Good ‘family friendly’ 9 hole “Pay & Play” course is no ‘pitch ‘n putt’
Round £14.50. Par 32. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 30.0 /98. Value (out of 5) – 3
Look at Melville Golf Centre web site and you would think it is just a ‘Top Tracer’ driving range. However, alongside the ‘family friendly’ range is a nice little 9 hole course that, according to the web site, is built to US PGA Standards. There is no trace of the course architect, unfortunately.
My partner Fran at the 7th with the Pentlands in the background.
The course is only a few miles outside Edinburgh, near the village of Lasswade, not far from the intersection of the A720 Edinburgh bypass and the A7 route to the Borders. It is therefore ideally located to pick up transiting golfers, albeit the range has stiff competition from the nearby Kings Acre golf course.
The tricky 2nd green, a short par four.
Dig a little deeper, and you find that the Melville Golf Centre has attracted EU and Scottish Government funding through an organisation called “Tyne Esk LEADER”, a development vehicle for the ‘River Esk – River Tyne’ region, basically covering The Lothians, which of course is one of the best areas in the world for golf. Why some of this public money should be needed to help develop ‘Family Friendly’ golf, in an area rich in golfing history, with more golf clubs per head than any country in the world, is a sad indictment of the state of Scottish Golf and the lack of funds going from richer clubs back into the grass roots of the game.
The uphill par four 5th hole, which needs good distance judgement with the approach.
Set aside the politics, and Melville Golf Course does indeed provide an excellent setting for introducing people to golf. No frills, and in decent condition, there are a good variety of holes to test the full game. Set in relatively open parkland, you’re not likely to lose too many balls either.
The greens, fairways and tees were all pretty good. Along with great views of the Pentland Hills, from a number of the holes, and this is a handy way to spend a little more than an hour grabbing a very quick game of golf.
The makeshift greenkeeping at the par three 8th hole, with the bricks shoring up the bunker lip:)
The highlights of the course for me, were the tricky uphill par three 3rd, where a difficult club choice awaits, followed by the long par four 4th (SI1), then the uphill par four 5th. Other than these 3 holes, the rest are birdie opportunities for many golfers.
The 4th at Melville, clearly the most difficult hole off yellow (par 4), but a relatively easy par 5, from the white.
This is no ‘pitch ‘n putt’, it’s a nice little course if you have a couple of hours free. I shot 39, seven over the yellow card of 32. This included a 6 at the par four 9th, where after losing my first drive right, my second drive went through the green at 270 yards – it was windy!
Why it attracted EU and Scottish Government money, is blog article for someone else.
Not one, but two notable challenges making it worth the drive, but mainly for the ‘fish n’ chips’ and a warm welcome.
Round £37.50. Par 72. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 70.2 /122. Value (out of 5) – 3.5
I’m glad I don’t overly research courses before I play and I learnt long ago to ignore the marketing hype golf clubs use on their websites. It’s similar to reading the tantalising comments on the latest ‘best selling’ book, before you consign it to the charity shop after 50 pages!
The 6th, one of the ‘challenge’ holes at Eyemouth – a watery grave got all 3 of our balls.
Therefore, please ignore “The club was formed in 1894” – the original 9 hole course is completely gone and has been replaced by a ‘home made’ design in 1997 on a different piece of arable (not links) land, known as Gunsgreen Hill, to the south-east of the original course. The course feels like a new ‘parkland’ layout, before saplings mature to properly frame the course.
It is worth playing Eyemouth though; it’s good value, has a couple of notable challenges (more of below) and excellent fresh locally caught ‘fish ‘n chips’, served in the clubhouse restaurant that has long reaching views of the Berwickshire coastline.
The short par three 3rd hole, with the clubhouse on the right that has commanding views. All three of us playing made par, which was unusual for us!
It’s certainly a meaty, if not fishy, course, which has hosted a number of regional and Scottish amateur competitions. Many of the longer holes playing uphill are very difficult, none more so that the 450 yard par four 15th hole, the stroke index 1; albeit, at 450 yards, it is still 200 yards shorter than one of the two ‘challenge’ holes – the par five 13th, cheesely named ” The Hawkness Monster”, at 656 yards it is reputedly Scotland’s longest hole; thankfully it is all downhill. On the day I actually parred the longest hole in Scotland, yet scored a quadruple bogie 9 on the Par 4 15th, That’s golf in a nutshell.
The ‘Hawkness Monster’ – Scotland’s longest hole. 656 yards.
The other notable, and more attractive, hole, is the 6th; curiously named ‘A Still No Ken’ [‘I still don’t know’] it is a visually stunning mid-iron hole over craggy coastline, at 167 yards from the white tee, albeit the actual carry required is only about 140 yards. It’s all in the mind. Played into a stiff North Sea breeze, this would obviously compound the difficulty. All 3 of us playing (Brian and Frank being my partners), found the sea. On reflection I would call the hole something like ‘North Sea Graveyard’.
