybank.

We played well collectively, with a better ball 68 (3 under), finishing 27th of 70 pairs. The course was suffering from the recent dry spell with fairways burnt and incredibly fast running. The greens were firm and very fast. Despite the abundent trees, they were well managed and balls could easily be found. If I was to play again I would take more notice to the distances to the flags, as there was quite a lot of dead ground, which coupled to the length of greens could make 2 or 3 clubs extra needed to what a shot might look like.

Worth playing Ladybank, a great open venue.

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

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

Distance (white): 6616 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 97

Moly’s individually kept scorecard of 97, which contributed to Fran and his net 3 under for the Mixed Pairs Open at Ladybank.

159. Carnoustie Buddon. 20 Aug 22.

January 12, 2023 /

With top quality greenkeeping this is the best option for mid to high handicap golfers at Carnoustie.

Round £75. Par 68. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.7/117. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Barry Buddon is a 2,300 acre peninsular between Monifieth and Carnoustie. Used as a military training area since 1850, the Scottish comedian, Billy Connelly, wrote his “weekend soldier” song based on his territorial army experiences here.

The second on The Buddon, a well bunkered par 3, with the view over the Championship Course to the right, beyond the white OOB stakes.

‘The Buddon’ is the youngest of the three Carnoustie courses. Designed by prolific golfers turned architects Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas, it was built on land previously used for military training and opened in 1981. The army range, immediately adjacent the course, is still operational, so it’s not uncommon to hear gunshots as you play. Recognising the neighbouring heritage, the holes are named after battles with the stone memorials on each tee well worth reading.

The 5th hole, “Kohima”, a par 4, named after the WW2 battle in India.

I therefore couldn’t help thinking about Billy Connelly as I played The Buddon, especially around holes 11 through 13, those closest to the military range. You might be playing exactly where Connelly lay in his camouflage dreaming up lyrics – it was during those weekend soldiering visits that Billy made his first public appearance in the Stag’s Head pub in Carnoustie in July 1962.

The beautiful bunkering and greens at The Buddon, here seen at the 4th, a mid iron par three.

Holes 2 to 5 run beside the Championship course and you clearly see you’re playing the same turf, the same immaculately contoured bunkers, the same rough – only The Buddon is much shorter. At a quarter of the price though of the main course, but with the same greenkeeping quality, you wonder why people put themselves through the potential torment of the ‘Carnastie’ layout. When I get asked “How difficult is Carnoustie?”, I tell them about a 7 handicap member, who’s never broken 80.

Moly at the 6th, the first of the non-links holes on The Buddon, a tough par 4 of nearly 400 yards.

The Buddon, on the other hand, at under 6,000 yards, offers great variety and the better opportunity to play to your handicap. I scored 86 (33 stableford points) despite winds gusting up to 40 mph. Many of the holes (6 through 16) are routed through trees, and have a distinctive heathland feel. Throw in the views towards the Sidlaws Hills and it could be the highlands. It’s consequently a great venue to discuss what constitutes a “true links”?

Fran plays from the ditch on the par four 12th hole, getting a par. Take a bow Fran.

Without the Barry Burn in play, Alliss and Thomas have made good use of man made ditches to create the same hazardous feel, albeit you can play out of the ditches. The course is generally an “out and back” layout, so the south-westerly prevailing wind is a big challenge, especially on the first 5, where OOB on the right (the boundary with the Championship course) comes into play. This was my own undoing on the third, where I hit the fairway, but on the wrong course!

The 14th, Waterloo, played with the prevailing wind, a good birdie chance, as long as you miss the large fairway bunker.

The course was in excellent condition when Fran and I played along with our host, family member Greg Kemp. The 16th was undergoing a new tee construction, but still in play from a forward mat. The greens are large and were a delight to putt on. On the day, we all played pretty well.

Greg’s power on show, driving at the last on The Buddon, a long par 4.

Of the two ‘secondary’ courses at Carnoustie, there’s little to choose from in determining which I would recommend. The Burnside has more history and is a truer links course, whereas The Buddon has more variety and is better designed. If it’s a windy day, go for The Buddon, because at least the trees give you some respite.

The short 15th hole, again showing the great bunkering on The Buddon. Thankfully its not my ball!

As to value, its a case of 3.5 for me, as the price of £75 is inflated due to its Carnoustie Championship companion. Having said that, if you ‘need’ to play on Carnoustie, this is probably the best option if you’re not single figures.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 68  (2 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5652 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 86

Moly’s Buddon scorecard – a solid 86, especially in very high winds.

158. The Heritage Links, at Playsport Golf EK (East Kilbride). 19 Aug 22.

January 11, 2023 /

Like watching a ‘tribute band’, very enjoyable but at times a bit ‘corny’.

Round £15. Par 32. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 32.1/116. Value (out of 5) – 4

Moly’s Score – 44

‘Playsport’ is a multi-sport commercial site in north East Kilbride, a town of almost 80,000 making it the 6th most populated conurbation in Scotland. ‘Playsport Golf’, the golfing brand of the business, operates a two-tier driving range, a very large golf store and a 9 hole course, called Heritage Links.

