Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: £20 – £39 (Page 13 of 22)

93. Strathmore Rannaleroch. 18 May 2019.

August 2, 2019 /

Ideal Golfing Society venue with a challenging course     

Round £36.   Par 71.  Value (out of 5) – 4

“A Challenging course for golfers of all abilities”. How often do you read that on golf course websites? I suspect it really means “please come and play no matter what standard you are, we could do with the money?”. The wealthier clubs, in much less need of visitors, rarely say it.

The nice par three 6th, one of the few holes with water in play

So, if a “for all abilities” layout does really exist, I propose the Rannaleroch course at the Strathmore Golf Centre, near Alyth in Perthshire, might be the closest I’ve found. But the more you think about it, the more obscure the statement is. Firstly, how can any one player know? I have played many times with low handicap players and I regularly play with my mid to high 20s handicap peers. Neither group has sufficient empathy, I suggest, of what constitutes a comparable challenge for the other group! Again, one of the many “unsolvable” debates golfers love.

The first green at Rannaleroch, a good example of the greens and surrounds at this main Stranthmore Golf Centre course.

Strathmore Golf Centre, near Alyth in Perthshire, was opened in 1996, and also has a 9 hole course, Leiftie Links, which I blogged in 2016. The Rannaleroch course was designed by former R&A Captain, John Salveson, now deceased; John turned to golf course design later in life after retiring as a farmer, mainly in conjunction with Donald Steel.

The 17th, the last of the nice par threes at Rannaleroch

The par 72 main course (although 70 off the yellow tees I used) is very picturesque, amongst rolling countryside, with mature trees, and the wide fairways means you can afford to use driver on all the longer holes. It’s an excellent architecture job.

The greens are large and I suggest you spend sometime on the practice greens to avoid several 3 putts; I putted very well on the front 9, then lost it on the back.

There are some really memorable holes, but I think the par 3s are the star here, with the 4th and the 17th both needing long irons. The short 6th over water is also a nice hole.

The difficult long iron par three 4th hole, with trouble left and right

The course was in excellent condition when I played along with Fran, despite the very wet weather that had prevailed the previous month. The tees, fairways and greens were all very good, albeit the bunkers were a little in need of raking and a bit of maintenance. Having said that, the course represented really good value. It would be a great course to add to a Blairgowrie centered golfing break. It also has a very good reputation for food, and I would recommend booking, as the restaurant is popular amongst local non golfers.

It’s really worth going out of your way to play Rannaleroch.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (2 par 5, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5848

Moly’s Gross score: 97

Moly’s 97 at Strathmore Rannaleroch, not helped by the rain making it play long!

83. Dunkeld & Birnam. 25 Aug 2018.

September 3, 2018 /

This brilliantly located course, with great countryside views, is a tough 18 hole undulating walk – I wonder whether in time the club may reflect it should have stayed as a 9 hole layout? 

Round £30.   Par 69.  Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Dunkeld and Birnam Golf  Course is just a few miles east of Dunkeld, in the village of Birnam,  in what the club describe on their website as “Highland Perthshire”.    Birman and Dunkeld were actually different villages set on opposite banks of the river Tay, until they were connected in 1809 by a Thomas Telford bridge.  It is in an area of outstanding beauty, and I suspect many visitors may decide to play golf whilst on holiday.

Moly at the par 3 11th, one of the new holes created in 2000.

The course was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1892, and was only extended to 18 holes in 2000.  The new holes are very much more open parkland, and slightly out of sorts with many of the original holes, which provide some typical “highland” holes.

The new layout also caused a change in the hole order, with the 17th and 18th (both originally part of the 9 hole course) being 2 of the 4 par 3s of the 18 hole course.  This makes for a rather unbalanced course in my view.  With the increasing debate about 9 hole golf competitions, as a means of encouraging play, I wonder whether Dunkeld and Birnam should have remained a 9 hole course?  I certainly think there is a charm in the “highland 9 holer”, which arguably has been lost.

The risk reward par 4 6th hole, with the picturesque surrounds.

The course is relatively short, but it feels much longer, due to the many undulating holes, and there are a couple of fairly long walks between green and tee (the 7th to 8th being the longest, between the old and new holes).  The walk up to the 18th green warrants a buggy hire in its own right and, thankfully, there are several available for hire.

The tough approach shot at the par 4 8th at Dunkeld and Birnam

Having said all this, which might be unfairly critical, it’s really well worth the visit to play Dunkeld and Birnam.  The overall condition of the course was excellent and the greens were lovely.  The views were outstanding, including overlooking Dunkeld and taking in The Loch of the Lowes, and I think that playing in early Autumn must be particularly spectacular, due to the many trees surrounding the local hillsides.  It is an area renowned for local bird life.

The 9th tee, with The Loch of the Lowes in the distance.

Even if not playing golf here, the Golf Club has a really nice clubhouse, with beautiful countryside views and would be nice to visit for the good food also on offer.   The members were very friendly to Fran and I, and they were very proud of their club.   They are also an enterprising club and have an apartment for rent in the clubhouse.

The first green looking towards the lovely club house at Dunkeld and Birnam

The course has some very interesting holes, and also several short par 4s which present the classic risk and reward dilemma, no more so than the 6th, one of several drive-able holes; on the day I stuck to a conservative strategy, albeit my scoring (91 for 33 points), may indicate I should have played driver more often!

