Category: £20 – £39 (Page 20 of 22)

26. Grantown-on-Spey. 6th Aug 2015.

August 11, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Best Value Highland Golf

Round £29 ( any day). Par 70. Value (out of 5) – 5

The Signature 9th at Grantown on Spey

Grantown-on-Spey is in the Strathspey area of The Highlands, an important location for whiskey and salmon fishing lovers, both of which benefit from the waters of the Spey river.

The difficult drive at 10th tee

This course was formed in 1890 and designed by Willie Park with assistance from James Braid. Unlike some if its neighbouring “highland” courses, Grantown is a traditional parkland course, with holes 7-12 played through some hilly woodland, without the expected broom and heather.

12th green Grantown on Spey

In many ways I think Grantown is overshadowed by the nearby Boat of Garten course, which gets so many accolades, although it is a similar length to “The Boat”, and represents a good challenge for all.

In terms of condition, it is unparalleled in the area in my view, and gives some of the prestigious more expensive courses a run for their money. One of my visiting playing partners said “the last time I saw a course so well presented was the K-Club during the Ryder Cup!” That’s high praise indeed to the small green keeping staff. Considering it has a £29 round change on any day, it scores the highest “Value for Money” rating of 5. It also has a well presented clubhouse with all the expected facilities.

The well bunkered par 3 16th

The ‘signature’ hole is the 275 yard 9th, a short downhill par 4 with a spectacular backdrop of the Cromdale Hills. There are also views of the Cairngorms. There are some difficult holes with out of bounds coming into play regularly for both “hookers” and “slicers” – no-one is safe. My favourite holes are the 3rd, 7th, 10th, 12th and 15th. The only tips I would give are take enough club at the par 3 8th and 11th, both played uphill. Also, don’t have a disaster in the middle of your round like I did (12 over for the 13th, 14th and 15th – my 32 Stableford points tells I played well otherwise).

The 17th green – Grantown on Spey

Go out of your way to play Grantown, it is amongst the best value golf anywhere in the world.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (1 par 5, 14 par 4s, 34 par 3s)

Distance (white) 5710 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 96

Moly’s Grantown scorecard – 96

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

19. Camperdown. 2 July 2015. CLOSED

July 7, 2015 / Moly McMillan

Camperdown’s 1st hole – a wonderful start.

This might just be the best value golf in Scotland, if not the World!

Summary: Midweek £20 (round); £30 (day); weekend £25/£35 . Par 71. Value (out of 5) – 5

Detail: This championship quality golf course is within the grounds of Camperdown Country Park, on the North-East boundary of Dundee. The course is carved into the wonderful woodland surrounding, with many holes being unseen from each other. This, coupled with the undulating fairways, make it a truly great layout. Add the excellent fairway, green, tee and bunker conditions and the £20 per round fee, and you have incredible value golf.

Camperdown 3rd Green in bloom

Golfing visitors should make every effort to play at Camperdown, and ask themselves this question: Have I played better value golf anywhere else in the world? I have played golf in many countries and nothing comes close in pay per play value.

The long Avenue of trees which mark the 11th at Camperdown

Described in the national press as one of the ‘Magnificent 7’ courses in ‘Carnoustie Country’, this is a ‘must play’ for every level of golfer. However, be aware it is a tough test of golf, especially the back 9, which is more penal off the tee than the front 9, compounded by the legs starting to tire on this long walk.

I was out in 46 and back in 56, with a typically mercurial round: only 3 over for the first 6 holes, I was 18 over for the next 6, and a 9 at the 16th scuppered any chance of breaking 100. My 29 stableford points using 7/8 allowance, is a better reflection of my play.

Moly on Camperdown’s 13th Green

There are many fine holes at Camperdown, with the key premium being straight off the tee, the best example being the par 5 11th, played down a long avenue of trees with a small dog leg to the green, making it inaccessible in 2 shots (to my eye anyway!).

The magnificent backdrop to the 18th at Camperdown

The 18th is a magnificent final hole, played towards the Camperdown House with a wide variety of trees in view.

Although off course facilities are limited, the golf course is the star here – I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Key Facts

Course Type: Woodland

Green Fees:

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

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

Distance(yellow) yards

Moly’s Gross score: 102

Moly’s Camperdown Scorecard – 46 out, 56 back!

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

Category: £20 – £39 (Page 20 of 22)

26. Grantown-on-Spey. 6th Aug 2015.

Par 70 (1 par 5, 14 par 4s, 34 par 3s)

21. Kirriemuir. 9th July 2015

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

19. Camperdown. 2 July 2015. CLOSED

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

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

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

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