Frank putting out on the tough par four 15th hole, his technique scrutinised by Brian.
We paid through www.golfnow.co.uk and received about 20% off the ‘rack rate’ prices. Golfnow, has been a great development for peripatetic golfers who prefer to not join a club, but as yet less than 50% of Scottish clubs allow this means of booking, and disappointingly, hardly any of the premier clubs. This is a shame and the pricing of the top100 clubs remains elusively high, compared with the annual fees paid by their members; the ‘must play’ courses leveraging their attractiveness, which I guess is understandable.
The very difficult 11th green overlooking this relatively new course at Eyemouth.
The course was in decent, but not great, condition when we played, despite it being high season; the tees and very large greens were no more than average. Some of the greens were very tricky, most notably the 11th, where you couldn’t afford to be over the back of the green. The fairways are wide, but miss them and the rough is deep – there is no semi-rough to speak of. Although in dry seaside conditions, this might feel like a links, it is arable land, and I consider it a parkland course.
If you plan to play Eyemouth, I recommend considering a buggy if you’re not as fit as you once were. More importantly, the ‘fish ‘n chips’ in the clubhouse were as good as I’ve tasted anywhere. Those, and the very friendly staff at the club, make it a decent place to visit and play.
The openness and wide fairways at Eyemouth, typified here at the 9th.
Finally, in writing about Eyemouth, I came across an extraordinary sporting story in the excellent https://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/ web site, which charts the long lost history of Scottish Links. In the 1880s, during which time golf was played on a 5 hole course around the Eyemouth beach fort, the world famous cricketer, WG Grace actually played two seasons for Eyemouth cricket team. Now there’s a context for a film.
Course Type:Parkland
Par 72 (4 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s)
Distance: 6182
Moly’s Gross score: 102
Eyemouth – 102 reflects the challenge of this tough layout
This oasis might be the cheapest Harry Colt course in the world?
Round £40. Par 69. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.1/127. Value (out of 5) – 5
Drive through Dalkeith, which might appear a bit drab, and through the car park of Newbattle GC and you are met with a graceful parkland layout, with many magnificent trees, that just seems so unexpected. The course is an easy walking affair, other that the 2 holes (2nd and 17th) that play across the river esk valley that sits between the opening and closing holes and the rest of the course. With a substantial club house, this makes Newbattle a great venue for a group or society day out.
The delightful 17th at Newbattle, a par 4, stroke index 4, which must be a formidable match play hole.The River Esk is just visible, and never comes into play.
We know about the genius of some golf course design; the majestic Augusta of Alister McKenzie, the natural beauty and guile of The Old Course, the brutal nature of Pete Dye’s Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. Sometimes though, great golf course design is difficult to put your finger on.
When I played Newbattle, in Dalkeith near Edinburgh, it felt great, not because I played well, not because the weather was nice, but because ‘it just did’. It was almost indescribable why the course flowed so well and that I think is real genius. That was what Harry Colt design can be.
The very well bunkered par three 11th hole, ‘Roundel’, at Newbattle.
Although the Newbattle club was formed in 1896, the current full 18 hole course, the Colt legacy, was built in Dalkeith in 1934. Originally linked to Dalkeith Golf Club (1880), it’s called Newbattle as it’s within the historic boundary of Newbattle Abbey, a Roman Catholic monastery, and a key part of the Scottish religious story.
The tee markers, here at the 9th, are typical of the small yardage differences at Newbattle
When Fran and I played on a delightful mid summer day, the course was very busy, but never seemed to get back logged. The tees, fairways and greens were immaculate, with the bunkers still unraked due to the ongoing Covid Pandemic.
After pulling my opening drive about 2 yards out of bounds left, then hitting my second ball over the back of the first green, that turned out to be my only ‘blob’ in returning an 89, for 35 stableford points. If it were a competition though, it wouldn’t have troubled the scorers on this ideal day for golf.
The approach to the 13th at Newbattle, with Arthur’s Seat in the background
Play aside, this is a great little course well worth playing as part of an East Lothian tour. In terms of East Lothian value for money, it must be near the top of the pile. It’s certainly underrated in my opinion. The stand out holes for me, were the 5th, a long par 4, and easily the Stroke Index 1 hole and the long par 3 14th hole. To score well though, you need to avoid the clever and penalising bunkers.
The relatively easy finish at Newbattle, except if you find the copse of trees beside the green
There is an argument to say Harry Colt, the main contributor to many of the world’s great courses, including 3 on the Open Championship rota (Muirfield, Royal Liverpool, Royal Portrush), is the foremost designer of his age. I think Newbattle might just be the cheapest green fee of the more than 100 courses designed in whole or part by Colt.