The best hole for me was the SI3 7th hole, where a mid iron is likely needed to a raised green surrounded by trouble.    I suggest you play more club than you think towards the left side of the green.

Fran putting at the 11th at Dunkeld and Birnam

 

Worth playing Dunkeld and Birnam, not least for the friendly welcome and the outstanding views from the clubhouse, over the tipple of your choice.

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

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

Distance (yellow): 5192 Yards

Moly’s Gross score: 91

Moly’s 91 scorecard at Dunkeld & Birnam

78. Craggan. 22 June 2018.

July 12, 2018 /

Little more than a good “pitch and putt” with a few decent holes thrown in   

Round £15.   Par 27.  Value (out of 5) – 2

Craggan 9 hole golf course serves a great purpose as a nicely maintained facility in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park, affording golf to complete beginners and holiday golfers.    In addition, as part of a commercial outdoors activity centre, with very many other activities on offer, it makes for a great day out for groups and families, where golf is only part of the plan for some or all.

The short 1st hole at Craggan, with typical surrounds on the “pitch n putt” holes

Having said all that, other than the 5th, 6th and 9th, the holes could be found on decent “pitch n putt” courses.   It’s true that it is difficult to play to your handicap for better golfers, but that is due mainly to some very small greens.

The nice 6th hole at Craggan – one of 3 good holes.

It does have very nice views to the surrounding Cromdale Hills and the Cairngorms, but the nearby River Spey is only momentarily in view (from the 4th green) and never really in play.

Several of the holes are not much more than 100 yards, but the 3 holes aforementioned are noteworthy.  The 6th (162 yards) and 9th (132 yards) being the most visually attractive and both with water in play in the form of small ponds (part of the fishing on offer).  The overall length is only 1269 yards.

The 9th – the best hole on Craggan in Moly’s opinion.

I didn’t strike the ball very well, and ended up with a 37, albeit I did enjoy the little course.   It was well maintained when I played, although the tees were sometimes non-distinct.

Price?  There is a bit of a premium for the National Park location, but this is not great value at £15 for 9 holes.  You need only to compare with other more established golf courses to see the over-pricing (e.g. Torphins is a great comparison).  I think no more than £10 for 9 holes is a more reasonable price.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 27 (9 par 3s)

Distance: 1269 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 37

Moly’s scorecard at Craggan 9 hole par 3 course – 37

77. Dufftown. 21 June 2018.

July 11, 2018 /

Combine two of Scotland’s great pastimes – golf and hill walking – at this great value course   

Round £20.   Par 68.  Value (out of 5) – 5

Dufftown has a variety of claims among UK golf courses;  highest hole (9th), biggest drop from tee to green (10th) and highest climb from clubhouse to top of course.  You probably get the picture.  If you are looking to play an occasional bit of holiday golf with young kids, treat them to a buggy to avoid the inevitable “I’m tired” conversations after 9 holes.  Thankfully, buggies are available for hire at this course!

Moly at the 6th tee at Dufftown on a beautiful mid-summer evening.

Dufftown is well worth a visit for a variety of  reasons.  It’s the “whisky capital of the world” and home to William Grant & Sons distillers, producer of the biggest global selling single malt whisky, The Glenfiddich.  There are still traces of the early Picts and Christian communities dotted around Dufftown, so historians are also well served.   The pure local water made it a good location for illegal whisky and there are numerous villainous stories related to that.

Dufftown’s short 7th hole – “Fittie Burn”

The golf course also has some villainous holes ready to capture and destroy your round.  Although short at only 5343 yards (white), 4751 (yellow) and (4900) red, there is great variety here.  There are many severely uphill or downhill holes and the stroke indexes don’t necessarily follow the normal “length = difficulty” rule.   There are several blind tee  shots and the greens are often on plateaus with dangerous surrounds.  All in all, its going to be difficult to avoid a calamitous hole over the round.

The 10th, the signature hole, is a great example.  Although the landing area is large, the view from the tee is intimidating, then the second shot needs to be played into a ever narrowing channel, to a long and thin green, with OOB all along the right of the left to right sloping fairway.  Record a par 4 and be delighted, record a 5 and be happy to move on.  I took a great triple bogie 7, having lost my drive (2 shot penalty), going through the back to a lateral hazards with my approach (1 penalty), then having a good chip and single putt!

The intimidating 10th at Dufftown – reputed the biggest drop in height on any course in the UK 

The course has one of the shortest holes in Scotland, the 7th (“Fittie Burn”), at around 100 yards, played over a deep gully.  As it was a nice day and we were pretty much alone, I spent 5 minutes looking for balls in the ravine, and found about a dozen – my hay fever took a battering though!

11th tee at Dufftown

The course was in wonderful condition and the greens true and even, albeit they had “lost” the 12th green, which was, according to the local green keeper, due to severe frost damage over the winter.  I had a good day shooting 83 including a birdie 3 at the downhill 9th.

What a wonderful treat to play this golf course on a beautiful mid-summer evening during the warmest June on record in Scotland.  If heaven does exist, and you have to pay green fees up there from a limited budget, then there is a strong argument that says Dufftown is where you would play

Facts:

Course Type: Heathland

Par 66 (12 par 4s, 2 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 4751

Moly’s Gross score: 83

Moly’s Dufftown card – 83 for 36 points.

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