Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Commercial (Page 4 of 8)

98. Piperdam New. 12th July 2019.

April 4, 2020 /

Great value course close to Dundee well worth playing

Round £30.   Par 71.  Value (out of 5) – 4.5

Opened in 1997, the main golf course at the Piperdam Leisure estate is 8 miles to the east of Dundee on the A923. Originally called Piperdam Osprey, because Ospreys nest around the fishing lake that is the centrepiece of the estate, the course was upgraded in 2014 and renamed Piperdam New.

The beautiful par 3 9th hole at Piperdam New

This is a really great value course at only £30 for a midweek round, with offers of further discounts available through web sites such as GolfNow. Fran and I paid only £15 each, and therein lies the great challenge for golf clubs in Scotland – why pay a membership of £700+ when great value golf is readily available at such prices and freely accessible. Whilst the golfers retired from work may play 2 or which should go from strength to strength following the very sad closure of the nearby Camperdown Park course in 2020.3 times every week (and these members are invariably and understandably the people running the committees), how many working age people play more than 40 times a year? Piperdam pricing offers a great model of what I think courses in Scotland should compete with. The course should go from strength to strength following the very sad closure of the nearby Camperdown Park course in 2020.

The long par 4 7th hole at Piperdam, a good drive to the right of center is needed to give a good chance of reaching the green at this SI 3 hole

As a leisure complex, catering for holidays, weddings, etc, the facilities are also excellent for traveling golfers – little wonder its very popular with Societies. It also has a strong 9 hole course as well which I played and blogged in 2013 here .

Another great thing about Piperdam, is the number of tee options which visitors are welcome to play off whichever they feel capable of – I played the blue tees making the course 5800 years long, but given that it was very wet when I played that was long enough for me.

The Par 5 8th hole, with water all down the right of the hole – part of the strongest run of holes at Piperdam New

The course is set around the large fishing lake, which comes into play on several holes, and with the reeds and grasses it makes for an aesthetic walk even if your golf isn’t what you would like – perhaps pop the binoculars in the bag as the bird life is abundant here.

After the fairly short par 3 opening hole with a 125 yard water carry, the tough par 5 2nd needs to be played with a 3 shot strategy, then the 3rd hole is a very difficult Stroke Index 1 par 4. In other words you need to focus from the very first shot.

1st green at Piperdam New, a short par 3, over water – never a nice way to open the round

Some of the holes were very strong, and the run of 3 holes Numbers 7 through 9, comprising a long par 4, a long par 5 and an excellent mid to long iron par 3 over water, would not be out of place on much higher rated courses. I suspect being part of a commercial leisure complex in some way diminishes the perception of the quality of Piperdam New.

The course was in excellent condition when we played, with lush fairways, well maintained bunkers and very true greens.

On the day I played well, shooting 92 for 32 points, helped by my back 9 of only 7 over. This is probably a typical scoring pattern here, given the very tough opening and closing 3 holes of the front 9. Moral is “keep going at Piperdam” you rewards will come.

With a good drive this is a birdie opportunity hole. Typically aesthetic hole at Piperdam.

A really great value course.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 71 (4 par 5, 9 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance: 5818

Moly’s Gross score: 92

Moly’s Piperdam New Scorecard – Solid 92 in the wet conditions

88. Murrayshall. 16 Sep 2018

October 30, 2018 /

Murrayshall is a nice parkland course, but its hotel partner course (Lynedoch) is much better value.

Round  £50 ( variable on-line).   Par 70.  Value (out of 5) – 3

The Murrayshall estate, first built in 1664, was established as a commercially successful Country House hotel in the early 1970s, following the sale of the estate by the Norrie-Millar family, of whom Francis Norrie-Millar was one of the key instrumentalists in building the General Accident insurance company in nearby Perth, only 3 miles to the west of Murrayshall.

