Golf in Scotland is a competitive market, so a friendly welcome is essential. Ewan Grimes, the recently appointed pro at Hilton Park, could not have been more hospitable to me. It made up for the miserably wet weather and golf course, which arguably should have been closed. At least that meant it was very quiet and took less than 3 hours to play.
The 17th at Hilton Park, a par 3 of 184 yards with common white and yellow tees.
Hilton Park, just outside Milngavie, is about 10 miles north of Glasgow City Centre, but feels much more remote. It is one of only 23 clubs in Scotland that has two or more 18 hole courses. Moreover, it is one of only 3 clubs with two heathland courses, the others being Gleneagles and Blairgowrie.
Moly putting on the 6th, the most difficult of the four par 3s.
I played both the Hilton Park and Allander courses in one day, which was a challenge given the undulating terrain. A buggy might be useful here. There are excellent views, including of the Glasgow skyline, something made easier by the loss of many trees in recent years due to storms.
The Hilton Park layout was much more demanding that its sister Allander course, but as a combination of courses they compliment each other really well.
The well bunkered par three 12th hole, the stroke index 18 hole.
The course routing was a little confusing and I ended up playing the 15th hole twice, having also played some of the Allander holes in the wrong order. I suspect the reason was the shortened winter course. It was so wet, I was the only player.
The 18th is a strong finish at this undulating course.
Sadly, winter greens were in operation on the majority of holes, but I was only charged £30 for both rounds via Golfnow, which was excellent value. Overall, the Hilton Park property is one of the best in Scotland, and worth checking out.
The par four 13th, at well over 400 yards, will play as a 5 for most.
I could really imagine being a member at Hilton Park as the overall package is incredible value. It would make for a great society day out.
Views of Glasgow from the 8th, a short par 4, Moly’s only birdie hole.
Price £45.
Discount: Golf Now, £15, against the Winter rate of £30.
Course Type: Heathland
Par 70 (2 par 5s, 11 par 4s, 5 par 3s)
Distance:5446 (yellow)
Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67/127.
Moly’s Gross score: 85
Moly’s Hilton Park Scorecard, using mostly winter greens – 84
Nestled near the Campsie Hills north of Glasgow, the Allander course at Hilton Park Golf Club offers a rich blend of history and natural beauty. Opened in 1928 and designed by James Braid it represents a good example of Braid’s artistry of balancing challenge and fun.
The approach to the first, presents a typical view of this Allander course.
Set within an area of beautiful scenery of rolling hills and lush heathland greenery, full of flora and fauna, the course is nice just to walk around.
The par four 5th on the Allander course, fully justified as the Stroke Index 1 hole.
I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the PGA Pro, Ewan Grimes, who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. His knowledge and welcome were second to none, along with his stories.
Moly teeing off at the 15th on the Allander course at Hilton Park, a mid iron par three.
The course was in good condition. However, the drainage seemed poor, which was unexpected given the heathland conditions. Given the conditions there were several winter greens in play, which was a disappointment.
The tree lines framed many holes, but in fact the fairways were quite generous. Here at the par three 17th.
One of two courses at Hilton Park, the Allander is very much the secondary, shorter course. It would be worth playing though on in a fine summer day.
The Allander 18th hole, a mid length par four, with the impressive clubhouse.
So what do I think of using AI? It created a very bland and flowery draft, which was frankly difficult to take seriously. Clearly influenced by Golf Club websites, full of standard phrases ‘course for all all abilities’, ‘challenge for all’, etc etc, after editing it left me with no more than 4 meaningful sentences.
Price £45.
Discount: Golf Now, £15, against the Winter rate of £30.
Great value open parkland course well worth playing – I hope Rowallan Castle’s interesting business plan stands the test of time.
Round £45. Par 72. Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 71.6/129. Value (out of 5) – 4.5
Moly’s score – 91
Insert “parkland” into their claim that Rowallan Castle is “one of Ayrshire’s finest golf courses” and they certainly have a case. This Colin Montgomerie designed course is well worth playing, and a great alternative to the several world class links courses along the nearby Ayrshire coastline.
The well bunkered approach to the 18th at Rowallan Castle, one of five par 5s at this clever layout.
Opened in 2010, this course is clearly set up, from the blue ‘tips’, to cater for professional play. Moreover, the yellow yardage of 6284, which most visitors will use, still presents a meaty challenge, especially as there are some long walks between green to next tee.
The first fairway, a tough par 4 of over 400 yards, adorned by “executive” housing, a key part of the longer vision of owner Niall Campbell.
Rowallan Castle, is 4 miles north of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, and has a history dating back to the 13th century. Now owned by Niall Campbell and his family, the recent history is both colourful and ‘cuts to the quick’ for businessman trying to create up market golf developments in Scotland.
Moly at the short 8th “Old Castle” hole, at 149 yards, the shortest of the five par 3s.Go long.
Initially planned to be a hotel golf resort, its appears that there has been planning challenges over the last 20 years. What you are left with is an interesting mix; one of the two castles is used as a wedding venue, the other as up market holiday lets. A separate restaurant in a new “orangery” style building, adjoining the “turreted” golf pro-shop, serves both the golf club as well as “fine dining” visitors.
The great second hole, deceptive on the eye, with more room on the huge green than it appears. You might need a long two putt for par here.
