Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: 3.5 star (Page 5 of 10)

83. Dunkeld & Birnam. 25 Aug 2018.

September 3, 2018 /

This brilliantly located course, with great countryside views, is a tough 18 hole undulating walk – I wonder whether in time the club may reflect it should have stayed as a 9 hole layout? 

Round £30.   Par 69.  Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Dunkeld and Birnam Golf  Course is just a few miles east of Dunkeld, in the village of Birnam,  in what the club describe on their website as “Highland Perthshire”.    Birman and Dunkeld were actually different villages set on opposite banks of the river Tay, until they were connected in 1809 by a Thomas Telford bridge.  It is in an area of outstanding beauty, and I suspect many visitors may decide to play golf whilst on holiday.

Moly at the par 3 11th, one of the new holes created in 2000.

The course was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1892, and was only extended to 18 holes in 2000.  The new holes are very much more open parkland, and slightly out of sorts with many of the original holes, which provide some typical “highland” holes.

The new layout also caused a change in the hole order, with the 17th and 18th (both originally part of the 9 hole course) being 2 of the 4 par 3s of the 18 hole course.  This makes for a rather unbalanced course in my view.  With the increasing debate about 9 hole golf competitions, as a means of encouraging play, I wonder whether Dunkeld and Birnam should have remained a 9 hole course?  I certainly think there is a charm in the “highland 9 holer”, which arguably has been lost.

The risk reward par 4 6th hole, with the picturesque surrounds.

The course is relatively short, but it feels much longer, due to the many undulating holes, and there are a couple of fairly long walks between green and tee (the 7th to 8th being the longest, between the old and new holes).  The walk up to the 18th green warrants a buggy hire in its own right and, thankfully, there are several available for hire.

The tough approach shot at the par 4 8th at Dunkeld and Birnam

Having said all this, which might be unfairly critical, it’s really well worth the visit to play Dunkeld and Birnam.  The overall condition of the course was excellent and the greens were lovely.  The views were outstanding, including overlooking Dunkeld and taking in The Loch of the Lowes, and I think that playing in early Autumn must be particularly spectacular, due to the many trees surrounding the local hillsides.  It is an area renowned for local bird life.

The 9th tee, with The Loch of the Lowes in the distance.

Even if not playing golf here, the Golf Club has a really nice clubhouse, with beautiful countryside views and would be nice to visit for the good food also on offer.   The members were very friendly to Fran and I, and they were very proud of their club.   They are also an enterprising club and have an apartment for rent in the clubhouse.

The first green looking towards the lovely club house at Dunkeld and Birnam

The course has some very interesting holes, and also several short par 4s which present the classic risk and reward dilemma, no more so than the 6th, one of several drive-able holes; on the day I stuck to a conservative strategy, albeit my scoring (91 for 33 points), may indicate I should have played driver more often!

The best hole for me was the SI3 7th hole, where a mid iron is likely needed to a raised green surrounded by trouble.    I suggest you play more club than you think towards the left side of the green.

Fran putting at the 11th at Dunkeld and Birnam

 

Worth playing Dunkeld and Birnam, not least for the friendly welcome and the outstanding views from the clubhouse, over the tipple of your choice.

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

Par 69 (1 par 5s, 13 par 4s,  4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5192 Yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s 91 scorecard at Dunkeld & Birnam

74. Fairmont Kittocks. 20 Dec 2017.

December 23, 2017 /

American style resort “Links” 2 miles south east of St Andrews       

Round £95.   Par 71.  Value (out of 5) – 3.5

The Kittocks is one of two courses on the Fairmont hotel complex just outside St Andrews.  The resort was opened as the St Andrews Bay Golf Resort and Spa by the American pharmaceutical entrepreneur Dan Panoz in 2001, but has transferred ownership a number of times since.  The sister course is the Torrance named after its architect Sam Torrance the Scottish golfer.   Both courses are championship venues and have hosted major qualifying and senior events.