Fran plays at the par 5 9th at Murrayshall

The esteemed golf architect Hamilton J Strutt (grandson of James Braid’s foreman) designed this Championship course in the 70s, and returned to design the Lynedoch course which opened in 2000.   The Murrayshall course is indeed a fine example of Strutt crafting a course amidst mature parkland, leaving an impression that the course has been there for a hundred years.  This is almost completely true except for the bland and exposed par 4 13th hole, which was oddly the SI1 hole (more of later).

The 6th tee view, typical of the Murrayshall course

Whereas the sister Lynedoch course is partly woodland, Murrayshall is exclusively parkland.  I had previously played the Lynedoch track and had been very impressed (read my blog here).  I was therefore greatly looking forward to playing the hotel’s premium course, but must admit that I don’t think the higher price is worth it is versus its shorter neighbour.   It’s still a very nice course, with some outstanding countryside views, nice greens and good bunkering;  but, other than being a longer course, it lacked the guile of its smaller sister course.

The short par 3, 4th hole, at Murrayshall

The course was in good condition when I played and I had a nice round of 89, for 37 stableford points (off 17);  including a birdie at the 13th, the stoke index 1 hole, which was one of the more bland holes played towards a local farmyard.  My score also reflects the fairly open fairways and relatively accessible surrounds of the trees.  Other notable holes were the stretch of 6th, 7th and 8th, a really nice set of challenges, with a reachable par 4, a difficult par 4, and a tricky par 3.  Also noteworthy is the mix holes, with five par 5s and five par 3s, its an odd mix.

The two dogs (Isla and Joseph) whose grave guards the very difficult pay 4 7th, “Dogs Grave”

Unfortunately, the round at Murrayshall was the slowest I’ve played for several years, at around 4.5 hours.  Having caught up with the 4-ball in front, on hole 2, which actually turned out to be the last group of about 10 groups making up a society day, we then were delayed at about 5 minutes per hole for the remained of the round!  I’m writing this, to give context to my “value” assessment.  How should an assessment be dictated by pace of play?  Well, if I hadn’t been doing a blog, we would have walked in after 12 holes.   It was anything but value for money.  How many times have you heard “we would let you through, but it’s the group ahead holding us up” – I refer everyone to the Etiquette section of the rules of golf, which clearly recommends allowing a faster grouping through, regardless of circumstances.

It is worth playing, but perhaps check whether a society is playing in front!

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (5 par 5s, 8 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (white)   5868 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  89

Moly’s 89 at Murrayshall – a decent round given the chilly weather

78. Craggan. 22 June 2018.

July 12, 2018 /

Little more than a good “pitch and putt” with a few decent holes thrown in   

Round £15.   Par 27.  Value (out of 5) – 2

Craggan 9 hole golf course serves a great purpose as a nicely maintained facility in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park, affording golf to complete beginners and holiday golfers.    In addition, as part of a commercial outdoors activity centre, with very many other activities on offer, it makes for a great day out for groups and families, where golf is only part of the plan for some or all.

The short 1st hole at Craggan, with typical surrounds on the “pitch n putt” holes

Having said all that, other than the 5th, 6th and 9th, the holes could be found on decent “pitch n putt” courses.   It’s true that it is difficult to play to your handicap for better golfers, but that is due mainly to some very small greens.

The nice 6th hole at Craggan – one of 3 good holes.

It does have very nice views to the surrounding Cromdale Hills and the Cairngorms, but the nearby River Spey is only momentarily in view (from the 4th green) and never really in play.

Several of the holes are not much more than 100 yards, but the 3 holes aforementioned are noteworthy.  The 6th (162 yards) and 9th (132 yards) being the most visually attractive and both with water in play in the form of small ponds (part of the fishing on offer).  The overall length is only 1269 yards.

The 9th – the best hole on Craggan in Moly’s opinion.

I didn’t strike the ball very well, and ended up with a 37, albeit I did enjoy the little course.   It was well maintained when I played, although the tees were sometimes non-distinct.

