Category: 1901 – 1945 (Page 13 of 15)

34. Scoonie. 15th Oct 2015.

October 19, 2015 / Moly McMillan

An easy walking course with good views and subtle greens

Round £18. Par 67. Value (out of 5) – 2.5

Scoonie is a short and straight forward parkland golf course located on the eastern side of Leven on the Fife coast and has good views out to the Forth Estuary and across to the North Berwick coastline.

The long par 4 6th tee at Scoonie

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 actual Scoonie Golf Club was formed in 1951, and welcomes visitors to their catering and bar facilities.

View through the “forgiving” trees at the 6th.

Originally a 9 hole course it was extended in 1936 with James Braid doing the re-design, albeit it’s unclear what Braid’s exact design changes were, since the course lacks sophisticated course architecture one normally expects from a Braid course in my opinion. Parts of the course in fact seem quite immature with small trees aside wide open fairways, and therefore feels much younger.

The 12th at Scoonie – the subtle and often large greens provide a good challenge

Having said that, there is still sufficient to keep one interested at Scoonie. The greens are subtle and true, with a few of them being very large. I suspect not many visitors, of any standard, will fail to 3 putt at least once during a round.

The approach at the long par 4 15th hole, bathed in Autumn colour.

The course is a little imbalanced with an outward par of 35 with only one par 3, and inward par of 32 including 4 par 3s. There are no par 5s on the course.

My favourite holes were the short par 4 2nd, which had a steep upward incline to the green, where it is better being long on the approach, the short uphill par 3 13th and the final hole which has a lovely green and well positioned front bunker.

The lovely 18th green at Scoonie

On the day, I played poorly on a course which is relatively easy, with a SSS of 64 versus the card of 67 off the yellow, scoring 31 points.

Scoonie is ideal if you’re looking for a fairly easy walking course, with no major hazards coming into play.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 67 (0 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (green!) 5133 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 92

Stableford 31

Moly’s Scoonie scorecard – 92

31. Garmouth & Kingston. 8 Sep 2015

September 15, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Lovely Parkland & Links Course! – worth playing just for the 15th Tee shot!

Round £20. Par 67. Value (out of 5) – 4

Garmouth & Kingston Golf Club lies on the west bank of the mouth of the River Spey, which comes into play only on the 15th, but still probably eats up a great deal of golf balls – more later.

2nd tee – Garmouth & Kingston

The course was founded in 1932, and at a little over 5000 yards presents, in theory, a reasonably straight forward test of golf, with several short par 3s and par 4s. Its a very interesting layout, with a parkland front 9 and a links back 9 – it is literally 2 different golf courses.

5th Green at Garmouth & Kingston – course is in beautiful condition

It’s also very flat and an easy walk, with some good views, especially of the Moray Firth on the links side – its a really great course for a round whilst on holiday, with many local attractions for the non golfer.

13th green with the Moray Firth in the distance.

The course was in perfect condition when I played, with beautiful fairways and greens. At only £20 for a round it is great value golf.

There are a number of nice holes, with most of the par 3s quite short, but they are well guarded so club selection is important, and I suspect difficult if any wind gets up.

The frightening 15th tee – pray for a left to right wind.

The highlight of the course is the par 3 15th played alongside the River Spey – a right to left wind would make this hole a nightmare, and must destroy many a medal round. I played badly, except for the 15th where an 8 iron to only 7 feet left me my first birdie for a while – highly enjoyable.

Worth playing just for the 15th! Lovely little course and great value.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland & Links

Par 67 (13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow) 5046 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 99

Stableford 29

Moly’s Garmouth & Kingston Scorecard – 99

25. Boat of Garten. 4 Aug 2015

August 8, 2015 / Moly McMillan

“The Boat” – the “must play” highland course

Weekday round £45; weekend £49. Par 70. Value (out of 5) – 4.5

The Ladies 2nd tee,, with Cairngorms in the background

“The Boat”, close to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, was founded in 1898, with the current 18 hole layout designed by the renowned James Braid in 1930.

The course could serve as the definition of what a “highland course” should be – a good variation of challenging holes carved into a surrounding landscape of trees, heather and broom, against a backdrop of the Cairngorm mountains.

The magnificent 6th “Avenue”

On a good day, especially if playing well, then this may be as close to golfing paradise as it gets. This has been recognised through the many accolades the course has won, including being “Scotland’s No 1 Hidden Gem”.

8th approach – Boat of Garten

The combination of (invariably) wind, changeable weather and some undulating fairways, makes “the Boat” feel and play longer than its 5876 yards from the white tees. Play to your handicap here versus the SSS 69 and many will rightly be referring you to the Handicap committee.

Regardless of your play, this is a beautifully architected course. The unusual opening par 3 first hole at nearly 190 yards is normally played into the prevailing wind – with danger left and right – par or bogie is a good start. Then the 2nd and 4th played in the same direction, mean that getting to the 5th tee with your score intact is key to your overall score. After a bit of respite at the 5th, normally with the wind, the 6th, called “Avenue” is a magnificent longer par 4, played to a plateau green.

Boat of Garten – 11th Ladies Tee

There are then many further great holes on this course, with only the 9th and 10th being the main easier birdie contenders. The 18th is a fantastic hole, demanding a long drive if you are to have any chance of holding a shot on the plateau green.

The course was in lovely condition when I played, with the greens true and fast.

Boat of Garten’s 18th approach

Due to its celebrity this is a popular course with visitors from both home and abroad, therefore ensure to make a booking. I played a twilight round (after 4pm) at only £30 – brilliant value.

Some Facts

Course Type: Highland

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

Distance (white) 5876 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 99

Moly’s Boat of Garten Scorecard

23. Auchterderran. 15th July 2015

July 16, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Good value golf on an interesting little course.

Summary: £10 for 9 holes, £12 for 18. Par 33. Value (out of 5) – 3

Nice views from Auchterderrans 6th green

Although Auchterderran golf course, located in the Fife village of Cardenden, was established in 1904, in many ways it feels a younger, less mature course. 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 devilishly difficult long par 3 5th, “Burma Road”

It’s a nice layout in the space available, with a good mix of holes. This is a course for all, with some are pretty straightforward holes, but the 3rd, 5th and 8th are potential card wreckers that will challenge the low handicap player.

3rd green looking down fairway

The long par 3 5th, at 241 yards, called Burma Road, is a very tough par 3, which for most golfers should be played as a 4. It has a small green, and out of bounds down the left. A bogie 4 is a good score in my book. Another tip, which I did not follow (meaning 2 lost balls) was playing safe on the 8th, which has a narrow gap at driving length. Given another chance I would have played a 7 iron off the tee.

2nd green towards adjacent water (not in play on course)

The course is maintained by volunteer members and therefore the condition is not great, but then again the price is very reasonable, so it still represents good value golf. The fairways in particular need a lot of work, but the greens were good and true.

The people I met were very friendly. It’s worth a game, if you have an hour or 2 to spare on your travels.

Key Facts

Course Type: parkland

Full Green Fees:

Par 33 (0 par 5, 6 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance (yellow) 2318 yards

Moly’s Gross score:

Moly’s Auchterderran 9 hole scorecard – 46

Category: 1901 – 1945 (Page 13 of 15)

34. Scoonie. 15th Oct 2015.

Par 67 (0 par 5s, 13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

31. Garmouth & Kingston. 8 Sep 2015

Par 67 (13 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

25. Boat of Garten. 4 Aug 2015

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

23. Auchterderran. 15th July 2015

Par 33 (0 par 5, 6 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

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