The 12th tee at Kittocks shows the well laid our fairways

The Kittocks course was originally called the Devlin after its golfing designer, the Australian Bruce Devlin, who developed the course in partnership with Denis Griffiths, the well known designer and past President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.  The Kittocks is named after an area of land on the course which is inhabited by a family of deer.

Until recently, both courses had a headline Summer rate of £140, although new management has repriced it at “only” £95.  I say “only” to highlight how crazy, in my opinion, golf prices in Scotland have become at the higher end of the market – Kingsbarns, only a couple of miles away, is £268 for a 2018 summer round!  Assessing “value”, my key course assessment, is inevitably subjective, especially considering the different types of golfers each course targets – Kingsbarns starter box has a toll free American number!  Comparing “value” between Kingsbarns (£268), St Andrews New (£80), Scotscraig (£70), Tain (£60), or the Kittocks at £95, is highly debatable….but good fun!

The signature 7th hole at Fairmont Kittocks, with the North Sea in view

The Kittocks has many original links design attributes, including 2 double greens (the 1st and 13th, and 7th and 10th), deep and revetted bunkers (although slightly oddly built), whispy rough, boundary dykes  and several dune like mounds.  The layout is a mesmerising number of interlinking horseshoes, meaning wind changes direction from hole to hole. The very clever use of contours and rough means each hole feels isolated from the others displaying high level architecture.

The tough long par 4 18th hole at The Kittocks

After a fairly straight forward par 5 opening hole, the very picturesque 2nd hole, with its manufactured lake along the left, lets you know this course is not trying to be a classic links design.   The 4th hole, stroke index 1, is the first of several very difficult holes, where a long second shot is needed over a deep gully into a green surrounded by gorse.  Having hitting my best drive and 5 wood of the day, my ball was never to be found again in the gorse to the left of the green!

The man made lake alongside the beautiful Kittocks 2nd hole gives away this is a modern “links”

The course then winds down to the North Sea, with the dog leg par 5 5th hole presenting one of the few blind tee shots on the course, with its green giving outstanding views back towards the “Toon” of St Andrews.  After the nice par 3 6th hole you then reach the signature par 4 7th hole, which has a great vista showing the unusual bunkers and, finally, the huge double green.

There then follows a range of nicely varied holes, whereby there is no stretch of incredibly difficult back to back holes.  Looking at the stroke indexes on the card you see how balanced the course is.  The 10th presents the first time the combination of the prevailing westerly wind really comes into play along with the sea tight along the right of the fairway.  The highlight for me, both visibly and playing, was the difficult par 3 16th hole, where the yellow tee of the day had been mischievously placed on the championship tees, giving me a slightly uphill shot of almost 200 yards into a 15 mph wind – I didn’t lose my ball!  Its worth noting that there are a range of tee options with big differences between the blue/white/yellow/red tees, suiting all standards.

The Kittocks 10th tee with the Fife coastal path verging the course and St Andrews in the background

The final 2 holes were originally part of the Torrance course, but incorporated into the Kittocks after a redesign in 2009 and present 2 very fine long par 4s to finish.

The course was in great condition for a December, with full tees and greens in play.  The course is quite open with wide fairways and the greens were surprisingly fast.  The greens are generally very large, and I imagine not many amateurs will go without 3 putting the odd green – I did it 7 times….ouch!    Along with 2 lost balls, this was the reason for my gross 101 for 25 stableford points.

If you are looking for a golf resort whilst in St Andrews, the Fairmont offers a great location with the fees for unlimited golf on both courses during your stay being very reasonable and much better value than a single round.   I got a good deal with a winter fee of only £30, but my score of 3.5 represents a value at £95 per round.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 71 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 6327

Moly’s Gross score: 101

Moly’s Fairmont Kittocks scorecard – 101 for 25 points

73. St Boswells. 10 Nov 2017.

November 28, 2017 /

Picturesque 9 hole course along the bank of the River Tweed      

Round £15.   Par 35.  Value (out of 5) – 3.5

St Boswells golf course is delightfully laid out on the bank of the River Tweed, which is  classed a “lateral water hazard”, in the village of the same name just off the A68 1 mile south of Newtown St Boswells in the Scottish Borders.   It is so close to the river that it might be appropriate to have a local rule forbidding the shouting of “fore”, which must on occasion disturb the many salmon fishermen on the river.

