Category: 4 star (Page 9 of 12)

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)

42. Murrayshall Lynedoch. 6th June 2016.

June 7, 2016 / Moly McMillan

The “junior” Murrayshall course provides a surprisingly outstanding challenge

Round £30 ( variable on-line). Par 68. Value (out of 5) – 4

The Murrayshall estate, first built in 1664, was established as a commercially successful Country House hotel in the early 1970s, following the sale of the estate by the Norrie-Millar family, of whom Francis Norrie-Millar was one of the key instrumentalists in building the General Accident insurance company in nearby Perth, only 3 miles to the west of Murrayshall.

Approach to the par 4 second - requiring a well placed tee shot, into a narrow green over a deep ditch.

Approach to the par 4 2nd – requiring a well placed tee shot, into a narrow green over a deep ditch.

The esteemed golf architect Hamilton J Strutt (grandson of James Braid’s foreman) designed the original Championship course in the 70s, and returned to design the Lynedoch course which opened in 2000. The latter course is named after Thomas Graham, aka Lord Lynedoch, who became second in command to the Duke of Wellinton’s Armies in the early 1800s.

Playing the Lynedoch actually reminds you of the Duke of Wellington when importalised in song for “marching them up to the top of the hill, and marching them down again!” There’s plenty of hills to march up and down on the Lynedoch course, which feels longer than its 5279 yards off the white tees. I wouldn’t recommend carrying a full bag!

The demanding SI 1, par 5 14th hole on The Lynedoch

The demanding SI 1, narrow par 5 14th hole on The Lynedoch

The Lynedoch Course really surprised me for both its quality and character, given that it is very much the junior course at Murrayshall. It is very difficult to give a single course type categorisation, and is a mix of woodland and parkland/medow, and has some wonderful highland views to the north. It also has a fair amount of bracken, ditch/water hazards and Disney sized bunkers on some holes.

Given its all round quality and design, it’s arguably better value than the longer Championship course. It has many memorable holes, starting on the first, a dog leg right par 4, which is much harder than the stroke index of 10 would suggest. The second, a shorter par 4, starts to lay out the need for accuracy needed here. Then the 3rd is the first of 6 delighful par 3s, with a hugh amount of variety.

The long par 3 15th tee on The Lynedoch, with deep ditch just visible on the left - cant impagine many 2s here!

The long par 3 15th tee on The Lynedoch, with deep ditch just visible on the left – can’t imagine many 2s here!

My favourite holes were the 14th, 15th and 16th, with stroke indexes 1, 5 and 3 repectively – I rather suspect these holes have defined many match play games here. The 15th is particularly interesting played as a long par 3 (212 yards) off white but as a short par 4 (294 yards) off yellow. It requires the most accurate tee shot, due to a right to left sloping fairway into a deep ravine/ditch – which I had to chip out of!

View from green at the par 3 15th (although par 4 from yellow tees)

The course was in excellent all round condition when I played and I had a very mercurial round of 88 (net 2 over), including 3 birdies for the second time in my life, but unfortunately 2 quadruple and 1 triple bogie! I think this scorecard rather sums up the Lynedoch course – lots of opportunity and hazard, but very true greens!

I highly recommend playing here.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland/Woodland

Par 68 (2 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

Distance (white) 5279 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 88

A mercurial 88, with 3 birdies and 2 quadruple bogies!

Category: 4 star (Page 9 of 12)

53. Stirling. 19th Sep 2016.

52. Cullen. 13th Sep 2016.

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

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

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

42. Murrayshall Lynedoch. 6th June 2016.

Par 68 (2 par 5s, 10 par 4s, 6 par 3s)

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