Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

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143. Gullane Number 1. 24 May 2022.

August 10, 2022 /

Arguably the epi-centric viewpoint of world links golf

Round £195. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.4/122. Value (out of 5) – 5

In Michael Murphy’s great book, “Golf in The Kingdom”, golf is eulogised in metaphysical or spiritual terms. In starting to write about Gullane, I can’t do better than Murphy’s epigraph, the Scottish golf saying:

“Golf was invented a billion years ago; don’t you remember?”

Oh, to win the lottery and live next to Gullane Number 1’s first tee.

That epigraph made complete sense as I walked onto the 7th tee at Gullane Number 1 for the first time. Set on the small Gullane Hill, it is said on a clear day you can see fourteen counties. What is without debate, I think, is that you have the greatest links land view on earth. Perched there, you are at the mid point of the East Lothian ‘golf coast’ stretching from Dunbar to the east and Musselburgh to the west, with names synonymous with world golf – Dunbar, North Berwick, Archerfield, Renaissance, Muirfield, Luffness, Kilspindie, Craigie Law and Longniddry.

Moly on the epi-centric viewpoint of world golf – the 7th tee at Gullane No 1.

Look north across the Firth of Forth towards the Kingdom of Fife, with Leven, Crail, Elie and St Andrews; see past the Tentsmuir Forrest towards the links of Carnoustie, Montrose, Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay. Golf has been played on the East Coast of Scotland for hundreds of years, perhaps indeed ‘billions’. This 7th tee on Gullane Number 1 could be the epi-centric viewpoint of world golf; the Old Course is undoubtedly the “home”, but Gullane’s viewpoint is unparalleled.

The second hole at Gullane No 1, a par four “carved into the Ancient Links”

So much has been written about Gullane, including the crafted explanation of posh ‘Gillin’ versus humble ‘Gullan’ in his book, “Playing Through”, by Curtis Gillespie, that I decided to more or less tell this story mainly through pictures.

Alastair Allanach plays his low top spin drawing drive, which galloped down the “Racecourse” third; a swing honed and bartered over many years of tutelage by a South African pro. The Hill was used in bygone days by racehorses.

Accompanied by Gullane member, Alastair Allanach, a man who has played more golf courses than anyone I know, we had an absolute blast, waxing lyrical about Gullane and its history. Alastair, a great all round sportsman, and now well into his 70s, was keen to get in at least two of the three Gullane courses on the day, as he struggles to “carry my bag for three rounds nowadays!”

Gullane is one of a few nesting grounds where Larks abound, here encountered at the 8th green.

I met Alasdair a few years ago, when I helped a tiny bit in his editing of the golf book, “The Golfing Life of Jock Kirkcaldy“, the alter ego of our mutual great friend Frank Crowe. The book was forwarded by Gary Player, a friend of Alastair’s – of course!

The brilliant bunkering at the par 3, ninth hole. Although not “the turn”, as with constant directional changes on the interweaving course, it’s unlike the many “out and back” links in Scotland.

This Championship course, the first of the three Gullane courses, dates back to 1882, (the others being innovatively named Gullane 2 and Gullane 3) and it was in brilliant condition. It could have immediately held another Scottish Open without any adjustment. The greens had a little more grass than a professional tournament would have, in order to ensure they didn’t become unplayable in the wind. We had a relatively still day on the links – only a 10mph breeze. Whilst Gullane 2 and 3 were both designed by golfing royalty, Willie Park Jr, the designer of Gullane 1 remains a mystery, which seems so apt.

The bunkers at the left of the 12th fairway, a short par 5, but played slightly uphill and into the prevailing wind – a challenge. Moly’s birdie 4, was witnessed by a group of Swedish golfers, among the many international visitors Gullane gets each year.

The bunkering was exceptional. Strategically placed, penal, but not impossible, many of the new US style courses could learn from a Gullane recce. I recently played on the Ryder Cup course at the K Club and found that almost all the bunkers required a shot height and carry I no longer had in my bag. Gullane bunkers give you a chance.

