I was ‘green with envy’ on this country estate course but no longer confused by the two Taymouths.
Value 3.5/5.
Kenmore, in highland Perthshire, is a village on the eastern end of Loch Tay, which is where the main part of the River Tay begins, Scotland’s longest river and the UK’s largest measured by discharge. People like myself from Dundee, where The ‘Silvery’ Tay reaches the sea, claim any small victory!
9th at Mains of Taymouth, a hole shortened to make way for new holiday lodges; technically a long par 3 rather than the par 4 of 263 yards shown on the card.
Now to my confusion. Kenmore is home to two golf courses, both on separate Country Estate developments and only separated by 30 yards of river. Taymouth Castle Estate golf course, on the south bank, was founded in 1925, designed by James Braid, and grew a championship level kudos; however, the castle and course is currently “closed for a £300m development” following its purchase in 2018 by American real estate company, Discovery Land Company.
Fran on the par four 2nd, reportedly the Designer Robert Menzies’ favourite hole.
Meanwhile, north of the river, Kenmore Golf Course was founded, designed and constructed in 1992 by civil engineer Robert Menzies, on diversified farming land that had been in his family for many decades. With Taymouth Castle closed, Robert renamed his estate and course, “Mains of Taymouth”. The whole estate was sold for £13.5m in 2022 to Pure Leisure Group, the owner of the well known Westmoreland Golf Resort in Barbados, home to many British celebrities.
Moly at the 5th, a well designed par three. The bunkers could have been better raked.
So ‘Mains of Taymouth’ and ‘Taymouth Castle’ are separate country estates, both with golf courses with similar branding. I anticipate a lawsuit at some point over the use of Taymouth, a name which seems to have begun when the Clan Campbell rebuilt the former Balloch Castle, their ancestral seat.
The irony is that Kenmore isn’t technically the location of a mouth of a river, defined as “where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river or the sea”. Thankfully, any geographically minded golfer that mistakenly turn up at the real Mouth of the Tay, has better golf course options to choose from.
Wide fairways are characteristic at “Kenmore”, shown here at the par five 4th hole, a picture also highlighting the good course conditioning.
My envy in the title is of Robert Menzies, who has done an admirable job on his “home made” nine hole golf course. How many of us have had that dream over the years. He has created a lovely course, which was well maintained and playable on this early winter day.
The course has wide fairways, and is protected by small greens that are well bunkered. Set alongside the river the land is flat and easy walking, so would suit the occasional golfer, but also useful for golf course “baggers” who can easily “bag” 3 or 4 nine hole courses on a summer day (including nearby Killin, Aberfeldy and Strathtay). I bagged three (omitting Killin) on the day, despite the limited light.
The beautiful Perthshire landscape on show here at the par 3 seventh hole, with “ha-ha”.
We paid only £12 for a winter day rate, but at £18 for a round it represents decent value in the Summer.
Sadly, although the 3rd is called “Loch View”, there are no river or loch views from the course. Making my big deal about “Taymouth” seem somewhat arbitrary – never mind.
Round List Price £18.Actual Paid £12 (Winter rate).
Most golfers don’t know the hole names on their own course, yet would instantly know the locations of “Road Hole”, “Hogan’s Alley”, “Postage Stamp” or “Golden Bell”. Some stretches of holes become famous, such as “Amen Corner”.
The original Boer War “Spion Kop”(top left) presents an uncanny resemblance to the Craigie Hill fifth hole (bottom right).
As a carry bag player, the hole name “Spion Kop” fills me with dread and Craigie Hill’s 5th hole was no exception. It is a worthy candidate for the toughest “Spion Kop” in Scotland.
The outstanding views of the Perthshire countryside seen from the top of the “Spioen Kop” 5th, with Moly lining up a rare birdie attempt on this SI 1 hole.Hit long and slightly right on your approach.
“Spioenkop”, means ‘lookout hill’ in Afrikaans/Dutch, and became famous after the Boer War battle of the same name at the dawn of the twentieth century. “Spion Kop” has become a commemorative name for steep standing terraces in many football stadiums in the UK. It is also a common name for several Scottish holes (Edzell 16th, Traigh 2nd and Strathtay’s 5th) in memory of the Scots who fought at Spioenkop.
