Category: Private (Page 2 of 4)

96. Craigieknowes. 19th June 2019.

March 23, 2020 / Moly McMillan

Playing 150 years ago might have felt like this

Round £7. Par 27. Value (out of 5) – 3

This course is really worth playing, but its assessed ‘value’ of 3 does not necessarily mean this course is good or even average quality; it’s not. Craigieknowes is cheap at less than £10. The greens were terrible when I played – little more than well mowed lawn. The teeing grounds don’t actually exist, they are just areas of the fairway with a tee marker. There are no bunkers – or if there were I can’t remember any.

**Craigieknowes Facebook Page focuses on the real attraction – Cake!**

Craigieknowes golf course, near Kippford in Dumfries and Galloway, is really worth playing, for no other reason than it is what I imagine golf would have been like in the late Victorian era, when golf courses were sprouting up all over Scotland.

**Fran on the 3rd green – she played much better than me on the day.**

It’s a 9 hole par 3 ‘highland’ course against the beautiful and peaceful backdrop of South West Scotland which still exists I suspect from the income generated during the Summer months in this holiday park of Scotland. The golf course seems to be secondary to the delightful tea room, which is the centrepiece of the facebook page of the course. The fact that Craigieknowes doesn’t even have its own proper website is also a measure of its status.

Unfortunately, despite some research I couldn’t find any meaningful history of the course.

**The difficult 4th, take at least one club longer**, **for the 156 yard hole**

Although being in poor condition, there are some meaty holes to overcome here. In particular the 4th, played uphill to a plateaued green, requiring more club that it looks to the eye, and the 166 yard 6th, again uphill, with OOB to the left of the green. On the 6th I lost a ball near the OOB wall, despite at least a 5 minute search – no-one was behind us!

**The 6th – a challenge with OOB on the left.**

On the day, we had lovely weather, and it was really good fun. Nevertheless, I couldn’t par any of the holes in my score of 43, which I’ll put down to the greens;)

If you are in the area this is fun to play, and the tea and cakes were really yummie!

Facts:

Course Type: Highland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance: 1391

Moly’s Gross score: 43

**Moly’s 43 at the par 27 Craigieknowes GC**

94. Maverston 9 hole. 25th May 2019.

March 8, 2020 / Moly McMillan

A very basic par 3 course

Round £10. Par 27. Value (out of 5) – 1.5

Maverston is owned and operated by the ANM Group, a member owned co-operative company with interests in mainly farming related businesses. It seems clear that the business goal of the Maverston estate was to build a golf course attractive enough to enable the sale of the co-located residential housing plots surrounding the course. The main 18 hole course itself opened in 2014, and several “executive” houses are now completed and occupied. I played and blogged about the main 18 hole course in 2016 here.

The 9 hole par 3 course is no more than a basic layout, which was in poor condition, especially the greens, when I played along with Fran. It would be a good course to learn the game on, and given that the club encourages under 16 membership for free with an adult member, I can see the value of the overall set up.

Having said that, as a stand alone course, it is not worth the £10 fee, especially given the increasing number of deals around at much better courses at a similar price. The main course here on the other hand is worth playing.

**Maverston 9 hole course, a good course to learn on**

On the day, I lost a match play game with Fran winning 4 & 3, after which I parred the next 2 holes (7th and 8th) – isn’t it infuriating when that happens.

Anyone thinking of playing their first round of golf, this would be a good place – otherwise give it a miss.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 1250

Moly’s Gross score: 40

**Maverston 9 hole scorecard – not bad in wind!**

93. Strathmore Rannaleroch. 18 May 2019.

August 2, 2019 / Moly McMillan

Ideal Golfing Society venue with a challenging course

Round £36. Par 71. Value (out of 5) – 4

“A Challenging course for golfers of all abilities”. How often do you read that on golf course websites? I suspect it really means “please come and play no matter what standard you are, we could do with the money?”. The wealthier clubs, in much less need of visitors, rarely say it.