Price?  There is a bit of a premium for the National Park location, but this is not great value at £15 for 9 holes.  You need only to compare with other more established golf courses to see the over-pricing (e.g. Torphins is a great comparison).  I think no more than £10 for 9 holes is a more reasonable price.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance: 1269 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 37

Moly’s scorecard at Craggan 9 hole par 3 course – 37

76. Meldrum House. 19 June 2018.

July 8, 2018 /

Aberdeenshire’s “exclusive golf experience” is untypically Scottish and fails to deliver value   

Round £85 + hotel residency.   Par 70.  Value (out of 5) – 2

Let’s get something clear – Meldrum House is a beautifully crafted parkland golf course cut among the agricultural heartland of Aberdeenshire.  The quality and design, by Graham Webster, is of a very high standard.  However (yes, there is a big one), in establishing the course as “the exclusive golf experience”, Meldrum House feels so untypically Scottish.  It felt much more like playing, for example, the AA Golf Club in Epsom, than a Scottish golf course.

Perhaps that’s why there was a need to stock some Highland Cattle between the 17th fairway and the manufactured lawns of the Country House hotel of the same name, otherwise one might think you were playing the very many lookalike late 1900s courses developed in the southern counties of Surrey or Hampshire.

The rare Highland Cattle compliment the surroundings at Meldrum House – 17th hole behind.

The only way to play a single round is to stay at the 4-star Meldrum House hotel, which allows guests to play the course for a fee of £85.   Therefore, with dinner, bed and breakfast, a round here is going to cost at least £250+.  Hence why I’ve assessed its value rating as 2.

Meldrum House hotel provides great accommodation and the estate of the same name has a long heralded history, with the Barony of Meldrum dating back to the 13th Century.  So, if you were looking for an Aberdeenshire short break with a bit of golf and good food, it’s a great option.

For the record, individual membership (2018 prices) of Meldrum House golf club is £1,895, although for that the club does consider it “our privilege to have our members”.  Unsurprisingly, business memberships are available, and start at over £5,000.   Of course, there lies the likely clue to the golf course’s existence, which seems to rest on the wealthy oil industry of the North East.  I’ll wager that this course will not be around in it’s current format, once the North Sea oil is long gone.  Why pay these Meldrum House fees when membership of one of the world’s best courses, Cruden Bay, is £680, and only about 22 miles away?

Par 3 10th hole, one of the 7 water feature holes in the first 10 at Meldrum House.

The course has a headline length of over 7000 yards from the black tees, but I suspect most will play from the White (6203) or Yellow (5867) tees, the latter which I used while playing with my wife Fran who used the Red (5492).

There is water genuinely in play at 11 of the 18 holes, and at 7 of the first 10.   There is also many very deep bunkers.  To score well, you need to play strategically around here and pay close attention to the course planner (included in the fee!).  I did this pretty well other than at the 8th, the aptly named “The Lochans”, and the 18th (more of later);  the 8th fairway slopes left to right towards the water hazard, which I surprisingly found after a well struck drive;  the smart play is a hybrid from the tee to the left side of the fairway.

The beautiful 16th hole at Meldrum House, characteristic of the course.

Holes 11 through 15 play on the higher part of the course, with no water hazards, but the stretch starts with what can be described as a “gimmicky” 11th hole which has a disaster of 15 (yes 15) bunkers in front of the green approach.  I couldn’t help wondering what the record is for the most, separate, bunkers ever played from on a single hole??

The “gimmicky” long par 5 11th, with bunkers covering 70 yards of the green approach.

 

The course was in very good condition when I played other than one fairway (9th) which was poor.  The greens were beautiful, the tees and bunkers well kept and manicured.  It was also a very pleasant walk and, of course, there was hardly any other players!

The 18th, unusually, was a short to medium iron, par 3, played over 2 sets of marshy water hazards.  Unfortunately, I found both hazards for a 7, my second quadruple bogie of the day, along with the 9th, which ruined an otherwise impressive card.  I still shot 90 for 35 points.

13th green, site of my only birdie of the day at Meldrum House

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention – coffee & tee were “free” in the clubhouse;)

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (3 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5867

Moly’s Gross score: 90

Moly’s Meldrum House Scorecard – 90 for 35 points

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