Category: 2 star (Page 4 of 7)

78. Craggan. 22 June 2018.

July 12, 2018 / Moly McMillan

Little more than a good “pitch and putt” with a few decent holes thrown in

Round £15. Par 27. Value (out of 5) – 2

Craggan 9 hole golf course serves a great purpose as a nicely maintained facility in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park, affording golf to complete beginners and holiday golfers. In addition, as part of a commercial outdoors activity centre, with very many other activities on offer, it makes for a great day out for groups and families, where golf is only part of the plan for some or all.

The short 1st hole at Craggan, with typical surrounds on the “pitch n putt” holes

Having said all that, other than the 5th, 6th and 9th, the holes could be found on decent “pitch n putt” courses. It’s true that it is difficult to play to your handicap for better golfers, but that is due mainly to some very small greens.

The nice 6th hole at Craggan – one of 3 good holes.

It does have very nice views to the surrounding Cromdale Hills and the Cairngorms, but the nearby River Spey is only momentarily in view (from the 4th green) and never really in play.

Several of the holes are not much more than 100 yards, but the 3 holes aforementioned are noteworthy. The 6th (162 yards) and 9th (132 yards) being the most visually attractive and both with water in play in the form of small ponds (part of the fishing on offer). The overall length is only 1269 yards.

The 9th – the best hole on Craggan in Moly’s opinion.

I didn’t strike the ball very well, and ended up with a 37, albeit I did enjoy the little course. It was well maintained when I played, although the tees were sometimes non-distinct.

Price? There is a bit of a premium for the National Park location, but this is not great value at £15 for 9 holes. You need only to compare with other more established golf courses to see the over-pricing (e.g. Torphins is a great comparison). I think no more than £10 for 9 holes is a more reasonable price.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance: 1269 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 37

Moly’s scorecard at Craggan 9 hole par 3 course – 37

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)

49. Montrose Broomfield. 2nd Sep 2016.

September 3, 2016 / Moly McMillan

This flat and featureless links is a poor Montrose companion

Round £25. Par 66. Value (out of 5) 2

Golf was first recorded on the Montrose Links in 1562 which makes it the fifth oldest links in the world; only at St Andrews has golf been played continuously longer on the same land.

First at Montrose Broomfield – a typical hole on this flat course.

Montrose is therefore heaped in golfing history, but whilst the Medal course can lay claim to historical greatness, one should not get over enthused by its smaller neighbour – the Broomfield course. It was originally a 9 hole course laid out in 1907, and then extended to 18 by the renowned architect Harry Colt, during a time when he was significantly altering the Medal course, one of his earlier golfing works.

The 9th green on The Broomfield close to the Montrose town.

The Broomfield is a short and pretty flat links course, which will vary in difficultly wholly dependent on the wind. At only 4822 yards from the common white/red tees, this is a course that is within reach of most golfers, and there are several birdie opportunities, evidenced by my score of 79, the first time for several years I have broken 80, including birdies at the par 4 1st and 15th holes. I was playing off my new handicap of 17:)

The secret of good scoring was keeping the ball on the fairway, and avoiding the relatively few, but deep, bunkers, plus avoiding the small burn that came into play on the 3rd, 4th and 13th fairways and in front of the 5th and 12th greens.

The 11th on The Broomfield, one of the few more defined holes.

When I played the greens were in good condition, but the tees were in need of more care – the fairways were typically dried out allowing significant roll, meaning approach shots had to be judged carefully.

Par 3 17th at The Broomfield in Montrose

The highlights for me were the holes played towards the town, namely the 9th and 15th, which give a real sense of the historical closeness between the people and golf. There were also a couple of holes, the 8th and 11th, which being more enclosed by surrounding shrubs, making them more memorable.

In summary, Broomfield is a good course to learn the game, or for a warm up before playing the Medal, but not worth going out of your way to play on its own.

Some Facts

Course Type: Links

Par 66 (12 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance Yards 4822 (white)

Moly’s Gross Score: 79

Moly’s rare Broomfield scorecard – a 79!