The immaculate bunker at the 14th green – penal but not impossible.

I was very pleased with my 91, despite 3 triple bogies, including at the stroke indexes 1 and 2 holes, the 5th and 10th respectively. I played off the yellow tees at 6162 yards, plenty enough distance for me. I had such a great time playing Gullane. I only hope all of the very fortunate 1200 members feel as blessed as Alastair does, who was a joy to play with on a memorable day for me.

The approach at the long par 5 15th hole.

The course sits on a vast area, so expect to 3 putt some of the monstrous greens. Despite being a busy day with all tee slots taken, I was amazed to only hear one shout of “fore”, a measure of the space here.

Moly has a rare birdie chance at the uphill par 3, 17th. Note the rain in the Firth of Forth, which never arrived on the course.

Now for the assessment of value. Golfing visitor fee inflation has really impacted Scottish golf. In 2018, in my St Andrews Old Course blog, I said anything higher priced than the old course can’t be worth the money. At the time the Old Course was £180 for a high season round, this year it is £270, a compound annual rise of over 10% per year, or more than three times the retail price index over the same period. Put another way, using 2018 as the datum, the Old Course should be £205.

All good things come to an end – here Moly walks towards the 17th green, a deceptive par four, with the town of Gullane awaiting, watched over by Berwick Law.

No matter how much might have wanted to, in the end I couldn’t give this course anything less than 5 out of 5 for value, despite the price tag of £195. It’s a must play links golf course with unbeatable turf, bunkering, green surrounds, sea breeze, wispy rough.

Play, if for nothing else, to stand on the exact epi-centric viewpoint of world links golf. If such a thing could exist.

Facts:

Course Type: Links

Par 71 (3 par 5s, 11 par 4s,  4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 6162 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s Gullane Number 1 scorecard – 91

142. Kingsknowe. 23 May 22.

August 5, 2022 /

Brilliantly priced golf course with divergence of views

Round £35. Par 69. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68/113. Value (out of 5) – 4.5

When I played Kingsknowe, pronounced Kings-NOW, on a magnificent May day, with clear skies and beautiful views, I was struck by how much the surroundings of the golf course must have changed over the last 100 years, since its foundation in 1908. It has literally ‘lived’ amongst the great social changes of the 20th Century.

Great downhill par three first of 167 yards, a tough par to start, with longstanding views towards the Queensferry Crossing, the Tillicoultry Mountains and Ochil Hills

Sitting on the western side of Edinburgh, Kingsknowe is only 4 miles from Edinburgh Castle, obviously well within the city boundary. However, go back over 100 years, and the course would have been surrounded by countryside. At the time, the nearby Union Canal, was one of the main traffic routes near the course.

The long third hole, 470 yards, into the prevailing wind, with Arthurs Seat in the background.

Initially laid out by the 1902 ‘Champion golfer of the year’ Alec Herd, the first major impact the club suffered was the loss, during WWI, of 27 of its members, commemorated by a plaque in the clubhouse and recorded on the Imperial War Museum website here. During the second world war, by which time James Braid had been commissioned to implement some architectural changes, some of his changes were turned to farming use to support the war effort.

The justifiably chosen stroke index 1, par four, 5th hole, at well over 400 yards.

The course opens with a tricky par three, very untypical of a Braid Course, which normally has a straight forward short par four to get things going. The course character is further reinforced with the dog leg right 2nd, then a long par five into the prevailing wind. Playing to handicap through the first three is a challenge.

The 10th green, with the dominating views of Wester Hailes housing estate. Many of the holes could be named “Wester Hailes”

With several more undulating and dog legs, I was very surprised by the Slope Rating of only 113 (yellow), but I guessed this may be due to its relatively short length and the fact that there are no – yes zero – fairway bunkers. This bunker situation makes me question the validity of Braid’s involvement in the design, as he placed so much emphasis on this element of architecture. If anyone knows of his exact involvement, that would be interesting.

