Category: 4 star (Page 8 of 11)

64. King James VI. 29th Aug 2017.

August 30, 2017 / Moly McMillan

Easy walking freshwater “island” course on the River Tay in Perth ideal if you are a trainspotter!

Summary: Cost £25. Par 68. Score 95. Value (out of 5) – 2.5.

The “King Jimmy” golf club was founded in 1858 and initially played on North Inch; it was named because King James VI had played golf on the “Inches”, the public land for common use along the River Tay. Golf can actually be traced back 500 years in Perth and this in covered in an earlier blog here.

Moncreiffe island, home of the “King Jimmy” golf club

The club relocated to Moncreiffe Island in 1897, to a course designed by ‘Old’ Tom Morris, and is believed to be the only freshwater island course in the UK.

This presents a challenge for any visiting golfer, as the only access to the course is by using the narrow walkway across the railway bridge, accessed by steep stairs on either side of the bridge. The walk from the nearest public car park is around 500m.

The double green on the 1st/4th with King James VI club house in the background.

The course is very flat and its lack of undulation makes for a fairly repetitive round with many holes looking the same. Although I played in late August after a relatively dry spell the course was very soft and preferred lies would have been appropriate. I understand that the course is impacted significantly after rainfall. This softness made the course play much longer than its stated yardage.

Moly driving at the tree lined short par 4 12th hole

The very lush grass also meant that balls were easily lost in the short semi rough, in fact I found 3 balls sitting in the open; make sure you get a good line on the ball after each shot.

The greens were the best feature of the course, closely followed by the lush fairways. The tees would benefit from some work. The main hazards are the course boundaries and some majestic tree lines.

The 8th green, typical of the scenery at King James VI in Perth

The most memorable holes were those played over a grassy dyke built into the 11th and 13th holes, where it’s important to know your yardages. The dyke is almost 50 yards in front of the 11th green, so make sure you take enough club.

Fran, my playing partner, at the par 3 5th hole.

I played with Fran and we both had good and bad patches in our round. My highlight was reaching the 423 yard par 4 18th green in 2 blows. Pity about much of the rest.

If you do plan to play here, I strongly recommend using a half set carry bag and hiring a trolley from the club.

Key Facts

Course Type: Links

Par 68 (1 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance (yellow): 5684

Moly’s Gross score: 95.

Moly’s King James VI scorecard – 95 for 27 points (off 17 hcp)

53. Stirling. 19th Sep 2016.

September 22, 2016 / Moly McMillan

“Camera’s Please” at this historically located parkland course with outstanding views.

Round £45. Par 72. Value (out of 5) 4

If you play at Stirling remember to take a camera. There are spectacular views of Stirling, it’s castle and other historic buildings and of the Trossachs, Ochill and Lomond Hills, even the Southern Highlands (in clear weather!).

2nd tee at Stirling with views towards the historic town – the rounded turret of the gaol is evident.

Given Stirling’s strategic and historic location, it’s not surprising that golf was played in the area currently occupied by Stirling golf course, by King James IV, King of Scots, in 1505. There was no golf course as such, on what was historically a “Royal Park” dating back to 1200 and used for Hunting – perhaps worth reflecting on when you hunt for golf balls here:)

3rd at Stirling, a typical well defined hole on this course

The current course was established in 1869, and has been subsequently developed by some of golf’s aristocracy – in 1892 Tom Morris Junior designed a 9 hole layout; in 1904 Willie Fernie of Troon extended it to 18 holes; and in 1967 Sir Henry Cotton redesigned the course with significant tree re-planting which is now bearing full fruit.

The apex of the dog leg on the 9th, with fine hill views

The resulting golf course does justice to the views on offer and at well over 6000 yards, even from the yellow tees, will challenge your handicap to the full (see Moly’s card below for evidence!). Stirling is a classic layout, with both front and back 9s, each having a par of 36 with 2 par 3s and par 5s. There is also a really good level of architectural variety, in terms of uphill, downhill, dog-legs right and left. The course sits on a hill and this is therefore no easy walk, but it’s worth it.

One of my playing partners, Gordon, plays at the 11th with Stirling Castle in the background

The highlight holes for me were the dog-legs: the par 5 1st is a tough start, the 9th offers great hill views from the dog leg apex, and the par 4 15th, which is SI2, is the best hole on the course in my opinion requiring a 220+ yard uphill drive to give access to the plateau green. The only omission in the design for me is the lack of a 200+ yard par 3, although the par 3 8th, at 180 yards uphill, required a recovery or long iron.

The 15th at Stirling with the Castle in the background

The course was also in great condition when I played along with some former colleagues of the charity Apex (Scotland), which does so much good work helping people rebuild their lives after offending. Only downside was that the greens had been treated with sand, making putting very slow and different compared with my local links greens.

