Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: £40 – £59 (Page 5 of 7)

79. Fortrose & Rosemarkie. 24 June 2018.

August 4, 2018 /

Possibly the best located Scottish golf course, with evidence that James Braid’s bunkering came pretty cheap!      

Round £55.   Par 69.  Value (out of 5) – 4.5

“The Black Isle?”  Well, it’s not an isle and it’s not particularly black!  But it is a 10 mile wide by 20 mile long peninsular just north of Inverness, which also has a further very small peninsular on it’s southern Moray Firth coastline which is the heavenly location of Fortrose & Rosemarkie golf course.

The 9th green looking back to the tee with the Moray and Beauly Firths in the background.

Scots sometimes refer (tongue in cheek) to being “from God’s own country”.  If that were the case, it might just be that God chose the Fortrose & Rosemarkie peninsular for his (or her!) own personal golf course.  I played the course on a wonderfully warm and sunny late midsummer evening for a twilight fee of only £30, shot 39 (4 over) on the back 9, including 2 birdies, and seriously thought that maybe I should just stop played with that golfing memory etched on my brain.  It really can’t get much better…can it?

The Black Isle has recently become a popular destination with the creation of the North Coast 500  but has long been a destination to play some of the cream of Scottish Links, with Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Tain all close by, plus the recent addition of Castle Stuart. Fortrose & Rosemarkie has actually been attracting golfing visitors in high numbers since the expansion of the railways in the late 19th century and golf in the course location is traceable back to 1702.  Established in 1793, is the Club is the 15th oldest in the world, of which they are very proud.

The 11th tee, which is one of several arguably bland holes around the turn at Fortrose and Rosemarkie.

The course is quite short, at only 5893 yards from white tees and 5594 yards from yellow tees which I used.   It is essentially 2 horseshoe loops with the outer loop played clockwise with sea (only in play at a few holes) on your left , then an inner smaller loop played in opposite direction.  The difficulty will be dominated by the weather, but the bunkering and greens are tricky and provide protection when the wind is down.    Originally a 9 hole layout, it was extended to 18 in 1924 and in both 1932 and 1934 James Braid was engaged to advise on layout and bunkering – his 1934 fee was £12.10/  which ended in the course in its current layout.   That is only about  £1000 in current value!

The 17th at Fortrose & Rosemarkie; play left to ensure reaching to the plateau fairway.

There are some majestic holes, most notably the long par 4 4th, played towards the lighthouse at Chanonry Point, which protects the small channel through the Moray Firth towards Inverness, which is a popular viewpoint to see the many dolphins which inhabit the area.  I have spoken to people who have played the course many times and never parred the 4th.

Mission Impossible – the long par 4 4th hole at Fortrose and Rosemarkie, with Lighthouse and Fort George in view.

The 13th is also a great example of visible links architecture and Braid’s bunkers.  A hole with many options from the tee box.

The 13th – a magnificent short par 4.

The course was in all round excellent condition when I played and the club are happy for visitors to use any of the tee boxes.    In the benign conditions I shot gross 84 (net 2 under), including 4 double bogies – inevitably one of these was at the 4th!.

This is a must play course, with a twilight fee at only £30 being especially great value.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 69 (yellow; 15 par 4s,  3 par 3s)

Distance: 5594 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 84

Moly’s scorecard – 84 with only 39 on the back 9.

75. Arbroath. 6 May 2018.

May 14, 2018 /

A must visit course for US Historians, fish lovers and record book chasers!       

Round £40.   Par 70.  Value (out of 5) – 4

Arbroath is the largest town in Angus and it’s golf course sits about 2 miles to the east of the town and only 6 miles from Carnoustie.  It probably gets bypassed by many visiting golfers moving north from Carnoustie towards the wonderful links courses in Aberdeenshire – this would be a wasted opportunity.

Arbroath has a remarkable claim for it’s influence on the modern world.  The “Declaration of Arbroath”, a Scottish declaration of independence of 1320, is regarded by several historians as the model for the American Declaration of Independence.

The delightful par 3 7th hole at Arbroath (159 yards)

The golf course can also argue a potentially unrivaled and rich architectural history.  Designed by Old Tom Morris, it opened in 1878,  was redesigned by the Troon professional Willie Fernie about 30 years later, then James Braid remodeled the tees, to add length, and bunkers in 1931.  That’s a strong golfing pedigree.

The course is predominantly an out and back layout.  The first 7 holes are played westward into the, normally very strong and cold, prevailing wind, before turning back for the 8th to 10th;  westward again for the 11th and 12th, then with 5 of the last 6 holes played eastward downwind back to the clubhouse.  Strategically, 11 of the holes have reachable out of bounds to the right, so right handed slicers may wish to consider their options off the tee.