The actual “Wester Hailes” hole, 12th par 4, surprisingly not the one with most views of the estate.

Another great social change, is highlighted at the 12th, “Wester Hailes”, a mid length par 4. Named after the revolutionary housing development immediately to the north of the course, the social housing is actually visible on a great number of the holes. The large and formidable wrought iron boundary fence, tells only a fraction of the story.

Following slum closures elsewhere in Edinburgh, in the 60s, Wester Hailes, a development of over 4000 homes was to be one of the most ambitious housing projects in Europe. It transpired within 20 years into a haven of crime in which parts of the development were referred to as “Vietnam”. The Edinburgh News writes about “How a field of Dreams turned into a Concrete Jungle“. The building of the housing required the culverting of the Union Canal.

Whilst the ‘polis’ were dealing with major crime one side of the golf course, just over the fairways sits Merchiston Castle, the last all male boarding school in Scotland. Such a contrasting start to life, so close to each other. I wonder what percentage of the membership is from Wester Hailes?

17th, “Plateau”, a short par 4, where like many I suspect I grossly under-clubbed with my second shot. Take 3 more clubs.

Back to the golf – tree lined, but not interfering too much, Kingsknowe, with its fine clubhouse, serves as a excellent society day. It’s is very well priced for visitors, I got a rate of only £22 through Golfnow, but the full summer fee of £35 still represents excellent value.

The course was in excellent condition, especially the teeing grounds. The greenside bunkers were great, highlighting the lack of fairway bunkers hadn’t diminished the green keeping skills.

The magnificent clubhouse as a backdrop to the welcoming 18th green.

In a very high wind, up to 30 mph, I shot 87, four over net. This included almost driving the short par 4 finishing hole, but ending in a small copse left of the green. I won’t describe the rest of my play in recording a 7, but still came back in 40 shots.

Well worth playing at this well manicured and highly enjoyable course, where the hole names are also worth taking note with their clues – “Wee Drap”!

Course Type: Parkland

Par 69 (1 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance: 5728 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 87

Moly’s Kingsknowe scorecard, 87. Good back nine of 40, including a tripple bogie on 18th!

141. Thornton. 21 May 22.

August 5, 2022 /

Well presented course proves greenkeeping importance in competitive market

Round £30. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.4/119. Value (out of 5) – 4.0

Golf operates in an increasingly competitive market. When clubs come to trim budgets, the last to go should be good greenkeeping staff. Thornton has invested wisely.

The appealing opening tee shot at Thornton, typical of the first 6 holes.

Thornton is a fairly unmemorable village in Fife set between Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy. Nestled not far off the high street is a surprisingly well conditioned parkland course, well worth a visit.

Established in 1921, and seemingly ‘designed’ by the forming committee, this course of about 6000 yards presents a course of three distinct phases.

Holes 1 through 6, are of an “up and down’ nature and although fairly repeatable, and I could imagine some visitors bemoaning this part of the course, it had sufficient variations in length and subtlety to deserve your attention. Interestingly, a couple of members ‘jumped in’ in front of us at the seventh tee, which is close to the clubhouse.

The tough par three 3rd hole at about 200 yards, with a tree in the front of the green.

A number of more changes of direction ensue between 7 through 13. But the most interesting holes are from 14 through 17, dominated by the Lochty Burn.

Fran putts at the 10th, the only double green on the course. Great putting surface.

We played on a very nice May day and the course was in fabulous condition. In fact, it was the best condition of a course at its price point I had played in a while. You expect courses at £50+ to guarantee good playing conditions, but at £30 or under, you never quite know what to expect. Clearly you’re not going to get Open Qualifying conditions.

Moly sets up for his second at the par five 13th hole. The quality of the fairway in clear evidence.