Stirling also has a nice club house, serving good food. Its well worth playing Stirling.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 72 (4 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance yards: 6201 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross Score: 99

Moly’s Stirling scorecard – 99

52. Cullen. 13th Sep 2016.

September 18, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Treat yourself at this unique Moray coastal gem

Round £21. Par 63. Value (out of 5) 4

Cullen is only about 4500 yards long, with 10 par 3s, so it’s hardly the toughest golfing challenge you’ll ever face, but it’s difficult to articulate the absolute delight which awaits any first time visitor. Ask any golfer that’s played here for their “top 10” courses, and they are almost guaranteed to have Cullen on the list. It’s unique, quirky, unconventional and, most importantly, great fun.

4th green, with views towards Cullen

Cullen, which sits mid-way between Aberdeen and Inverness on the Moray coast, also has a great pedigree; 9 holes were designed by Old Tom Morris in 1870, then extended in 1905 to 18 holes by Charlie Neaves, the professional at nearby Lossiemouth. Thirteen holes fit snugly into a cavernous bay with sandy beach, plus 5 holes play on higher cliff ground with magnificent views of the bay. In addition to this, in itself, magnificent location, there is added the spectacular Boar Crag, a huge 80 foot high rock which dominates the bay, and forms a challenging hazard as part of a run of 4 par 3s from the 11th. It truly is a remarkable location.

The signature 7th hole tee shot

Without meaning to be too controversial, Cullen does in my opinion warrant adding to the debate about what constitutes a links course. Although most of the course hugs the coast line, the cliff top land, with 5 greens, is undoubtedly arable. In addition, the turf on the 13 beach side holes, is also much softer than, say, the turf on which the Angus links courses are played. So although this is undoubtedly classified as a seaside links course, few of the shots “feel” like they are links shots. This doesn’t diminish Cullen at all, but in a “what is a links course” debate, it’s worth discussing Cullen.

Fran, my playing partner, at the 9th green at Cullen

There are many highlights of the course. Both the 2nd and 4th are blind shot par 3s, requiring good distance understanding. Then soon after comes the fantastic long par 3 7th, at over 200 yards, with a drop of around 50 feet, which is one of those holes where your ball seems to stay airborne indefinitely; it also has wonderful views of the course.

The 11th green at Cullen with the indomitable Boar Crag

Later in your round awaits Boar Crag, and in particular the par 3 12th and 13th holes, where the rock formation dominates shots. I suspect several played treat themselves to the odd “provisional” ball off these tees – especially on the 13th, where you need to hit directly over the marker post, and not be fooled into hitting to the 16th green by mistake.

The difficult 12th tee shot at Cullen

The course was in excellent condition when I played, with the greens being very well paced and true. I played to my handicap and scored 79, although I irritatingly lost a ball on the 10th with one of those shots that you just don’t think is going to be lost.

Cullen also has a nice club house where you can dine on the other local delicacy, Cullen “Skink”, which is a hearty fish & potato chowder, before going out for another 18 holes – its one of those very few courses you want to be more than 18 holes!

Some Facts

Course Type: (mainly) Links

Par 63 (1 par 5, 7 par 4s, 10 par 3s)

Distance Yards 4404 (yellow)

Moly’s Gross Score: 79

Moly’s Cullen scorecard – a 79

47. Huntly. 3rd Aug 2016 (front 9).

August 11, 2016 / Moly McMillan

Great value little course well worth going out of your way for

Round £18. Par 67. Value (out of 5) 4

Huntly Golf Club, in Aberdeenshire, sits between the rivers Deveron and Bogie (the confluence of these rivers is between the 12th and 13th tees) and also adjacent to the ruined Huntly Castle, the ancestral home of Clan Gordon. The castle ruins provide a backdrop to the par 3 2nd hole.

Signature par 3 2nd hole at Huntly, with Castle ruins visible through the trees.

Established in 1892, the course was dormant during both world wars and after lengthy periods of only 9 holes, has been an 18 hole layout since 1966.

It is a relatively short course at 5359 yards from medal tees and 4904 yards from the yellow tees. However, there are many sloping fairways which, when coulped to the trees, mean accuracy plays a dividend.

Approach to 4th at Huntly

The course has no par 5s, and 5 par 3s – moreover only one par 4 (the 8th) is over 400 yards, and that is by only 7 yards. My recommendation would be to leave the driver in the car and ensure you play off the fairways – this will pay dividends. Of course if you spy my card (below), you’ll not be surprised to find I didn’t follow my own advice – I lost balls at the 5th and 8th!

Demanding tee shot at the 9th at Huntly

Fran, my playing partner on the day, and I only played 9 holes before being caught in an absolute downpour – but the kind starter gave us a refund for the holes not played – don’t say Aberdonian’s are mean, its absolutely not true. I plan to return and play the back 9 at some point in future.

There are a number of nice blind driving holes on the front 9, namely the 4th, 5th and 7th, and in reality you only need to get a shot perhaps 180 yards out to make these holes pretty straight forward. Of the par 3s the 2nd is a really nice hole, but beware the hidden bunker to the right of the green.

rain stops play at Huntly – I’ll be back!

The course was in excellent condition when I played, and along with the picturesque surroundings, make this course really good value at £18. Huntly is also a nice little town to visit.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

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

Distance (yellow) 4904 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 49 (front 9)

Front 9 at Huntly (Rain halted round)