Category: Parkland (Page 26 of 28)

24. Glenrothes. 15th July 2015.

July 17, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Challenging Parkland Golf in Centre of Fife

Weekday round £18; weekend £22 . Par 71. Value (out of 5) – 4.5

1st tee at Glenrothes

Glenrothes golf course is set in a prominent position on the high ground to the west of Glenrothes and offers a mainly parkland setting; some of the back 9 is exposed to the elements with a more heathland feel.

Approach to the 7th at Glenrothes

It is one of 7 courses managed by the Fife Golf Trust which was established in 2011 to take over Fife Council’s directly managed courses. This is becoming a common practice by Local Authorities in Scotland to manage golf courses. The golf club itself is private, like many Scottish clubs associated with publicly owned courses, and welcomes visitors .

The heathland feel of the 12th at Glenrothes

This is a challenging golf course, with quite wide fairways, although if you stray into the rough you are penalised severely, so be well equipped with balls if you are wayward from the tee. There are some great individual holes, with the highlights for me being the 9th, 10th and 12th. The bunkers to the long par 3 10th being very well positioned, so better being long than short.

18th green and clubhouse at Glenrothes

The heathland holes on the back 9, 11th through 13th, are exposed to the elements and in a breeze (which I had) proved to be a card wrecker – I was 15 over for these 3 holes, with several lost balls in the heavy rough. Another thing to be aware of is the large greens, therefore ample opportunity to 3 putt.

Amply named final hole – given my 62 on the back 9.

The course was in very good condition when I played, with only some attention to some fairways needed to get to the next level. However, with a twilight round only £12 (after 3pm), this is fantastic value golf. I think many visitors to Scotland would be surprised at the quality of such a public golf course.

This is a highly recommended course to play.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland/heathland

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

Distance (yellow) 6223 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 107

Moly’s Glenrothes Scorecard – 107 (62 on back 9!)

21. Kirriemuir. 9th July 2015

July 9, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Kirriemuir – Gateway to the Angus Glens

Summary: Round Sun-Fri £24; Sat £28 . Par 68. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Detail: Kirriemuir is the “Gateway” to the Angus Glens, the collective name for the six

Approach to 4th, with Angus Glens in the background

glens (Glens Doll, Clova, Prosen, Isla, Lethnot and Esk) which run in the same general direction stretching through the Angus countryside towards the edge of the Cairngorm National Park.

Kirriemuir, close to Glamis Castle, is one of several towns in the area with golf courses, therefore golf here can be part of a holiday, with walking, cycling and fishing being other sports abundantly on offer.

7th green at Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir is a lovely course, with spectacular open country views of the Glens, particularly on the front 9. The course is not long, so if you get off the tee well, you’ll be leaving your mid irons in the bag. I didn’t use an iron longer than an 8 off the fairway. Therefore, this is a course that most players can play well on.

13th Green at Kirriemuir looking towards the tee

The greens were excellent when I played, as were the fairways – overall a very well kept course, with ample fairways. The course has been described as Heathland, but I think Parkland if more fitting given the amount of trees. The main difficultly I faced was the slickness of the greens, which meant holding an iron onto the green difficult.

The only annoyance when I played was the use of mats on the par 3s, which given the condition of the tees was not necessary in my view.

16th Green at Kirriemuir

The highlights of the course for me, was the par 4 13th stoke index 1, which you need to be to the right of the fairway to approach the well guarded green. There was the unusual finish of par 3s at both the 16th and 17th holes, with the 17th being the toughest of the par 3s.

Long par 3 17th at Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir is a course where every level of golfer has the opportunity to play well, and is well worth a visit

Key Facts

Course Type: parkland/heathland

Green Fees:

Round: Sun-Fri £24; Sat £28
Day: Sun-Fri £32; Sat £36

Par 68 (0 par 5, 14 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance(white) 5223 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 91

Moly’s Kirriemuir Scorecard – 91

18. Caird Park Main Course. 30th Jun 2015.

July 2, 2015 / Moly McMillan

A great example of why golf is Scotland’s “game of the people”

Summary: Midweek £20 (round); £30 (day); weekend £25/£35 . Par 69. Value (out of 5) – 4

Detail: Caird Park in the north of Dundee is a great example of Scotland’s golfing accessibility; it is the sort of local authority owned and managed course that golfing visitors to Scotland would benefit from playing.