The greenkeepers at Thornton had done a magnificent job. Tees, fairways, bunkers, greens – all were first class. Rough was very appropriately managed as well. Although we didn’t try the clubhouse (we played late on a Sunday, it was closed), it looked an impressive set up.

The 14th “Burn”, a hard par 3. SI 3 tells the story, especially with the hard right to left wind!

The club pro, Jamie McLearly, who was a former touring pro, was really friendly explaining the course before our round – this is also important as it’s not always usual to get such a warm and genuine welcome. Clubs are also a business and visitor income is a crucial part of the business model. You could do worse than copying Thornton’s all round professionalism,

As mentioned, the best part of the course starts from the 14th, a very difficult hole. However, I don’t really need to be too explanatory, as there is an excellent set of hole videos on the website here.

The lovely “risk reward” short par four 16th hole.

I played well, scoring 84, net 1 under par, despite taking an 8 on the par five 6th. My highlight was parring three of the four par 3s; of most note was my par on the long par three 3rd hole, with a tree in front of the green. However, I “couldn’t hole a putt for toffee”. Never mind.

I really enjoyed Thornton, not because I played well, but because it was in such great condition. In a competitive market, this is what will keep it in business.

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance: 5859 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 84

Moly’s Thornton scorecard – 84

140. Canmore. 20 May 22.

August 4, 2022 /

‘Municipal’ feel course, with an Amen Corner worth playing

Round £25. Par 67. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 65.9/124. Value (out of 5) – 3.0

When you look at the economics of Scotland and its number of golf courses, it’s little wonder that courses have closed regularly over the year. Put simply, there is not the GDP to sustain the highest number of courses per capita in the world (for countries with more than 200 courses).

The par four 5th at Canmore, a typical looking hole at this Dunfermline course.

Canmore, is one of those courses that over time is at threat, in my opinion. Sited in the Headwell area on the north of Dunfermline, there are about a dozen courses within a 10 mile radius, a number of which are much better, such as Pitreavie. Although competitively priced with a headline rate of £25 for a peak season round and with Golfnow rates available, I paid only £16, other than a few holes it was a rather forgetful experience.

The green at the difficult par four 10th hole.

Founded, apparently, on its present site in 1902, Canmore is a parkland course at just over 5000 yards long. It actually doesn’t feel that old a course, and without any history on its web site, it’s difficult to find any background context, including its designer.

There is however, a very difficult set of holes around the turn, which are worth testing your game against.

The 9th, a dog leg par four of 371 yards, has a ditch in play for the long drivers and worthy of being stroke index 4.

The 10th, played into the prevailing wind is a more difficult hole (in my opinion), with out of bounds all the way down the left of a sweeping horseshoe shaped hole – keep right at all costs.

The 11th, the signature hole, must be a banker for home matchplay games, with the yardage of the second shot, played over a marker post to a sunken hazard surrounded green, being critical to judge. A bogie is a good score at this SI 2 hole, I really couldn’t work out why it wasn’t SI 1.

The 11th the signature hole, a par 4, at Canmore.

Finally, the 12th, is a really challenging long par 3 (nearly 200 yards), played uphill to semi blind green.

The course was in okay condition when I played, albeit all areas could have been mown, a mark of understaffing on greenkeeping.

The long par three 12th hole, the end of the treacherous stretch of holes

This is not a course that will attract many holidaying tourists, and I wouldn’t be recommending going out of your way to play here. At just over £500 for an annual membership, its probably a decent course if you like your local golf and tend not to travel around.

On the day, I shot 90, for 28 points, and did well to overcome two 7s at the par fours 5th and 6th holes. Plus, I didn’t blob any of the tough stretch which I was very pleased with indeed.

The difficult par three 4th hole, with clubhouse in view.

Other than its Amen corner (9-12), this feels like a standard ‘municipal’ course. I was made very welcome by the staff in the pro shop.

Course Type: Parkland

Par 69 (0 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance: 5214 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross score: 90

Moly’s scorecard at Canmore – a 90 for 28 points.
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