One of the oddities therefore, is that you don’t really have a golfing clubhouse and bar. Golfers use the small bar of the restaurant. Having been to several golf resorts, I’ve never come across anything like Rowallan Castle – I hope it remains profitable, because the course is a great addition to the Scottish golfing landscape.
The 3rd, “The Crow Flies” a tough par 5 and stroke index 2. Almost 100 yards longer from yellow than red.
The course itself is beautifully laid out around the estate, which sees continuing housing development. The best thing for me about the layout was the hole variety, not least because it has five par threes and five par fives; I can’t recall encountering this balance of holes before. There is never more than two par fours in sequence. The ladies card has a par of 75, with eight par fives in total.
The greenside bunkering at Rowallan Castle is a key feature, here shown at the par 5 9th hole.
The fairways are very open; the greens and their surrounding large and deep bunkers are indeed worthy of national competitions. The course was in very good condition when we played, but let down somewhat by some of the teeing grounds. Several comments I’ve read regularly mention the poor quality drainage, but despite very heavy rain when we played, the course remained fully playable. I suspect drainage improvements have been successful.
“Wee Sneekit”, the par 3 17th hole, aesthetically typical of the “fee” at Rowallan Castle.
The club also has some innovative membership options, including a 9 hole membership, for play on the first 8 holes, plus the 19th, for only £380, against the full membership of £750. Both of these are excellent value. Yes, I did say “19th”, which is a short par three, and I assume added to provide the “9 hole course” option.
“The 19th Hole” is actually a hole at Rowallan Castle, which is very fitting as the place doesn’t really have a golf bar!
As to single green fees, its very competitively priced at £45, with discounts available through golf green fee apps, such as Golfnow. We paid only £25.
The pro shop at Rowallan Castle – you know straight away the ambition of the owners here.
I played pretty well, on a course playing its full length, my 91 needed a few good putts. It’s well worth playing at Rowallan Castle.
Facts:
Course Type:Parkland
Par 71 (5 par 5s, 8 par 4s, 5 par 3s)
Distance (yellow): 6284 yards
Moly’s Gross score: 91
Moly’s Rowallan Castle scorecard – 91, for 31 points.
Dream society venue in this delightful Deeside setting.
Round £50. Par 69. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.1/123. Value (out of 5) – 4
Moly’s score – 91
Banchory golf course got me thinking about what makes for an ideal society venue. A course in great condition, with greens probably better than your home course. A beautiful and scenic surround. A challenge, but not one that will cost you half a dozen balls. A course that gives all handicaps a chance. Some short par 3s, to give a fun ‘nearest the pin’. Plus, a great clubhouse with good catering of course.
The short third hole, at 125 yards, where club selection will be a challenge for the visitor – I found the rear bunker ending up with a 6. Take two clubs less then yardage, into the right of the green.
I don’t think I’ve played a course that has greater society day credentials than Banchory; set in Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire, the course is just over 5500 yards from the yellow tees. Set alongside the river Dee, the water only comes into play once, for any approach shot sliced into the par four 11th green. The course favours a drawer of the ball, with several OOB being to the right of the largely anti-clockwise routed layout. That was not always the case however – more of later.
The approach to the 4th, very typical of the course, where an umbrella is not normally needed for sun.
The course has six par threes and two par fives; it is rather imbalanced with a par of 32 for the front nine and 36 on the back. The par threes are the star here, with four of them (3rd, 9th, 12th and the 80 yard 16th) being both collectively varied and memorable.
The delightful par three 16th, the “‘Doo’ Cot” (in sight on the tower), at only 80 yards. Take a 95 yard club, anything longer will likely put you on the 1st fairway (like me), facing a daunting chip back.
The start of the course is marked by a nice memorial for Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who started his formative professional career here. Fittingly, ‘Chippy’s’ monument is made of granite.
The 12th, ‘The Wood’, aptly named as for lower handicaps that’s likely the correct club selection into this 171 yard par three, with a ‘hidden’ ditch guarding the green.
Opened in 1905, the original architect is not recorded anywhere I could find, but it is noted on several websites that the course was revamped in the 1990s, by architect John Souter. Speaking to a couple of local members about some unusually sited greenside bunkers, I was told that this was a result of the revamp which changed course routing, but didn’t redesign all the greenside bunkers.
The three ‘blind’ bunkers behind the 14th green, make sense when you realise they used to be on the left of the approach to this rerouted hole. This makes for an odd resulting architectural feature
We played on a spectacularly warm day, with the course in great condition. Fast running fairways actually caused some long drives to find bunkers I would never normally reach, but I was compensated by being able to reach the par five 15th, at 490 yards, in two, resulting in a 2 putt birdie, a rare event in my golfing life.
The approach to the dog leg right par four 8th hole, worthy of being SI 4 at Banchory.
Although fairly open parkland, the trees are widely dispersed and come into play a lot. You’re always likely to find a stray shot, but you’ll probably be penalised. Additionally, most of the bunkers are fairly deep, meaning they are a proper hazard, thankfully the sand is very good. The greens were true, but slower than anticipated. I felt I played generally well, but still racked up 91, 9 over my net handicap.
‘Laird’s Cast’, the 150 yard 9th hole, with the best green surround (in my opinion) at Banchory. I think it’s tougher that SI16.
Banchory is good value golf, especially when using a Golfnow discount – we paid only £23. I can understand why it is such a desirable and popular visitors course.
The impressive clubhouse, looking over the finishing hole at Banchory.