The 5th at The Heritage, inspired by the 4th at Royal St George’s with it’s “Himalayas” Bunker on show. Both this hole and the inspiration from Sandwich are similar length.

As the name suggests, Heritage Links is a homage to Open Championship venues, with each hole inspired from a specific hole of the world’s best links courses.

The final hole at The Heritage, homage to Royal Lytham’s short 9th hole, the only hole numbered the same as the doner inspiration for the hole.

East Kilbride lies on a plateau, just south of Glasgow, and the golf course is fully exposed to the elements; on the day I played there were 40 mph winds and some heavy showers. These are ideal conditions to go alongside the course’s design aim of replicating some the challenges faced in The OPEN. In addition, the course has outstanding views.

The 4th, inspired by the 16th at Carnoustie, with the Playsport sports arenas in the background. My par 3 score highlights it plays much shorter than its inspiring hole!

Although this could feel a little ‘corny’, the resulting course is a great test of your game, not least because it’s the bunkering from the host courses that are mainly used to create the inspirational feeling. However, this is not “replica” golf, so take it for what it is and enjoy the layout.

The opening hole at The Heritage, inspired by Turnberry’s 2nd, shows the good ‘links’ quality of the course.

The course opened in 2009, built to high specifications, and has become a popular venue. Despite the inclement weather forecast when I played it was very busy, so ensure to book ahead. With multiple sports on the same site, there are activities for non-golfing partners and kids.

The 6th, based on Muirfield’s 13th, shows the top quality of the bunkers at Playgolf EK.

Although heavily played the course was in very good condition, with greens and bunkers excellent. At £15 for 9 holes, this is very good value.

The 8th hole, showing the “road hole” bunker from St Andrews.

Playing as a singleton, a 4-ball kindly let me tee off first, then watched me rack up a 9 and the par 4 first, playing into the teeth of the wind. I got much better after that, when they weren’t watching. Don’t you sometimes hate getting asked to ‘play through’.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland/Faux Links?

Par 32  (1 par 5s, 3 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 2307 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 44

Moly’s 44, or 37 net (5 over net), with a 9 and the par 4 first!!

157. Balfron Shian. 18 Aug 22.

January 6, 2023 /

Quintessentially Scottish

Round £25. Par 72. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.5/124. Value (out of 5) – 5

Moly’s Score – 92

Balfron is a substantial village of over 2000 people in West Stirlingshire, only 16 miles north of Glasgow. Surrounded by the Campsie Hills and the Trossachs, I can’t sum up the golf course better than the clubs own promotional video;

“Scenic, secluded, special“.

Typical August day in Scotland? Moly putts out on the 12th one of the easier par four holes at Balfron’s Shian course.

The first Balfron golf course was established in 1905, but returned to agricultural use in 1939 to support the war effort. In 1991 a group of villagers founded the Balfron Golfing Society and a 9 hole course was finally established in 1994, no doubt after a great deal of hard work. The course was extended to 18 holes in 2001. The Balfron Society named the course “Shian”, which in Gaelic means peaceful.

Moly gets ready to tackle the par five 15th, his only birdie of the day.

The herculean efforts of the society has resulted in a really fine golf course, which feels more mature than it is. With outstanding views, lush moorland and the “honesty box” wooden clubhouse this is quintessential Highland Scottish golf.

The quaint clubhouse where Fran and Moly enjoyed an ‘honesty’ cuppa and chocolate bar.

When Fran and I played on a cloudy day in mid August, there was only one other two ball game on the course. It was certainly ‘secluded’ and we, in turn, felt ‘special’, playing that beautiful game of ‘millionaires’ golf that occasionally comes your way.

Fran tees at the 9th, amidst the scenic ‘blooming heather’ West Stirlingshire surroundings.

It’s certainly worth going out of your way to play The Shian course. At only £25, it is excellent value, since the course in no way feels a “self help’ set up. The greenkeeper Kevin Wilkie and his small team are doing a great job, with teeing grounds and greens both first class. There is excellent use of the natural surroundings and good use of the burn that runs through the 15th and 17th holes, these two holes being the stand out architecture, reminiscent of the great architectures of Braid or Alastair McKenzie.

The burn running towards the 15th green, the par 5 of 513 yards.

The course designer has done well to seamlessly join the original nine and the newer holes. Plus, the greens are worthy of note, being both undulating and at times bemusing. Thankfully, it’s also an open driving course, with almost no fairway bunkers, therefore the slope rating of 124 reinforces the trickiness of the remaining features.

A typical aesthetically pleasing hole at Balfron Golf Society’s Shian course. The approach to the par four 8th hole.

All in all, this is great fun golf. To top it off, do plan to have an ‘honesty” tea and snack in the delightful clubhouse. This is the sort of course that visiting tourists playing the established courses should take time to discover.

The long par 4, 17th hole, a challenging hole. Don’t you just hate when you reach a long par 4 in two to then 3 putt for a bogie.

With only around 300 or so members paying under £400, its critical for visitor income to ensure courses like The Shian survive.

On the day, I played solidly for a 92 and 32 stableford points.

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

Par 72  (3 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5859 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 92

Moly’s 92, a decent round on this delightful course
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