Great value little course well worth going out of your way for

Round £18.  Par 67.  Value (out of 5) 4

Huntly Golf Club, in Aberdeenshire, sits between the rivers Deveron and Bogie (the confluence of these rivers is between the 12th and 13th tees) and also adjacent to the ruined Huntly Castle, the ancestral home of Clan Gordon.  The castle ruins provide a backdrop to the par 3 2nd hole.

Signature par 3 2nd hole at Huntly, with Castle ruins visible through the trees.

Signature par 3 2nd hole at Huntly, with Castle ruins visible through the trees.

Established in 1892, the course was dormant during both world wars and after lengthy periods of only 9 holes, has been an 18 hole layout since 1966.

It is a relatively short course at 5359 yards from medal tees and 4904 yards from the yellow tees.  However, there are many sloping fairways which, when coulped to the trees, mean accuracy plays a dividend.

Approach to 4th at Huntly

Approach to 4th at Huntly

The course has no par 5s, and 5 par 3s – moreover only one par 4 (the 8th) is over 400 yards, and that is by only 7 yards.  My recommendation would be to leave the driver in the car and ensure you play off the fairways – this will pay dividends.  Of course if you spy my card (below), you’ll not be surprised to find I didn’t follow my own advice – I lost balls at the 5th and 8th!

Demanding tee shot at the 9th at Huntly

Demanding tee shot at the 9th at Huntly

Fran, my playing partner on the day, and I only played 9 holes before being caught in an absolute downpour – but the kind starter gave us a refund for the holes not played – don’t say Aberdonian’s are mean, its absolutely not true.  I plan to return and play the back 9 at some point in future.

There are a number of nice blind driving holes on the front 9, namely the 4th, 5th and 7th, and in reality you only need to get a shot perhaps 180 yards out to make these holes pretty straight forward.  Of the par 3s the 2nd is a really nice hole, but beware the hidden bunker to the right of the green.

rain stops play at Huntly - I'll be back!

rain stops play at Huntly – I’ll be back!

The course was in excellent condition when I played, and along with the picturesque surroundings, make this course really good value at £18.  Huntly is also a nice little town to visit.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 67 (0 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow)   4904 yards

Moly’s Gross Score  49 (front 9)

Front 9 at Huntly (Rain halted round)

Front 9 at Huntly (Rain halted round)