Category: 1.5 star

94. Maverston 9 hole. 25th May 2019.

March 8, 2020 / Moly McMillan

A very basic par 3 course

Round £10. Par 27. Value (out of 5) – 1.5

Maverston is owned and operated by the ANM Group, a member owned co-operative company with interests in mainly farming related businesses. It seems clear that the business goal of the Maverston estate was to build a golf course attractive enough to enable the sale of the co-located residential housing plots surrounding the course. The main 18 hole course itself opened in 2014, and several “executive” houses are now completed and occupied. I played and blogged about the main 18 hole course in 2016 here.

The 9 hole par 3 course is no more than a basic layout, which was in poor condition, especially the greens, when I played along with Fran. It would be a good course to learn the game on, and given that the club encourages under 16 membership for free with an adult member, I can see the value of the overall set up.

Having said that, as a stand alone course, it is not worth the £10 fee, especially given the increasing number of deals around at much better courses at a similar price. The main course here on the other hand is worth playing.

**Maverston 9 hole course, a good course to learn on**

On the day, I lost a match play game with Fran winning 4 & 3, after which I parred the next 2 holes (7th and 8th) – isn’t it infuriating when that happens.

Anyone thinking of playing their first round of golf, this would be a good place – otherwise give it a miss.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 1250

Moly’s Gross score: 40

**Maverston 9 hole scorecard – not bad in wind!**

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)

39. Dalmunzie. 18th May 2016

May 22, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Enjoy the great views but don’t bother playing the course

Round £15. Par 30. Value (out of 5) – 1.5

Dalmunzie golf course is situated on the Dalmunzie Estate located at the Spital of Glenshee, mid way between Blairgowrie and Braemar, just south of the Glenshee skiing centre.

Long 235 yards Par 3 first hole at Dalmunzie

The course was designed by Tom Simpson in the 1920s as a private course for Sir Archibald Birkmyre, who was from a family line of “Jute Barons” based in India.

The views from the course are pretty spectacular. However, the estate and the course have long since past their glory days, and show signs of a lack of maintenance. This is a shame as the architect created some really challenging holes.

The 1st, 4th, 5th and 7th in my view are all really tough par 3s, all with very different challenges.

Fran on 3rd tee at Dalmunzie

The opening hole plays like a short par 4, judgement of distance is difficult on both the mid-iron 4th and 5th holes, and the short 7th plays over the “Shee Water” burn to a very small “front to back” target. Play well on these holes and you’ll likely score well overall. The long par 4 6th at 450 yards is also a challenge.

Difficult 5th hole with Green tucked on the plateau on the right

The course was in poor condition when we played, in particular the greens were badly in need of cutting. The general condition of the course was “tired”.

Critical to get distance right on the par 3 7th hole.

On the day, I played to one over handicap, which given that the greens were so poor I was pretty happy with – I also hit it in the water in front of the 7th green but at least found 3 others in the water waiting to be found!

9th green at Dalmuzie with dilapidated tennis courts in the background - an apt finishing hole at Dalmunzie

The mole surrounded 9th green at Dalmuzie with dilapidated tennis courts in the background – an apt finishing hole sadly at Dalmunzie

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

Par 30 (3 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance 2099 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 41

Stableford 16

Moly’s Dalmunzie Scorecard – 40

Category: 1.5 star

94. Maverston 9 hole. 25th May 2019.

56. Portobello. 25th Oct 2016.

39. Dalmunzie. 18th May 2016

Par 30 (3 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Recent Posts

Useful Links