Category: £40 – £59 (Page 1 of 7)

192. Dalmilling. 28 Apr 23.

October 20, 2026 / Moly McMillan

Dalmilling – please check this course is still open.

Price paid £17.99 (GolfNow), against a £19 rack rate.

Current price (2026): £45 list; £22 GolfNow; £19 GolfNow Hot Deal.

Value 2/5 at £19–£22 via GolfNow; 1/5 at £45 list price.

Dalmilling has a long history of being given up on. Around 1220, Walter fitz Alan, High Steward of Scotland and ancestor of the Stewart kings, brought the Gilbertines (England’s only home-grown monastic order) to found a priory here on the River Ayr. Within a decade they had resigned it “of their own free will”. By about 1240 the last two canons had been told to hand the lands to Paisley Abbey and go home to England. Nothing of the priory survives.

**The 1st, encapsulating the fairly bland layout of the least inspiring of South Ayrshire Council’s courses.**

The golf course, opened by the council in 1961, has outlasted the monks six times over, no thanks to the landlord, South Ayrshire Council, which has tried to close it at least three times. There was an attempt which ended with a councillor facing 200 angry golfers. In 2017 the council leader wanted houses and an urban park, conceding that the course was good for golfers but not for anyone else. Then in early 2020 it appeared on a list of five of the council’s eight courses earmarked for closure. Each time it survived. The 2018 reprieve came with promises of trees and a perimeter path, and the pandemic golf boom turned the 2020 hit list into an investment Programme. Hence the headline; Before you drive.

**The 6th, the best hole on the course: 107 yards, but the burn in its ditch makes it count.**

The council has spent money on the clubhouse but not, as far as I could see, on the course. There were no rakes, a Golf South Ayrshire policy already covered in Blog 136. The tees were marked by little plastic cones, and the teeing grounds were scuffed bare. It took me straight back to the Caird Park nine-holer in Dundee, where I started playing: honest municipal golf, maintained to a budget, for people who expect nothing more.

**A typical Dalmilling view at the 8th: wide, open and generous, with divots abounding.**

At 5,209 yards from the yellows, with five par 3s, it’s short. The one hole with genuine character is the 6th, a 107-yard par 3 over a burn sunk in a steep-sided ditch, with mature trees on either side. Naturally, I made a double-bogey 5 there.

**Fran putting on the 12th, with the open layout under a flat grey April sky.**

Dalmilling is a good starter course: short, open and forgiving. But it doesn’t need 18 holes. Nine good ones would serve beginners better and cost the council less. I suspect it survives on the season-ticket and green-fee income of Belleisle (Blog 189) and Troon rather than on its own account. At £17.99 it was cheap, but cheap isn’t the same as good value, hence 2/5. The list price has since more than doubled to £45, for a course where I saw no sign of investment. That’s 1/5. GolfNow still sells it for £19–£22, a gap which suggests even the council doesn’t know what it’s really worth. Or perhaps, they’re laying the ground for closure?

Course Type: Parkland
Par 69 yellow tees (2 par 5s, 11 par 4s, 5 par 3s)
Distance: 5,209 yards (yellow tees)
Course Rating / Slope (yellow): 65.7 / 113
Course Quality: 2/5
Moly’s Gross Score: 85 (32 Stableford points)

**Moly’s Dalmilling scorecard, poor for such an open course, albeit ground conditions heavy.**

189. Belleisle. 25 Apr 2023.

July 30, 2026 / Moly McMillan

Belleisle – the people’s course, heading back to the gentry?

Price paid £30 (GolfPass voucher).

Value 5/5 at £30; 4/5 at current GolfNow (~ £43); 3.5/5 at list price £60.

Belleisle’s story has a sweet beginning. The estate’s lands, originally Netherton of Alloway, passed through Ayrshire gentry before Hugh Hamilton bought the property around 1787 using Jamaican plantation money, renaming it Belleisle. The Baronial sandstone mansion was rebuilt in the 1800s, then the Coats family, Paisley thread manufacturers, acquired it in 1886.

**The beautifully manicured 12th fairway at Belleisle, showcases the condition.**

Following the death of George Coats, Ayr Burgh Council purchased the entire estate for £25,000, opening James Braid’s two courses in 1927. Finally, the working man could walk the same ground his grandfather had doffed his cap to. There is a certain irony, then, in the fact that the listed green fee has doubled in two years since I played to now £60. One finds oneself wondering when the first £100 municipal round will arrive and whether Scotland will even notice what it has lost.

**The opening tee at Belleisle; wide, well-maintained, and immediately signalling something above the municipal average.**

Belleisle is the flagship of Golf South Ayrshire’s eight courses, which are covered in Blog 136. It is a proper Braid design, only two par fours under 400 yards from the yellow tees, fast-running fairways, and sound bunkering. The greens and surrounds are the real quality indicator, and on the day Fran and I played, late April sunshine, warmer to the eye than to the skin, they were excellent. It played like a good private members’ course in England. Which, at a municipal green fee, is precisely the point.

**The approach to the 2nd, beautiful parkland character**

The white tees add nearly 400 yards and lift the par from 69 to 71, with holes 1 and 15 both becoming par 5s. The 15th in particular, 426 yards from yellow, 478 from white, would actually be easier from the white.

**The 15th, a long par four with a stone bridge, a burn, and an estate lodge for company.**

Fran and I played steadily. I shot 89, undone by a 10 on the 18th, a 504-yard par 5 with a burn, a dogleg, and a steep gully that I negotiated with maximum creativity!