Caird Park 1st Hole – a seductive straight forward start.

This accessibility did have a slight drawback when in the 1980s Caird Park was deemed Europe’s busiest course – although the course is no longer that busy. Current annual membership fees for concessions (Pensioners, unemployed, etc) start from around only £150. Given the quality of the course this is incredible value “golf for the people”.

It is also one of those course where playing from the yellow tees (white is only available to competition play) has a significant drawback, with 3 of the relatively short par 5s (all under 500 yards), becoming long par 4s on the yellow card.

Moly at the 5th tee – must keep that right nee bent!

To my mind these 3 shots to the card more than offset the other 600 yards given up.

After a relatively easy start over the first 4 holes, things get increasingly difficult. You need to score well on the first 9 at Caird Park as the back 9 is significantly longer. The course was in excellent condition on the day I played, with the fairways being particularly lush and welcoming. In fact, Caird Park has generally wide fairways so you can open your shoulders off the tee.

Chipping to the well architechtured 10th hole

The greens were also excellent, with subtle borrows. Only the tees could have done with a bit more care.

On the day I played, I was accompanied by my wife, and hence some of the photos are of the author in action – although that may not add to the entry!

Par 3 17th in the evening sun

I played the 4 par 3s very well, with 3 pars and a bogey. The 3 7s on my card contributed to my round of 92.

A typical Dundee Course Hazard? A wheelie cyclist with his dog!

Caird Park, is a very mature easy-walking course surrounded by mature avenues of trees and views north to the Sidlaw Hill. Opened in 1923, it also has a 9 hole course in the park grounds. It is well worth a visit.

Key Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Green Fees:

Weekday £20 round (£16 concession), £30 day
Weekend £25 round (£19 concession), £35 day
Winter Greens £12

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

Distance(yellow) 5772 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 92

Moly’s Caird Park Scorecard

14. Kinloss Country; 9th April 2015

June 3, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Young “American” style parkland course close to Findhorn Bay on the Moray Coast

Summary: £20 (18 holes); £12.50 (9 holes); £30 (day). Par 68. Score 90. Value (out of 5) – 2.5

Detail; Kinloss Country is a bit like the proverbial Curate’s Egg – “good in parts”. It is an unusual parkland find on this links laden Moray coastline.

The difficult par 3 third, with sweeping views to the North

It has a very unusual start of 3 par 3s, the first 2 of which are very straight forward; indeed if you don’t pick up a scorecard, you might be forgiven for thinking you were on a par 3 course.

But things get better with the 3rd played downhill with sweeping views, with challenges ahead on the 5th and 7th two of the more difficult holes.

12th hole – with lake in front.

The 12th hole, most likely characterised as the signature hole, has a manufactured lake in front of the green, so make sure you take enough club.

The course was in reasonable condition when I played with special note for the good condition of the fairways and bunkers. The course is quite open to the elements though with the 11th being aptly named “Windy Hills”.

15th – A bit of a Pig!

In fact, please take heed of the hole names! Although I must admit the 15th hole, a bit of a pig, should be renamed.

I played pretty steady throughout, and shot 90, despite having two 8’s on the back 9.

I was also caught out at the 17th, called “Carnoustie Twist” – needless to say I found the hidden green side bunkers!

17th “Carnoustie Twist”

Kinloss Country also has a nice little clubhouse with reasonably priced food and drink; the staff were also particularly friendly.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to play again, but it is a nice holiday venture and is close by the wonderful Findhorn bay, an ideal spot for a nice pub meal or picnic.

Findhorn Bay, close to Kinloss Country GC

Key Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Green Fees: 18 holes £20, 9 holes £12.50, Day £30 (All week)

Par 68 (2 par 5, 10 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance(white) 5321 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 90

Moly’s Kinloss Country Scorecard – Gross 90