The Stroke Index 7, 375 yard 6th hole at Arbroath, a typically difficult par 4 on the opening stretch of holes.

Viewed from the tees, Arbroath seems at times flat and innocuous, but it has been very cleverly bunkered by Braid, and I’m sure the locals will have many advisory comments on where to miss the greens.  The greens were also very hard when I played and difficult to hold (for all I guess other than very good golfers).  Playing off the yellow tees didn’t give  much respite either, as the 2nd and 17th both played as long par 4s, rather than par 5s from the white tees.  There are also 3 ditches that cross the course, and these need to be carefully considered, especially as the flat terrain makes them invisible to the eye.

I rather suspect first time visitors rarely score much above 30 stableford points.

The very difficult green to find in 2 at the 13th at Arbroath, with the railway OOB on the right

The highlights for me were the par 3s, all of which had good surrounds, with the two on the back 9, the 14th at 200 yards (white at 232) and the 16th, being especially difficult.

It’s a well kept course, with good tees, greens, fairways and bunkers.  The clubhouse has a friendly staff and good food, where you can try the Arbroath Smokie, the local smoked haddock delicacy protected by EU Trade regulations.

The wonderfully bunkered par 3 16th green at Arbroath

The other Arbroath claim to fame is the local Football Club, which holds 2 world records – the highest professional scoring record (winning 36-0), and their ground, Gayfield Park, being the closest to the sea in the world – only 5 and 1/2 yards away!  Apparently, one famous game was abandoned after all balls were “lost at sea!”.

Not a great day for me, I lost 3 balls (6 shots) and 3 putted 7 times!  I suppose that explains completely my 13 over par net!  Oh, and yes, the greens are rather large and difficult!

Well worth a visit.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 68 (14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5826

Moly’s Gross score: 98

Moly’s Arbroath scorecard – 98

69. Moray New. 24th Oct 2017.

October 29, 2017 /

The junior of the two Moray courses is a fine example of links golf.   

Summary:  Round  £50.   Par 70.  Value (out of 5) – 4

Moray Golf Club is in Lossiemouth on the south shore of the Moray Firth, about 6 miles north of Elgin.  The main course, Moray Old, designed by Old Tom Morris, opened in 1889 and is one of the great Scottish Links whose 18th hole has a magnificent green in front of the fine old clubhouse.

Beware aircraft noise – a Typhoon from RAF Lossiemouth passes over the 6th green at Moray New

The Moray New 18 hole course was designed by Sir Henry Cotton and opened in 1979, and extended the 9 hole “Ladies Relief” course which had been laid out in 1905.  This is one of only 2 Scottish courses “re”-designed by Sir Henry (the other being Stirling).

At just over 6000 yards, off the white tees, Moray New is still a substantial test of golf.  With the wind blowing and the abundance of gorse, accuracy from the tee is very important here.

The beautiful looking 3rd at Moray New

The New course is closely intertwined with the Old and it’s important to check which coloured flags are in use on each course.

A significant hazard can be the noise from jet aircraft from the adjacent RAF Lossiemouth base, which is closest to the 6th green on the New.  When I played there was a busy flying day and I was treated to some fast climbing displays by the local Typhoon jets of No’s 1(F), II(AC) and 6 squadrons – the primary task at RAF Lossiemouth is to maintain the Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) North mission.

Approach to the 5th at Moray New – with burn in front of green

The course has some fine holes, dominated by the wind of the day.  The 10th is the closest to the coast, and the prevailing wind will normally be against and from the left, making it difficult for a right handed slicer – the green is on a slight plateau and difficult to find.  The par 4 14th, Stroke index 1, will play like a par 5 for all bar the really long hitters.

There are some tricky par 3s, with the innocuous looking short 6th having the burn passing directly in front of the green, making a front tee position very difficult.  The 17th, the longest of the par 3s, has 4 well placed green side bunkers awaiting.  In general, there is some clever bunkering on both fairways and greens throughout the course, although this course does not have the deep re-vetted bunkers found on many a links course.

7th at Moray New, one of the challenging par 4s (SI 7)

The course was in excellent condition for a late October day, demonstrating how accessible Scottish Links courses can be all year round – by comparison many courses inland were closed due to being waterlogged on the same day.

Other than plane spotting, playing at Moray is highly recommended for whisky lovers, since Moray has a well established and long relationship with nearby distillers (several of whom were original members of Moray) from whom the club has bought several vintage whiskys.  It has its own label “Club malt”, currently a Macallan.  Curiously, there is more about the history of whisky on the club’s web site than the golf courses!

Par 4 10th tee, a nightmare in the prevailing wind from the left!

