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.
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.
Decent course that highlights beautiful municipal pricing.
Round £27. Par 67. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.2/119. Value (out of 5) – 3.5
Sport Aberdeen is the local council’s vehicle for publicly funded sport, with its golf offer being managed under ‘Golf Aberdeen’. They manage 5 courses in total, with three of them ( two 18 holes and one 9 hole course) being at Hazelhead Park in the west of the city. The other two courses not at Hazelhead Park are Balnagask and Kings Links.
First green at Hazelhead Pines, a straight forward par 3 to start. The clubhouse is in the background.
All Golf Aberdeen 18 hole courses are priced at £27 for an individual round; albeit I was able to access Hazelhead Pines for only £22, through the Golfnow app.
The Pines course was originally a 9 hole course, but extended to 18 holes in the 1970s; it was designed by the golf architect Roger Dyer with the well known golfers Brian Hugget and Neil Coles. The three also designed other courses, including nearby Auchmill.
The 5th, a par four over 400 yards, a characteristic hole at Hazelhead Pines, highlighting the rather tired looking teeing ground
The best value option at Hazelhead Park, if your body can cope, is to pay the day rate of only £37, for which you can play all three of the park’s courses, which includes their “Jewel in the crown” – the MacKenzie Championship course. That being Dr Alister Mackenzie, one of the most pre-eminent golfing architects of all time, whose credits include Cypress Point, the West Course at Royal Melbourne and Augusta National.
17th at Hazelhead Pines, with far reaching views over Aberdeen
This highlights a pricing anomaly. The Pines course is a nice, but pretty basic layout. Fairly short, with generous fairways that have few bunkers, a number of the holes are unmemorable. The greens are good and some are well bunkered. Other than the teeing grounds, the course was in good condition and the price tag represents decent value. The Hazelhead Park MacKenzie course on the other hand, deserves its “championship” label – a much more sophisticated track, by one of the worlds greatest architects, could attract a much higher price than The Pines. But one could argue that providing both courses at the same price, is the hallmark of good municipal golfing management.
Gary Fleming, of Dullatur GC, another golfer trying to play all Scotland’s golf courses
One of the delights in playing Hazelhead Pines, was meeting up with fellow “Scottish Golf bagger” Gary Fleming, a member of Dullatur GC in Glasgow. Gary, a similar standard golfer to me, had played over 400 Scottish courses, and I was keen to pick his brains for any tips about value and planning. He had played in many Open competitions, winning a few of them – well done Gary and good luck with completing them all.
The brilliant 8th green (shared with 13th) at Hazelhead Pines, showing one of the good greenside bunkers.
Perhaps inspired by Gary, I played well, shooting 83, just 2 over net. Admittedly, the course actually played much easier than the excellent flyover videos available on the Sport Aberdeen website here would suggest – it’s not nearly as tight as it looks. In that regard the slope rating at 119 for the yellow tees feels a little high.
Stroke Index two 4th at The Pines, a really tough par 4.
It’s worth playing the Pines course, but if you can I suggest playing both on the same day for greatest value. That was what Gary did – he planned better than me!