**The nice par three 6th, one of the few holes with water in play**

So, if a “for all abilities” layout does really exist, I propose the Rannaleroch course at the Strathmore Golf Centre, near Alyth in Perthshire, might be the closest I’ve found. But the more you think about it, the more obscure the statement is. Firstly, how can any one player know? I have played many times with low handicap players and I regularly play with my mid to high 20s handicap peers. Neither group has sufficient empathy, I suggest, of what constitutes a comparable challenge for the other group! Again, one of the many “unsolvable” debates golfers love.

**The first green at Rannaleroch, a good example of the greens and surrounds at this main Stranthmore Golf Centre course.**

Strathmore Golf Centre, near Alyth in Perthshire, was opened in 1996, and also has a 9 hole course, Leiftie Links, which I blogged in 2016. The Rannaleroch course was designed by former R&A Captain, John Salveson, now deceased; John turned to golf course design later in life after retiring as a farmer, mainly in conjunction with Donald Steel.

**The 17th, the last of the nice par threes at Rannaleroch**

The par 72 main course (although 70 off the yellow tees I used) is very picturesque, amongst rolling countryside, with mature trees, and the wide fairways means you can afford to use driver on all the longer holes. It’s an excellent architecture job.

The greens are large and I suggest you spend sometime on the practice greens to avoid several 3 putts; I putted very well on the front 9, then lost it on the back.

There are some really memorable holes, but I think the par 3s are the star here, with the 4th and the 17th both needing long irons. The short 6th over water is also a nice hole.

**The difficult long iron par three 4th hole, with trouble left and right**

The course was in excellent condition when I played along with Fran, despite the very wet weather that had prevailed the previous month. The tees, fairways and greens were all very good, albeit the bunkers were a little in need of raking and a bit of maintenance. Having said that, the course represented really good value. It would be a great course to add to a Blairgowrie centered golfing break. It also has a very good reputation for food, and I would recommend booking, as the restaurant is popular amongst local non golfers.

It’s really worth going out of your way to play Rannaleroch.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance (yellow): 5848

Moly’s Gross score: 97

**Moly’s 97 at Strathmore Rannaleroch, not helped by the rain making it play long!**

92. Fairmont Torrance. 9 Dec 2018.

July 21, 2019 / Moly McMillan

American style resort “Links” designed by Sam Torrance, the Scottish former Ryder Cup player/captain

Round £95. Par 72. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

The Torrance 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 Kitticks which I previously blogged. Both courses are championship venues and have hosted major qualifying and senior events, albeit the Torrance is regarded the senior course, and is named after its designer the Scottish golfer Sam Torrance..

The 6th at The Torrance, Fairmont St Andrwews, with the hotel in view.

Both courses previously 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 £275 for a 2019 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 (£275), St Andrews New (£90), Scotscraig (£70), Tain (£65), or the Kittocks at £95, is highly debatable….but good fun! (all 2019 prices)

Although playing in mid-December full tees and greens were in play, and the course was in good condition. Like its sister Kittocks course, it is quite open with wide fairways. The greens are generally very large and fast.

The Torrance course meanders around the hotel and takes in some great views, of the North Sea, the Tay Estuary towards the Angus coastline and from the 11th has great views across to St Andrews.

It is worth noting that, in my opinion, its not a true links as the turf is more arable, and certainly in other that the height of summer, the course wont necessitate any running links approach shots.

Best holes for me were the risk/reward par four 7th, which could be driven, otherwise a straight forward dog leg right requiring a hybrid off the tee; the dog leg right 10th hole, which the prevailing westerly wind will challenge the strongest driver, and; for the view, the short 11th with “The Auld Toon” in the background.

I played and scored better on The Torrance than I had on The Kittocks the year before. I shot 96, but only 44 on the front nine, which was my best nine holes of the year.

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 72 (4 par 5, 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 6051

Moly’s Gross score: 96

Category: Private (Page 2 of 4)

96. Craigieknowes. 19th June 2019.

94. Maverston 9 hole. 25th May 2019.

93. Strathmore Rannaleroch. 18 May 2019.

92. Fairmont Torrance. 9 Dec 2018.

Recent Posts

Useful Links