Category: £20 – £39 (Page 9 of 21)

113. Cally Palace. 23 Oct 2020.

December 22, 2021 / Moly McMillan

Don’t believe the hotel’s description – this is no better than your average council course.

Round £32. Par 71. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) not registered. Value (out of 5) – 2

The hotel website quotes: “The Cally Palace has it’s own 18 hole parkland golf course, which is one of the finest golf courses in the area.”

Utter rubbish, this course, designed in 1994 by Tom Macauley, an architect described as “adequate” by golfclubatlas.com, is no better that many average council run courses in Scotland. In fact, that might be doing a great disservice to many of the wonderful council run courses.

**The trees are the star on this course – Moly finding a nice hazard on the 16th fairway**!

If there is a highlight at this ‘free to hotel residents’ course in Dumfries and Galloway, it’s the many beautiful trees that adorn the grounds of the hotel. They are worth seeing – albeit one of them made for a difficult lie on the 16th!

**The trees are the star at The Cally – here as a backdrop to the hotel at the 18th**

Everything about the course spoke about it being done ‘on the cheap’. The bunkers were shallow, the greens were small and, disappointedly, the course made little use of the magnificent Cally Loch on the estate. In addition, several of the greens were indistinguishable from their surrounds.

**The 13th at Cally Palace – by far the best hole on the course**.

Although the course is free to residents, this is definitely not a golfing hotel, with no changing facilities for the visiting golfer. It is also closed in January and February, made possible by not having any golfing members. It’s also not listed on Scottish Golf’s list of courses, so it doesn’t have a course rating or slope index.

When I played, the course should really have been closed due to being waterlogged, but the benefit at least being that Fran and I were the only people playing.

**The very poor 17th green at The Cally – typical of the course, unfortunately.**

Other than the trees, the only hole of real note was the Stroke Index 1, short par 5 thirteenth hole – by for the best on this layout. I was very lucky to get a par, after pulling my drive, only to find I’d miraculously cut the corner of the dog leg and able to get to the green in 2!

**The 7th at The Cally, a typically bland par 4.**

The course helped me to another personal record, the most occasions relief for casual water has been taken.

Don’t go out of your way to play Cally Palace.

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (3 par 5, 11 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance: 5706

Moly’s Gross score: 94

**A wet day, making the 94 at The Cally, better than the score really.**

112. Lochmaben. 24 Sep 2020

December 13, 2021 / Moly McMillan

A gem of a course where Robert the Bruce stole a castle!

Round £38. Par 70. Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 68.4/126. Value (out of 5) – 4

Lochmaben golf course, founded in 1926, is set in a picturesque village of the same name in The Scottish Borders, on the A709 between Dumfries and Lockerbie. There is an interesting and long history of the area dating back to the 1300s and the story of Robert the Bruce.

**Bruce’s Motte – the wonderful par 3 second hole at Lochmaben – the toughest hole on this course according the Moly**

Take a close look at the name of the second hole, ‘Bruce’s Motte’, and you realise you’re actually playing uphill to a plateau upon which Bruce built a fortification to stop intruders. It’s a very fitting name, as the golf hole, a par 3 of 185 yards, is the stroke index 2 hole; and that, on a course with several long par 4s, is a measure of the challenge. I always try to take heed of stroke indices before playing a hole, as often when a short hole is rated so difficult it deserves added attention. Take at least 2 or 3 clubs more to get up the incline and be satisfied with a bogie. I imagine many long term members have never birdied this very demanding hole.

**The signature par 3 eight hole, ‘Kirk Loch’ at Lochmaben – a delightful short hole**

The course overall is an absolute joy. It’s set around Kirk Loch, one of 3 lochs in which the village of Lochmaben sits in the middle. Intriguingly, none of the 3 lochs are called Loch Maben? Castle Loch, the biggest of the 3, is the site of what was a more formidable castle and central to many of the battles between the Scots and the English in the area.

