Flat uninteresting course with a football pitch on the second fairway!
Round (9 holes) £10. Par 34. Value (out of 5) 2
I had been looking forward to playing Falkland, home of the historic Falkland Palace, for such a long time. As a sought after location in Fife, within commuting distance to Edinburgh and set close to the Lomond Hills, I had been expecting much more than I found. Especially, after reading of the “undulating parkland with breathtaking views” on the club’s web site.
8th at Falkland, the only 2 tier green on the course
So here are the facts: the course is very flat; the 2 dog leg holes (7 and 9) are enforced through right angle fences of adjacent property; and there is a football pitch on the 2nd fairway! There are, granted, some nice views of the Lomond Hills but they are in no way “breathtaking”.
The 2nd fairway at Falkland and football pitch!
The 9 hole course was founded in 1902. However, there are records of golf being played on 3rd Feb 1503 in the vicinity of the Palace by King James in a match against the Earl of Boswell who reportedly won.
On the day I played, the clubhouse was closed although the green keeper was very friendly, and also fully engaged on treating the greens to rid them of the moss which has set in.
Approach to the 7th at Falkland with Lomond Hills in view
The course presents an interesting challenge off the tee, if you are a hooker of the ball that is, with out of bounds coming into play on holes 1, 2, 3 and 7. Other than that there wasn’t much to write about of interest, other than the view beyond the 9th green of the majestic Falkland Palace.
Approach to the 9th at Falkland with the Palace in the background
Ata price of £15 for 18 holes, this is a course, in my opinion, suited for those taking up golf or just an occasional golfer, but likely to be a disappointment to many well travelled golfers. On the day I shot 43, including hitting it out of bounds at the 3rd!
Some Facts
Course Type: Parkland
Par 34 (1 par 5, 5 par 4s, 3 par 3s)
Distance yards: 2494
Moly’s Gross Score: 43
Moly’s Falkland 9 hole scorecard – 43