My playing partner Fran drives at the 3rd at St Boswells with the fisherman in the background a common sight on the Tweed.

The course was initially laid out by Open Champion William Park, who wrote ‘the turf resembles that found on seaside courses’.  Indeed, the course does have a slight heathland feel to the surroundings.

The 9th at St Boswells., a short par 4 of 256 yards to finish.

The course was in fact abandoned for 10 years between 1948 – 1958 due to a major river flood, and I couldn’t find out in what way the new layout the differs from the original Willie Park design.

Other than the slight uphill par 3 first hole, followed by the significant drop down to the signature par 3 second green, the course is very flat, unlike many of the courses in the Borders.

The signature 161 yard par 3 second hole, with the beautiful Borders countryside in the background.

This makes for an easy and most picturesque walk for holes 3 through 9.  The course is very favourable to a slicer of the ball, with the river tight along the left for holes 3 to 6, with trees lining the left for the return to the clubhouse from 7 to 9.   The greens were in good condition, albeit they are quite flat other than the 7th, a short par 5 hole, with a basin or saddle type green.

The 5th green at St Boswells with River Tweed awaiting!

The course was very soft when we played despite the high wind on the day, which meant plenty cleaning of muddy balls.  Overall the course had held up well to the recent weather with all greens still in play.

We only paid £5 for 9 holes, but the £15 summer green fee for 9 holes represents good value especially given the beautiful surroundings.   I had a fairly difficult day due to high winds, scoring 50 for only 12 stableford points – including 4 single putts (at 4, 7 and 9)!

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 35 (1 par 5, 5 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (white): 2637

Moly’s Gross score: 50

Moly’s St Boswells scorecard – 50 for 12 points!

72. Crieff Dornock. 2nd Nov 2017.

November 3, 2017 /

Pleasant 9 hole course well suited to holiday or “warm up” golf     

Summary:  Round £12.   Par 32.  Value (out of 5) – 4

Crieff Golf Club’s main course, Ferntower, is one of Scotland’s highly regarded inland courses.  The other course, the 9 hole Dornock layout, benefits from the same fine clubhouse and facilities, green keeping staff and well stocked pro-shop, making this a first rate choice for a holiday round of golf if you have a couple of hours to spare.

The 9th green at Crieff’s Dornock course, with the clubhouse in the background.

The club was established in 1891, and Old Tom Morris designed the main course, but the Dornock course only opened in 1980.  The open and beautiful Perthshire parkland on which both courses sit was part of the Victorian Spa ground of the well known Crieff Hydro.  Crieff is the gateway town to The Trossacks and both manicured courses are just what one might expect to find here, a destination well worth visiting.

The par 3 8th hole, one of the more challenging holes on Crieff Dornock

The Dornock course is short, and other than the first hole where out of bounds encroaches on the right, the fairways are very generous, so there is no need to carry too many balls.  The greens are firm and very true and better than most 9 hole courses I’ve played.   The course runs along side the Ferntower course, with some adjoining fairways.

Fran getting out of the bunker at the 8th at Crieff Dornock

The course is made up of 5 par 4s and 4 par 3s, and it’s the latter holes that are the most challenging, since the par 4s are short and prove good par or birdie opportunities.  This was very welcome for me after my difficulties playing at Tain last week.  On the day, I shot 39, +7, and that included a lost ball (under leaves!) on the fairway at 7.

Moly on the 6th green at Crieff Dornock, with the typical beautiful parkland surrounding.

Dornock was in very good condition when I played, plus dowsed in glorious winter sunshine, with zero wind, which always helps keep the score down.

This course is highly recommended – it was only £5 for a winter 9 holes, and still good value at £12 for 9 holes in Summer.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 32 (5 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (black): 2270

Moly’s Gross score: 39

Moly’s Crieff Dornock scorecard – 39 (7 over)

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