**The 15th, a short par 5, a typical hole on this course; one of the added holes in 1995.**

The original layout of the course was only 9 holes, laid out by James Braid, and occupied the majority of the holes on the east of the loch, with the course only extended to 18 in 1995. The lakeside holes, especially the short 8th, are characteristic of more modern design. Overall though, it really works as a ‘joined up’ 18, with some really great holes. Other than the 2nd, which I think is the most difficult, both the 10th and the 17th are challenging par 4’s both playing uphill and at 450 and 423 yards respectfully and are difficult to reach with 2 shots.

It was in great condition when I played. The fairways were good, the greens very true, and only the bunkers were needing attention, but that was likely due to the covid pandemic. I shot 98, and felt I played not bad. It was one of those courses where local knowledge has a bigger premium than usual, and I imagine the home advantage makes a bigger difference in club matches here.

**The good finishing hole at Lochmaben (looking bach from the green), a relatively short (328 yards), but tight, par 4 finishing hole. A good matchplay finish.**

It’s not an easy walk, so make sure the trolley batteries are fully charged, but its well worth playing Lochmaben.

Incidentally, Robert The Bruce apparently stole the castle from Edward 1, so the history books say!

Facts:

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance: 5873

Moly’s Gross score: 98

Moly’s Lochmaben scorecard – 98 – which felt hard fought for

109. Lamlash. 20 Sep 2020.

October 19, 2021 / Moly McMillan

Reserve your ‘A’ game for Lamlash – the toughest Arran challenge

Round £27. Par 61. Slope (yellow) 106. Value (out of 5) – 5

If you only play one course in Arran, Shiskine would be it. However, for difficulty, Lamlash, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”, takes the prize. Played as a par 61 of just under 4000 yards, or as a par 64 of 4500 yards, it represents a real challenge, both physically (it’s a tough walk) and demanding accuracy off the tee. There can’t be many players of the course for the first time who don’t need at least one “3 off the tee”. I anticipate the World Handicap System (WHS) slope ratings will be adjusted upwards in time from the initial 106 (yellow) or 109 (white), once historical data is built up.

**The beautiful par 4 first hole at Lamlash, playing longer than its stated length.**

With three of the holes (7, 8 and 10) playing as long par 3s off the yellow tees, rather than short par 4s from the white, I actually think the slope rating should be higher off the yellow tee boxes compared with white.

**The 3rd hole at Lamlash, the stroke index 1 “goatfell” par 4. Moly learnt too late to play conservatively off the tee (play short and right with a 5 iron off the tee).**

Blessed with a quite magnificent late summer day, the course was in excellent condition when I played with Fran on our Arran golfing trip. Paying only £20 through Golfnow this was incredible value, especially as the rack rate of £27 would also merit 5 star value. Disappointingly, we were met with a gruff starter who complained that “Golfnow shouldn’t have allowed the booking”. This reinforced a theme that emerged over our Arran trip with several locals behaving resentfully towards the holiday golfer – even although the holiday visitor income no doubt enables the local fees to be reduced. As an example, the current membership (2021) of Lamlash is only £380, with a first year membership reduced to only £225. These fees are so much lower than English club golf fees, this being a relevant comment as we were told that the village of Lamlash had a nickname of “Little Yorkshire”, such was the number of retired people from the North of England.

**The par four 9th at Lamlash, with views towards Ayrshire past Holy Island in the foreground.**

The course abounds with sea and hill views – with Troon and Prestwick visible on clear days – Holy Island also dominates the skyline.

Don’t let the views offset the concentration needed in playing Lamlash, a course that feels a combination of Highland, Parkland and Heathland layouts. It has some really great holes. The starting 3 holes should be played conservatively, with level bogies being more than ok for anything other than the single figure player. The third, a par 4, justifiably the stroke index one hole, with great views, has a demanding drive, which should tend to the right of the fairway, with the second shot best played long and left.

**The tough 208 yard par three 7th hole (yellow), which plays as a 283 yard par 4 from white. A key theme at Lamlash.**

The long par 3s played off the yellow tees are, collectively, a real test. There are four over 200 yards long, plus the 10th, an uphill par 3 at 198 yards, which needs to be played as a par 4 by most golfers. There is a strong argument that the stroke indexes should be different for the white and the yellow tee boxes here.