Moly playing an approach to the par 4 first at Craigie Hill, a typical undulating fairway at this well laid out course.
Craigie Hill was founded in 1911 and well designed by two of the best architects of its day, Willie Fernie and Joe Anderson. It sits on the south of Perth and is the course seen from the M90 which bypasses Perth. Like many readers, I’ve seen this course hundreds of times as I’ve driven past over the years.
Fran playing off a forward winter tee at the par 3 eighth hole.
Craigie Hill is a tough trek and therein lies one of the big challenges for such clubs. The aging golfing population (the average age of Scotland’s club members in 2020 was 55 years old) means that physically demanding courses will struggle to attract older people and societies. Although a very nice course and attractively priced, I was advised that the membership was in decline (around 200) and the course would likely “reduce to 9 holes within three years”. The state of the buildings were also run down.
The 13th, another of the tough par 3s at Craigie Hill
The course had several holes where it was necessary to carry over long gulleys. Again, I imaging this also a struggle for golfers without a long carry in their armoury and has likely contributed to the declining membership.
The approach to the 15th, a par 4 of 319 yards.
The undulations of the course though meant that drainage was very good with the greens in decent shape for the time of year. Unfortunately, all bunkers were “GUR”. The all round fairway condition was excellent. I can well imagine this being a spectacular place to play on a mid summer evening.
The difficult 17th at Craigie Hill, looking back towards the tee, a Par 3 of about 200 yards.One of the holes that might put people off joining Craigie Hill.
We payed only £10 for a winter round, albeit we couldn’t access the clubhouse and no score cards were available, luckily a local member had a spare card and was very helpful to Fran and I.
The Club website says its “dog friendly”. That was certainly true, as one of the greenkeepers dogs ran off with my ball!
For the record, I managed a par on the “Spion Kop”.
I love marketing using “it does exactly what it says on the tin“.
Most Scots know where the Kincardine Bridge is, but few know where Tulliallan is. Tulliallan Golf Club is less than a mile north of the Kincardine Bridge which crosses the Firth of Forth about 20 miles west of Edinburgh, at a cross roads of several Scottish Counties, including Stirlingshire, Fife and Perthshire.
The tough par four uphill 3rd hole, at well over 400 yards, rightly the stroke index 1.
‘Tulliallan’, meaning ‘beautiful knoll’ in Gaelic, was the name of an estate owned by the Lairds of Blackadder, which is unusual given the Blackadder Clan (now defunct) were from Berwickshire. The original 9 hole golf course was founded in 1902 with 5 holes occupying the ground of Blackadder Castle (sometimes called the Old Tulliallan Castle). For the record the New Tulliallan Castle, built in the 19th Century, is home of the Scottish Police College. The golf clubhouse bisects the two castles which are only a mile apart.
The short par four 262 yard 11th, a potential card wrecker or equally a birdie chance.
As with many courses of the age it was fairly quickly extended 18 although I couldn’t find out the architect, which is a shame as it’s a decent layout. The course makes good use of the gently sloping lands and excellent use of the burns. With some blind shots and sparse, but effective, bunkering, it’s slope rating of 122 means its a decent test.
The approach towards the par four 8th, at 389 yards, with water determining strategy from the tee.
The course was wet when we played, but other than some casual water on the first and last it had withstood the heavy rain well. To prevent mud paths, the club had introduced a clever winter routing altering the order of holes 7 through 13. The tee signs had been clearly marked, highlighting good course management.
The greens (here the long par three 4th) were in good condition, despite the heavy rain.
The highlight is the careful ordering of the holes, ensuring each presents a different challenge from the last. There was really good stoke indexing as well, other than the last, which I think should not be SI 18.
The course’s fairly wide fairways, good greens and very nice cafe/restaurant, as well as its decent pricing means its a good choice for a society outing, especially with its central location.
The 15th is the last of the four par 3s, a strong point of this well designed course.
Finally to ‘marketing’. One wonders how many more visitors this course would get annually it it was called “Kincardine Golf Club”? I actually searched and did find a Kincardine Golf Club – one of the oldest in Canada, founded in 1906, only 4 years after Tulliallan was founded.
Facts:
Round List Price £35.Actual Paid £17 through Golfnow.
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.
