Discounts – Page 4 – Scotland Golf Bible

Gleneagles – “The Lanark of the North”?

Round £65. Par 70. Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 70.1/124. Value (out of 5) – 5

Moly’s score – 96

In immaculate condition, I still found a rabbit hole at Lanark and one which didn’t afford a free drop. Lanark’s website claimed a brilliant story; “In 1920 the LSM Railway Company decided, only on the casting vote of its chairman, to build its hotel at Gleneagles rather than Lanark.”

**The beautifully stunning Lanark golf course evident from the first tee, a 350 yard par four.**

Disappointingly, I couldn’t find corroboration for Lanark’s story; for example, the excellent 1951 club’s centenary history makes no mention of the ‘Gleneagles’ decision. Jamie Darling, of Lanark GC, was very helpful in my enquiries, but he too found evidence elusive.

**The challenging 4th, here the view from 200 yards, at this 430 yard par four stroke index 1 hole.**

The more I researched, the more convinced I am The Gleneagles resort vision existed long before 1920; in fact as early as 1910 by Perthshire born Donald Matheson, the Chief Engineer with Caledonian Railways. The Kings course opened in 1919, with the final hotel site decided around 1920. Matheson later became the GM of Caledonian Railways, then Dep GM in Scotland for LMS, and seems likely the driving force.

**The sixth requires two “Sunday best” shots to get close to the green at this uphill par four.**

Lanark, unlike Gleneagles, is one of the UK’s best kept golfing secrets – a quite beautiful moorland course, nestled 600 feet up in the Clyde Valley of South Lanarkshire, only 25 miles from Glasgow’s city centre. The town is an ancient burgh and historically important, evidenced by the golf course being one of the oldest “inland” courses in the world. A full 18 holes was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1897, although some holes are traced back to 1851.

**The delightful 125 yard seventh – played downhill to a web of bunkers.** **The 8th is seen beyond and is the only hole playing the same direction as its predecessor.**

This tough course was in majestic condition when I played in good playing conditions yet still struggled to break 100 – I had one of those rounds where you play better than you score. The turf is very firm and certainly played like a links. With beautifully crafted greens and surrounds, I suspect anyone playing to handicap will have made several single putts.

**The exquisite condition of the course, seen here at the uphill par three 10th at 147 yards, adorned in Autumn sunshine.**

The course is well laid out with constant changes in direction (except the 7th and 8th), so wind is always a strong consideration, especially as the course sits high up in exposed countryside. My only (very slight) criticism is that the approach to the second can be confusing; I hit into the 14th green, to be met by some members telling me “loads of visitors do that!”; later in my round I was advising other visitors the same!

**Approach to the 11th, with OOB getting closer at the greenside.**

The fairways are pretty generous, but miss these and the rough is at times very brutal. With discounts available through golfnow.com, I paid only £32, which was outstanding value.

I would really love to be able to confirm that Gleneagles is “The Lanark of the North”. It would be nice if anyone could point me to evidence of the chairman’s decision to validate the club’s great story. For the record, Henry Allan, was Caledonian Railway chairman between 1918-23, are would be the “Chairman” in Lanark’s claim.

It’s worth going out of your way to play Lanark, a wonderful moorland course, arguably one of Scotland’s very best.

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

Par 70 (1 par 5s, 14 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 6107 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 96

Easy walking freshwater “island” course on the River Tay in Perth ideal if you are a trainspotter!

Summary: Cost £25. Par 68. Score 95. Value (out of 5) – 2.5.

The “King Jimmy” golf club was founded in 1858 and initially played on North Inch; it was named because King James VI had played golf on the “Inches”, the public land for common use along the River Tay. Golf can actually be traced back 500 years in Perth and this in covered in an earlier blog here.

Moncreiffe island, home of the “King Jimmy” golf club

The club relocated to Moncreiffe Island in 1897, to a course designed by ‘Old’ Tom Morris, and is believed to be the only freshwater island course in the UK.

This presents a challenge for any visiting golfer, as the only access to the course is by using the narrow walkway across the railway bridge, accessed by steep stairs on either side of the bridge. The walk from the nearest public car park is around 500m.

The double green on the 1st/4th with King James VI club house in the background.

The course is very flat and its lack of undulation makes for a fairly repetitive round with many holes looking the same. Although I played in late August after a relatively dry spell the course was very soft and preferred lies would have been appropriate. I understand that the course is impacted significantly after rainfall. This softness made the course play much longer than its stated yardage.

Moly driving at the tree lined short par 4 12th hole

The very lush grass also meant that balls were easily lost in the short semi rough, in fact I found 3 balls sitting in the open; make sure you get a good line on the ball after each shot.

The greens were the best feature of the course, closely followed by the lush fairways. The tees would benefit from some work. The main hazards are the course boundaries and some majestic tree lines.

The 8th green, typical of the scenery at King James VI in Perth

The most memorable holes were those played over a grassy dyke built into the 11th and 13th holes, where it’s important to know your yardages. The dyke is almost 50 yards in front of the 11th green, so make sure you take enough club.

Fran, my playing partner, at the par 3 5th hole.

I played with Fran and we both had good and bad patches in our round. My highlight was reaching the 423 yard par 4 18th green in 2 blows. Pity about much of the rest.

If you do plan to play here, I strongly recommend using a half set carry bag and hiring a trolley from the club.

Key Facts

Course Type: Links

Par 68 (1 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5684

Moly’s Gross score: 95.

Moly’s King James VI scorecard – 95 for 27 points (off 17 hcp)

Category: Discounts (Page 4 of 4)

165. Lanark. 13 Oct 22.

64. King James VI. 29th Aug 2017.

The club relocated to Moncreiffe Island in 1897, to a course designed by ‘Old’ Tom Morris, and is believed to be the only freshwater island course in the UK.

This presents a challenge for any visiting golfer, as the only access to the course is by using the narrow walkway across the railway bridge, accessed by steep stairs on either side of the bridge. The walk from the nearest public car park is around 500m.

The very lush grass also meant that balls were easily lost in the short semi rough, in fact I found 3 balls sitting in the open; make sure you get a good line on the ball after each shot.

The greens were the best feature of the course, closely followed by the lush fairways. The tees would benefit from some work. The main hazards are the course boundaries and some majestic tree lines.

The most memorable holes were those played over a grassy dyke built into the 11th and 13th holes, where it’s important to know your yardages. The dyke is almost 50 yards in front of the 11th green, so make sure you take enough club.

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