**Fran playing into the 6th, with the par 3 7th and Arran beyond. Municipal golf at its finest.**

A shortage of bunker rakes is noteworthy, a Golf South Ayrshire policy issue discussed in Blog 136, not a Belleisle-specific failing. The absence of twilight rates is more surprising for a late April afternoon, and is itself a small symptom of the broader commercial drift in municipal golf pricing.

Fran’s approach to the 18th, with the roofless shell of Belleisle House behind. Sold by the council in 2012, gutted by accidental fire in 2019, the council were mid-process repurchasing it when the blaze broke out.

The mansion tells its own story. Belleisle House, Category B listed, Scottish Baronial, presiding over the 18th fairway; it was sold off by South Ayrshire Council in 2012 for £300,000 and gutted by an accidental fire in 2019. The council now own the shell. The golf course thrives; the house that once commanded the estate does not.

For international visitors wanting to understand Scottish golf, Belleisle is essential. It showcases what civic investment in the game can produce at its best. At £29.99 it was exceptional. At £43 via GolfNow today it remains good value. At the £60 list price, the ancestors might start to feel the ground shifting beneath them again.

Course Type: Parkland
Par 69 yellow tees (2 par 5s, 12 par 4s, 4 par 3s) / Par 71 white tees
Distance: 6,036 yards (yellow tees)
Course Rating / Slope (yellow): 70.2 / 119
Moly’s Gross Score: 89

180. Hilton Park. 21 Mar 23.

February 2, 2026 / Moly McMillan

Ewan Grimes – What a Pro!

Value – 4/5

Golf in Scotland is a competitive market, so a friendly welcome is essential. Ewan Grimes, the recently appointed pro at Hilton Park, could not have been more hospitable to me. It made up for the miserably wet weather and golf course, which arguably should have been closed. At least that meant it was very quiet and took less than 3 hours to play.

**The 17th at Hilton Park, a par 3 of 184 yards with common white and yellow tees**.

Hilton Park, just outside Milngavie, is about 10 miles north of Glasgow City Centre, but feels much more remote. It is one of only 23 clubs in Scotland that has two or more 18 hole courses. Moreover, it is one of only 3 clubs with two heathland courses, the others being Gleneagles and Blairgowrie.

**Moly putting on the 6th, the most difficult of the four par 3s.**

I played both the Hilton Park and Allander courses in one day, which was a challenge given the undulating terrain. A buggy might be useful here. There are excellent views, including of the Glasgow skyline, something made easier by the loss of many trees in recent years due to storms.

The Hilton Park layout was much more demanding that its sister Allander course, but as a combination of courses they compliment each other really well.

**The well bunkered par three 12th hole, the stroke index 18 hole.**

The course routing was a little confusing and I ended up playing the 15th hole twice, having also played some of the Allander holes in the wrong order. I suspect the reason was the shortened winter course. It was so wet, I was the only player.

**The 18th is a strong finish at this undulating course.**

Sadly, winter greens were in operation on the majority of holes, but I was only charged £30 for both rounds via Golfnow, which was excellent value. Overall, the Hilton Park property is one of the best in Scotland, and worth checking out.

**The par four 13th, at well over 400 yards, will play as a 5 for most.**

I could really imagine being a member at Hilton Park as the overall package is incredible value. It would make for a great society day out.

**Views of Glasgow from the 8th, a short par 4, Moly’s only birdie hole**.

Price £45.

Discount: Golf Now, £15, against the Winter rate of £30.

Course Type: Heathland

Par 70 (2 par 5s, 11 par 4s, 5 par 3s)

Distance:5446 (yellow)

Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67/127.

Moly’s Gross score: 85

**Moly’s Hilton Park Scorecard, using mostly winter greens – 84**

179. Hilton Park Allander. 21 Mar 23

October 10, 2024 / Moly McMillan

I wish AI could extend to golf – honest!

Value – 4.5/5

This is my first blog written with AI assistance.

Nestled near the Campsie Hills north of Glasgow, the Allander course at Hilton Park Golf Club offers a rich blend of history and natural beauty. Opened in 1928 and designed by James Braid it represents a good example of Braid’s artistry of balancing challenge and fun.

**The approach to the first, presents a typical view of this Allander course.**

Set within an area of beautiful scenery of rolling hills and lush heathland greenery, full of flora and fauna, the course is nice just to walk around.

**The par four 5th on the Allander course, fully justified as the Stroke Index 1 hole.**

I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the PGA Pro, Ewan Grimes, who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. His knowledge and welcome were second to none, along with his stories.

**Moly teeing off at the 15th on the Allander course at Hilton Park, a mid iron par three.**

The course was in good condition. However, the drainage seemed poor, which was unexpected given the heathland conditions. Given the conditions there were several winter greens in play, which was a disappointment.

**The tree lines framed many holes, but in fact the fairways were quite generous. Here at the par three 17th.**

One of two courses at Hilton Park, the Allander is very much the secondary, shorter course. It would be worth playing though on in a fine summer day.

**The Allander 18th hole, a mid length par four, with the impressive clubhouse.**

So what do I think of using AI? It created a very bland and flowery draft, which was frankly difficult to take seriously. Clearly influenced by Golf Club websites, full of standard phrases ‘course for all all abilities’, ‘challenge for all’, etc etc, after editing it left me with no more than 4 meaningful sentences.