Category: 1946 – 1999 (Page 9 of 10)

33. Drumoig. 16th Sep 2015

September 20, 2015 / Moly McMillan

A Driver’s paradise with some prayers needed around the turn!

Round £25. Par 73. Value (out of 5) – 4

Drumoig golf course is a substantial par 73 golf course, designed by Dave Thomas, set in a resort style estate, with housing and a hotel, situated between Dundee and St Andrews. It is a parkland layout and sufficiently undulating to make for a tiring walk on this 7000 yard course.

The difficult 9th hole with water on both sides of the fairway.

It is well set within the surrounding arable land with some far reaching views, notable across to Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and Carnoustie, on the other side of the Tay Estuary.

Surrounded by the classic links on this north Fife coastline, Drumoig would make a nice contrast for touring golfers, who may be finding the local links fairways a bit tight.

The “cliff side” green at the 5th – the long signature hole at Dromoig

My main impression of Drumoig, was the width of the fairways, especially on the five par 5s; you can really open your shoulders whilst driving here, that is all bar the 9th, 10th and 11th, where all three holes are set around a large lake, making up its own Amen Corner. These holes at the turn were the highlight for me, particularly the 10th, where I took a bogie 5, having taken 3 from the tee!

The 11th green at Drumoig

There are other interesting features, with a 25-foot quarry wall sitting immediately behind the 5th hole, a long par 5, and the 13th. The 18th, is also a very nicely architected hole, with carefully laid water hazards, where the safe play is a medium iron or hybrid from the tee, leaving a short iron to the green.

13th at Drumoig with the quarry wall behind.

The course is a little unbalanced in my opinion with only 1 par 3 (the 2nd) and 2 par 5s on the front 9 of 37, but 3 par 3s, 3 par 4s and 3 par 5s on the back 9. The course was in nice condition when I played, although the bunkers were a little stony and greens much slower that the nearby links courses. That aside, its a good course which is well worth playing and good value.

The greenside bunker at the left of 14th, a natural target with OOB all down the right.

I had a fairly good day for me, shooting 96, with 46 on back 9.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 73 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (green!) 6472 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 96

Stableford 33

Moly’s Drumoig Scorecard – 96

27. Letham Grange Old. 19 Aug 2015. CLOSED

August 20, 2015 / Moly McMillan

8th at Letham – “Augusta of Angus”

10th tee with water in front of green in distance

Scottish Enigma with great Golfing Architecture

Round £30 ( any day). Par 73. Value (out of 5) – 4

18th tee towards Letham Grange

Letham Grange, on the outskirts of Arbroath, has likely had more written about it in court proceedings than in golfing magazines! It is one of the failed attempts in Scotland to create an American style Golf & Country Club Estate similar to Gleneagles, or Wentworth in Surrey. Opened in 1987 as a full resort, the hotel and many facilities are long since closed.

The club members, several living in the many fine houses which still adorn the fairways, now do a great job at keeping the Old course and the smaller Glens course open.

The Old Course is a par 73 Championship American-style parkland layout, designed by the renowned Donald Steel, and which twice held the Scottish Open in its heyday.

There is great variety on this course, presenting a variety of challenges. It has, in particular, some memorable water hazards on the par 3 8th hole, and par 4 10th hole – indeed the 8th through 10th feel like an “Amen Corner” of Angus – the 9th, the stroke index 1 hole, is a long and very difficult par 5, with a demanding drive.

12th tee Letham

The highlight of this course is now in the architecture, and it’s probably not surprising to find the quality level of greens, fairways and tees less than in it’s prime – the bunkers were the most disappointing when I played, being filled with very stony sand. However, the lessor quality is more than compensated for in the relatively low price of £30 per round. I was able to play on the Carnoustie Country offer, and paid only £15.

I had a reasonable round with 33 stableford points, but again two 9s on the par 5s, put paid to a decent medal score.

18th Green at Letham with the Grange

It’s well worth playing Letham Grange Old course, and just imagining the fine old building behind the 18th green in full use. Now empty, it provides a rather forlorn backdrop.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (white) 6348 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 97

Moly’s Letham Grange Old Scorecard- 97

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!)

20. Wee Braids. 3rd July 2015

July 7, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Wee Course – Massive Views

Summary: Midweek £22 (round) £12 (9 holes); weekend £23.25/£12.50 . Par 33. Value (out of 5) – 3

Detail:

Edinburgh views beyond the 6th green of the Wee Braids Course

The “Wee Braids”, sometimes know as the “Princes Course”, is a 9 hole golf course run by Edinburgh Council. It is on Braids Hill, on the south side of Edinburgh, accessed from the city via Morningside Road. It shares the hill with several golf courses, although it is the highest one, perched on top, which makes for quite magnificent views of Edinburgh and the Forth Estuary. Indeed, it’s worth starting any Edinburgh holiday with a round here to orientate you to the city and area: with the many restaurants and cafes of Morningside there is plenty to do for non-golfing partners.

Approach to 1st at Wee Braids

It’s a very tricky little course, with several of the tee shots and approach shots being blind, therefore its especially difficult if you only play 9 holes without any local knowledge as I did – plus it was not accessible from my golfshot mobile application, my trusty golfing companion.

5th approach at Wee Braids

The course itself, was in good condition. It is part parkland, part heathland on the upper slopes, with very dry fairways and greens, making for great difficulty getting your ball to stay on the greens.

The first 2 holes are difficult, being uphill, with the first being the SI 1 hole, and the second played through a thin channel to a very small green. The blind drive on the 5th is a particular challenge if the wind is off the left.

Wee Braids 8th green

The 8th, played through an avenue of trees, demands a straight drive; my recompense for hitting into the trees was finding about 5 balls, but not my own!

I had a bad start with an 8 at the first, then after some steady holes, a 7 and 8 and the 7th and 8th respectfully, made for a fairly miserable 50, versus the par 33.

Nonetheless, a nice little course, well worth a visit.

Key Facts

Course Type: parkland/heathland

Green Fees:

Round (18 holes):
Weekday (£16.50 (concession) £22.00)
Weekend (£17.35 (concession) £23.25

9 holes:
Weekday (£9.00 (concession), £12.00)
Weekend (£9.35 (concession), £12.50)

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

Distance(white) 2390 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 50

Moly’d Wee Braids Scorecard – 50

Category: 1946 – 1999 (Page 9 of 10)

33. Drumoig. 16th Sep 2015

Par 73 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

27. Letham Grange Old. 19 Aug 2015. CLOSED

Par 70 (5 par 5s, 9 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

24. Glenrothes. 15th July 2015.

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

20. Wee Braids. 3rd July 2015

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

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