**The 18th at Lamlash, a finishing hole that befits this tough golf course.**

On a benign playing day, I scored 88, or 11 over my handicap. I can’t imagine many players beating their handicap playing Lamlash for the first time. It has plenty of guile and, along with Shiskine, is one of the two must play courses while on Arran. But – this is not “occasional holiday golf”, for that play another course on this beautiful golfing island.

Highly recommended.

Facts:

Course Type: Highland / Heathland / Parkland

Par 61 (0 par 5, 7 par 4s, 11 par 3s)

Distance: 3945

Moly’s Gross score: 88

**Moly’s Lamlash scorecard – 88 for 26 points. It actually could have been much worse!**

108. Corrie. 19 Sep 2020

October 19, 2021 / Moly McMillan

Dishonest golfers spoil it for the majority at this spectacular setting

Round £20 (no 9 hole price). Par 62. Slope (yellow) 90. Value (out of 5) – 2

In assessing value for money at Corrie, a beautiful little 9 hole golf course in the Sannex Glen on the east of the island of Arran, you have a real conundrum. How do you assess the value for a 9 hole course, when they don’t have a rate for playing only 9 holes? It was £20 for the day, no matter how much you play. When asking some local members about the lack of a 9 hole rate, they advised me that in the past they had had several instances where people had paid for 9 holes but gone round twice. As often the case, the behaviour of the few, spoils it for the many.

**The view from the second tee at Corrie, looking up Sannex Glen**

Had there been a 9 hole rate of (say) £15, I would have said it was 4 out of 5 for value, but with no 9 hole rate it’s only 2 out of 5 in my book. There is a principle here.

Having got that off my chest, I’ll get on to the next criticism – Corrie must be the most hazardous course I’ve played, due to fairways crossing each other. The 7th, a stroke Index 93 (see card below?) downhill par 4 crosses over the 3rd fairway at about driving length! I just hope the club use some of those over-priced fees for golf insurance, because someone will inevitably get hit by a golf ball. Perhaps the SI 93 isn’t a typo, but the number of accidents that have occurred so far.

**“Smearing Horse”, the stroke index one 6th hole at Corrie**

After the straight forward par 3 opening hole, the course vies up to the left into Glen Sannex and you witness for the first time the spectacular punch bowl in which the golf course is situated. Play on a fine day, like Fran and I did, and there are some heavenly view all around.

**The par 4 7th hole, which crossed the 3rd fairway. Be careful!**

The course was in really good condition when we played, but I can imagine that the slopes could be treacherous when the course is wet. I’m sure the rain floods over the course off the hills. Therefore, if you’re visiting Arran, perhaps keep an eye our for nice weather before playing Corrie.

It’s also worth visiting the cafe which is located in the small club house – it had good ratings on Facebook and is worth the visit with its nice range of cakes.

**The views towards the sea from the 5th green at Corrie**

The course was founded in 1892, so it’s a well established layout, and I get the impressions that it’s not been changed much over the years. The web site doesn’t have any history, but does have a nice layout explaining the holes, each labeled with the hole name. The sixth hole, an uphill par 4, well deserves the Stroke Index 1 rating, and is called “Smearing Horse” – I would love to hear from anyone who knows the origin of that name.

**Hitting “up the Glen” from the tee at the short par 4 3rd at Corrie**

At only 3220 yards for the 18 holes (sic) off the yellow, with Slope Index 90, this should allow people to get a low round in. I was only 2 over gross, with no birdies, and can’t remember playing better. But with only 4 or so bunkers that I counted, this is a flattering score really.

No golf trip to Arran should miss Corrie, but I recommend planning to go around twice to get your money’s worth.

Facts:

Course Type: Highland

Par 31 (0 par 5s, 4 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance: 1610

Moly’s Gross score: 33

Category: £20 – £39 (Page 9 of 21)

113. Cally Palace. 23 Oct 2020.

112. Lochmaben. 24 Sep 2020

109. Lamlash. 20 Sep 2020.

108. Corrie. 19 Sep 2020

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