A story worth noting is the political dispute Moray GC had with, probably in hindsight, its most famous member, the first UK Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald –  he was removed from the membership list in 1916 for his opposition to the First World War.  He was finally reinstated as a member in 1929, but never played Moray again.

On the day, I played reasonably well for 28 points, although had a few disasters (on 12 and 14 especially), which meant I scored a gross 97.  I got a birdie on 8, which was my highlight.

If you plan to play the Old course at Moray, try and make sure you savour the New as well.  Highly recommended.  I played using The Courier golf voucher deal for only £15 – an absolute bargain.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 68 (14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5772

Moly’s Gross score: 97

Moly’s Moray Old scorecard – 97 for 28 points

 

63. Leven Links. 24th Aug 2017.

August 26, 2017 /

Check the wind forecast and prepare accordingly on this historic links!

Summary:  Cost £50.  Par 71.  Score 97. Value (out of 5) – 3.5.

Leven Links golf course lies on a beautiful piece of links land running almost exactly in the south-westerly prevailing wind direction between the towns of Leven and Lundin Links on the north bank of the Firth of Forth.  Many a round here will be strongly influenced by the prevailing conditions; I was level bogies over the 9 holes played with the wind and 18 over for the nine holes played into the wind, which was only about 10 mph!

The Scoonie burn in front of the huge 18th green at Leven Links – a magnificent final hole.

 

The course has a key place in golfing history, tied strongly with its “Siamese Twin” neighbour, Lundin golf course, and well documented in the History of Scottish Golf web site.   A 9 hole golf course was laid out in 1846 by Old Tom Morris in the ground between Leven and the course’s current eastern boundary marked by the Mile Dyke. The most significant part of the history though is that in 1868 this original course was extended by laying another 9 holes to the east of the Mile Dyke towards the town of Lundin Links;  as the resulting layout had no double greens, this was arguably the first “modern” 18 hole links golf course in the world.

The 4th green at Leven Links, with the boundary of Mile Dyke and Lundin Links in the background

This historic 18 hole course lasted until 1909 when the volume of players forced a division at the Mile Dyke with Lundin G.C, thereby creating twin 18 hole courses; Lundin and Leven Links.   Of the current Leven Links course, the opening 5 holes and also the incredibly challenging 13th and 18th holes are part of that original 18 holes.

Like a number of the links courses on the east coast of Scotland, Leven Links is managed separately from the 2 golf clubs using it, Leven Golfing Society and Leven Thistle Golf Club.  Both clubs welcome visting golfers.

The golf course is laid out around the natural dunes and grasses of the links land and this makes for a very interesting first few holes especially for those new to this format of the game.  I suspect many people will find that their approach shots end up through the green at the short par 4 2nd and 3rd holes.  Many of the greens call for pitch and run shots running onto the green.

The wonderful links approach at the par 4 2nd at Leven Links

After a relatively straight forward start the short par 3 5th green can be very difficult to find played through the prevailing left to right wind.  Then comes the small matter of the 6th, a par 5 of 555 yards off the yellow tees – as the pro said to me before my game “it’s normally a drive, two 3 woods and then an iron to the green!”.  I was actually in a greenside bunker in 5, but finished with a 30 foot putt – I cannot remember feeling happier with a 7!  The 6th also has another characteristic of Leven Links – very large greens.

The difficult par 3 15th normally played into the prevailing wind.

The stretch from the 13th to 18th, where all bar the 17th are into the wind, offers some great challenges, however the best is kept till last.  The 18th is a par 4 of over 450 yards, with the dominating Scoonie burn laying in wait for the approach shots, which for almost all average players will be their 3rd shot.  I met up with a local member who said it was statistically the second hardest par 4 in Scotland.  This was quite believable, however the course stroke indexes are not and are the most strange I have encountered, best exemplified by the short par 5 12th, at 504 yards, played normally with the wind being SI 1, but the 18th, the “second hardest par 4 in Scotland”, being SI 9…..go figure?

The town of Leven behind the par 3 9th green.

Due to location and historical interest Leven Links is a very heavily played course and I think this was the main reason the course being a little bit worn in condition when I played, in particularly several fairways were chewed a bit and the bunkers needed a bit of care.  Due to this, it was very difficult to assess a value rating at the stated green fee of £50 for a weekday round;  historically the course demands a 4+, but the condition and price merited only 3.5. It is really worth playing though as its a really great layout.

The 4th tee at Leven with the Firth of Forth coast line to the right.

Leven Links has hosted many national and international competitions as well as hosting local final qualifying many time when St Andrews hosts The Open.

I thought I played pretty well for a gross 97 and 30 stableford points (off current 17 hcp).

Key Facts

Course Type: Links

Par 70 (2 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 6309

Moly’s Gross score: 97.

Moly’s Leven Links scorecard – 97 for 30 points

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