This course’s struggle epitomises Scotland’s golfing challenge
Round £30. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.9/121. Value (out of 5) – 2.5
One of the sadder days of my golfing life, was reading about the closure of Camperdown golf course in my home town of Dundee in 2020, a course that I’d once written about as “probably the best value golf in the world“. Thankfully, it has recently been announced that a 9 hole course will be re-opened along with a driving range.
The 5th at Castle Park, one of the better holes on the front nine on this course.Mind the Crows!
One of the legacies of being the ‘Home of Golf’, is that on a per head basis Scotland has the most golf courses of any country. Moreover, when analysed on the GDP per head basis, it’s clear Scotland doesn’t have an economy big enough to sustain so many courses. The long term decline in courses seems set to continue.
The opening hole at Castle Park in Gifford. Typical of the open fairways.
However, this is not a ubiquitous story. Whilst attending a conference of Scottish Golf in 2018, one of the things that became apparent to me, was the divide existing between “have” and “have not” clubs, exposed during a debate about increasing the Scottish Golf ‘members sub’ paid as part of each individual golf club fee. There were several speakers from wealthier clubs (those likely occupying the top 100 Scottish courses) who resented any increase in the levy, as they were “doing very well, thanks very much”.
The 10th at Castle Park. Don’t go to the 18th after this, like I did!
The evidence as I see it, is that the top courses make significant visitor fee income, with many courses costing well over £120 per round, whilst their annual membership fees remain significantly under £1000 per year. For example, for 2022 Carnoustie will charge £270 per visitor round during Summer, but local members only paying the equivalent of not much more than 2 visitor green fees for their annual membership. Living close to a top course is like winning a mini golfing lottery.
Considering the courses outside the (say) top 200 courses, of which Castle Park, in Gifford, is a good example. Opened in 1994, during a period of golfing optimism, by 2015 Castle Park was up for sale and highly anticipated that it would revert to farmland; it was not commercially viable. It was saved from closure by a local Gifford businessman, Craig McLachlan, with a partnership consortium resolved to keep the ‘community resource’ open. This threat to courses and passion to keep them open, is understandable, but the big picture economics will remain a challenge.
Take enough club to carry the valley at the par three 12th at Castle Park.
So has it been worth it, in Castle Park’s case – from a golfing perspective? The short answer for me sadly is no. I would anticipate the continued struggle. Why?
Castle Park sits in a lovely part of the East Lothian countryside, adjacent to the Lammermuir Hills and the affluent village of Gifford, which also has a wonderful Harry Colt designed 9 hole course (Gifford golf course). Many of the Gifford GC Members are also members at any number of the world class courses along the nearby East Lothian ‘Golf Coast’. Gifford is only 20 mins from Gullane Golf Club. So to say the golfing competition is fierce, is an understatement.
Perhaps as a ‘PR defense mechanism’, the course’s website declares itself “The Gleneagles of the South — Peter Allis”. Let’s examine the evidence:
> The scorecard was a haphazard affair on a printed piece of normal paper.
> On arriving at the club and showing our www.golfnow.com booking, we were told “They shouldn’t have allowed your booking” – as if it was our fault! Why do some people go into service?
> Two of the management team were driving around on a buggy – when we walked very close by them we were completely ignored, almost as if we ‘didn’t exist’.
> The tee markings were wooden pegs – no nomenclature.
> There was no guidance to find the next tee boxes, even although it was not always clear. We were well down the “11th” before we realised we were actually playing the 18th, that being the only tee box visible from the 10th green.
> There were dead crows hanging from trees everywhere, apparently to stop the crows eating worms (according to a green keeper).
I honestly find it hard to believe that Peter Allis would have made his Gleneagles comparison. I wonder whether he ever played at Castle Park?
The course itself is a tale of two halves. The front nine is an easy walking affair, but the back nine is very undulating and a really tough walk. It is fairly open parkland, but very long penal rough when you do miss the generous fairways. The greens were well watered and very true, but some had several patch repairs. The bunkers were shallow with insufficient sand.
Moly putting out on the 18th at Castle Park – Decent Value but nothing like “Gleneagles”!
Overall, it was a fairly tough challenge but with some decent holes; the slope index of 121 from the yellows, might have been from a 110 front 9, and a 130 back nine. The memorable holes were mainly on the back, with the par three 12th, played over a valley and the long par three 16th being the highlights for me.
The tale of two halves also represented my score, with 17 stableford points going out, and only 9 points coming back.
The best part is the price which is a very affordable£30, the price alone telling the story of the quality. It’s 2.5 star value, but lets not kid ourselves, this is no more “The Gleneagles of the South”, than Peter Allis, God rest his soul, is part of the woke generation. It’s also too tough a walk to be used as a Society day out – in my humble opinion. That’s why it sadly will struggle – no amount of ‘questionable’ PR will address that.
