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.
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.
Course with a brilliant stretch of holes including a Hogan favourite.
Round £145. Par 70. Course/Slope Rating (blue) 69.1/128. Value (out of 5) – 3.5
Moly’s score – 100
With it’s ‘Hogan’ room and surrounding legend one could conclude Panmure Golf Club’s role as pivotal in American Ben Hogan’s1953 Open victory at Carnoustie.
Yet, in Gene Gregston’s seminal biography, “The Man Who Played for Glory”, the lengthy chapter dedicated to Hogan’s 1953 trip, doesn’t have a word of Panmure. Even the company NCR (National Cash Registers) gets a mention for accommodating Hogan in Dundee’s Taypark House.
The magnificent 6th, a mid length par 4, and reportedly one of Ben Hogan’s favourite holes.
These contrasting perspectives intrigued me. So many Hogan myths exist, there are books and podcasts dedicated to them. Had I stumbled upon a myth? Had Hogan really ‘played’ here?
There are no photographs of Hogan playing Panmure, although several of him on the Carnoustie Championship and Burnside courses. Other than the Panmure Club’s website I couldn’t readily uncover corroborating contemporaneous evidence. The more I researched Hogan, the meticulous preparer for tournament golf, the more skeptical I became of the story. Hogan was not on holiday, surely he would not have played Panmure, if he could play at Carnoustie. Henry Cotton’s article “Reflections of the 1953 Open”, focused on Hogan and his ‘ten days of preparation’, but again no mention of where.
Ian Ponton, of the Oz Bar in Edinburgh, putts up to the 6th green.
Researching Gregston’s writing finally uncovered a ghost written article for Ben Hogan, in one of America’s oldest institutions, The Saturday Evening Post. In ‘The Greatest Year of My Life’, published on 17th Oct 1953, in Hogan’s own words there it was…. ‘Barry’. But it was only by a quirk of fate.
The superbly bunkered short 11th hole, with the wider view of the Barry links land.
Panmure Golf Club originated in 1845, as one of several clubs using Monifieth Links; the Panmure Ladies Club, of which my wife is a member, still play at Monifieth. Due to golf’s growth the Panmure Club built the Barry course, which is midway between Monifieth and Carnoustie. Initially 9 holes laid out by Old Tom Morris, then 78 years old, it was called Barry Links or Panmure Barry, names still used by locals. James Braid remodeled the course in 1922.
The challenging 12th hole, ‘Buddon Burn’ a par 4, and stroke index 4, at Panmure.
Panmure is one of Scotland’s ‘posh’ and, until 2018, ‘men only’, clubs. One may not realise nearby Broughty Ferry, home to many of the initial Panmure members in their grand houses, was once ‘one of the richest suburbs in Europe’, due to the then industrial might of Dundee. The area’s economic reach still highlighted by Panmure’s impressive clubhouse, a replica of Calcutta Golf Club, a vestige of the British Empire.
Moly drives at the 18th towards the replica of the Calcutta Golf Club clubhouse.
The golf course is exceptionally maintained to professional playing standards. It is a classic out and back clockwise course, with any OOB being on the right. It plays into the prevailing wind on the outward 9 (except for the 7th which doubles back), so I would suggest trying to ensure you stay in play going out, as there will be opportunities to catch up coming home.
The course rates very high nationally, but for me it starts and ends rather tamely. What it does have is an outstanding middle section of holes, starting from the par three 5th, before one of Scotland’s greatest holes, the par four sixth.
The greens and surrounds are championship quality, here shown at the 168 yard 9th hole.
The 6th, ‘Hogan’, is spoken of as Hogan’s ‘favourite Carnoustie hole’, and it’s understandable why. It is a slight dogleg left, with the approach played directly into the prevailing wind, meaning the tee shot is about the worst wind direction for anyone other than the very best ball strikers. Although only 360 yards from the blue tees (Panmure’s equivalent of ‘yellow’), with a blind tee shot into a larger than seen landing area, it becomes nigh impossible in any high wind, as the approach plays to a plateau green through an ever narrowing channel. It has mesmerising natural framing. Like many great holes it’s risk-reward, as the fairway narrows at full driving length. Play it as an easy par 5, to avoid double bogie or worse. The 6th is also the part of the course with natural grassy hummocks, characteristic of this coastline.
Moly’s approach at the 12th, ‘Buddon Burn’, with the grassy hummocks in full display.
How many great holes does it take to make up a great course? That’s a question worth thinking about, especially when one is pondering value? As a Dundonian, I played Panmure several times in the 1970s and 80s, when the price was relatively much cheaper. As with many ‘well heeled’ Scottish clubs nowadays, visitor prices have focused on the more wealthy visitor fees on offer, aided in Panmure’s case by the closeness of Carnoustie. At £145 for a summer season round, I think it’s overpriced, hence my score of 3.5.
Colin Snedon at the par five 2nd, ‘Lochside’. Another mystery as there is no loch, but a pretty cottage!
Returning to the Hogan story, here’s what my investigation concluded. He started off practicing on Carnoustie, as was his plan, but found that its practice area was located next to the Barry Buddon military firing range. For Hogan, this was too noisy! So he then practiced for “an hour to an hour and a half each day at Barry” (Hogan’s words), using the 17th fairway and green (which he had cut shorter), as his practice area. As he was adapting to the smaller UK ball he was focused on his ball striking and yardages. He then went on to Carnoustie each day for his practice rounds and, late into the evenings, meticulously measuring the course, for key distances, as a modern caddy would do for his professional. He played 3 balls on each tee (to left, centre and right of the fairway). He missed one fairway in 4 rounds.
The 5th hole, a short but still very tricky par 3.
Given that he was practicing at Panmure for about a week, for about an hour a day, I think it’s highly unlikely he ever played a round at Panmure. Why would he, when he needed to learn Carnoustie’s monstrous 7,200 yard course.
As to the story of the 6th hole being Hogan’s favourite? Well, intriguingly, Carnoustie Championship course’s 6th hole is also called ‘Hogan’, with its famed ‘Hogan’s Alley’ describing a portion of land created between a loop of the Barry Burn. Might he have been confused? Nonetheless, both 6th holes are candidates for inclusion into a list of great Scottish holes.
The 17th, Ben Hogan’s driving range, helping him prepare for his 1953 Open victory.
Panmure is a great course, full of history, with a brilliant stretch of holes; however, other than for the soldier’s firing on the range, the ‘Hogan’ room at Panmure Golf Club would need another name.
Interestingly, there are still no red tees at Panmure.
Facts:
Course Type:Links
Par 70 (2 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)
Distance (blue): 6113 yards
Moly’s Gross score: 100
Moly’s 100 included only 1 par. In high winds and wet, just too challenging.
