Scotland Golf Bible

A guide to green fee value for money

Category: Greater Glasgow & The Clyde Valley (Page 2 of 5)

179. Hilton Park Allander. 21 Mar 23

October 10, 2024 /

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.

Price £45.

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

Course Type: Heathland

Par 69 (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 scorecard, but with several winter greens

178. Hollandbush. 20 Mar 23.

August 19, 2024 /

Tough South Lanarkshire Council course in perennial danger of closing

Value – 4/5

Hollandbush Golf Club near Lesmahagow was founded in 1955 as a 9 hole course, later extended to 18 in 1963. Web searching “Hollandbush GC future” though will return articles about council funding woes; it’s highly likely this blog becomes redundant in future after the course closes. This will be a great shame, as Hollandbush represents a great example of a Scottish municipal course.

The free course planner, a surprising addition at this municipal course, worth playing

South Lanarkshire council operates 6 courses, in addition to Hollandbush, the other 18 holes layouts are Biggar, Langlands and Torrance House, plus two nine hole courses of Larkhall and Strathclyde Country Park.

The 17th at Hollandbush, a drivable par four, but with well positioned protective ditches

Hollandbush also has an independent golf club, providing members with competition and social benefits. This is a common feature of municipal courses in Scotland. This ‘club’ costs £115 annually.

The well maintained ditches shown here at the difficult par 4 12th hole.

Golf pricing is interesting. Annual golf membership for one of South Lanarkshire’s 18 hole municipals is £475, but for just £32 more you can play all 6 courses for £508. If you can make sense of that price differential, good luck! A green fee in peak season is £25, but the winter senior rate I paid was only £9, incredible value.

The 14th at Hollandbush, with one of the relatively few bunkers at this course.

The course is well designed; with constant changes of direction, the undulating fairways, regularly interspersed with well maintained ditches, provide a tough challenge. The slope rating of 129 from the yellow tees testifies to that, albeit it was a fairly generous course from the tee.

The greens were good at this municipal course, here seen at the 10th hole, a long par 3, one of the best holes on the course.

The course was well presented, especially given the wet conditions. I saw no-one else playing and the car park had only one other car, possibly owned by the clubhouse attendant. I think the council could reasonably consider “honesty” box payment to reduce its costs.

The second was one of several card wreckers at this well designed golf course.

I played pretty well, scoring 88, but with 4 blobs. I actually beat the course ‘1 up’, something which is a good measure of your game,

As to the name ‘Hollandbush’ it remains a mystery for me despite my efforts to find it’s origin.

It’s worth playing Hollandbush, a course I hope continues operating.

Price £25.

Discount: Senior winter rate. £9

Course Type: Parkland

Par 70 (1 par 5, 14 par 4s, 3 par 3s)

Distance: 5552 (yellow)

Course Rating / Slope Rating (yellow) 67.8/129.

Moly’s Gross score: 88

169. East Renfrewshire (‘Ren’). 18 Oct 22.

November 17, 2023 /

Arboretum type vision creates framing ‘For the Ages’

Value for Money (out of 5) – 5

It takes vision to plant an arboretum as its creator is dead by the time planting has matured, something both sad and somewhat magical. This was how I felt playing one of James Braid’s canvasses – East ‘Ren’.

The beautifully framed par four 2nd hole at East Ren from its elevated tee.

In 1922 when Braid designed this moorland layout there were almost no trees and this is a great example how courses evolve over the years.

The original open heathland vista of East Ren, a picture courtesy of the golf club. The clubhouse is still in use.

Looking at the original open heathland layout of the course in 1922, one wonders whether Braid imagined what the course would become? If he did, he really was visionary, because the course is now a beautiful mix of holes and incredibly framed by fir trees. I could have published pictures of every hole.

The great conditioning of East Ren shown here at the 4th green, the 135 yard par three, which also demonstrates the large bunkering on many holes.

This very bonny golf course was in great condition when we played, despite the recent wet weather. It fully justifies its high placing in lists of Scotland’s finest courses.

The downhill dog leg left 331 yard par four 6th hole.

With constantly changing directions and a great use of the sloping braes, Braid’s course is one that you’ll want to come back to again and again. It’s a tough walk in places, no more so than the severe uphill par three 11th, “Brae Shouther”, at over 200 yards.

Moly at the difficult 200 yard par three 7th hole.

There are also many slight dog leg holes, and the odd blind shot thrown in for good measure. The bunkering is strong, yet the fairways are overall pretty generous. The greens subtle, but not overly sloping.

The approach at the par five 14th hole, with the burn challenging the longer hitters, attempting to go for the green in two.

The use of craftily routed burns, feeding the adjacent reservoir, means strategy off the tee is a consideration. Overall, it’s an architectural gem, clearly benefitting from Braid’s growing experience by the early 1920s.

The beautiful 17th at East Ren, yet another hole with excellent framing.

Almost every hole is materially different from its predecessor, many with outstanding view of the Renfrewshire countryside. This is a ‘must play’ course and in the top handful of Scottish moorland courses.

The excellent short 13th hole, at only 120 yards the shortest hole.

Go out of your way to play East ‘Ren’, which has shot towards the top of courses I would like to play regularly.

Facts:

Round List Price £75. Actual Paid £30 through Golfnow.

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 68.8/119.

Course Type: Heathland

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

Distance (yellow): 5845 yards

Moly’s ‘East Ren’ Scorecard – 85

168. Rouken Glen. 16 Oct 22.

November 9, 2023 /

David Lloyd course fails to meet top council standards.

Value for Money (out of 5) – 2.5

Rouken Glen golf course, originally called Deaconsbank after the neighborhood it sits in, is close to junction 3 of the M77 between the Shawlands and Newton Mearns areas of South-West Greater Glasgow. The course was founded in 1923 by the Greater Glasgow corporation and its management was transferred to the David Lloyd sports club in 1999 at which time the Rouken Glen name was adopted. It is still leased from the council.

The short par three 8th green at Rouken Glen, which was in poor condition when we played.

The course is managed by the sports club as one of many activities on offer, and when you play it’s clear that golf is not the priority of this predominantly tennis club. Although specific golf annual membership is on offer for around £400, I suspect many members pay for golf as part of the wider sports club membership. I was previously a family member of the David Lloyd (now Nuffield Health) in Milgavie, which owned Dougalston Golf Club, for which golf as part of the whole family package represented good value.

The first at Rouken Glen, a decent uphill par 4 of 322 yards, is one of the better holes.

When investigating a golf club one doesn’t know, price is the best measure. At typically £15 for a pay and play summer round using Rouken Glen’s variable pricing (I paid £12), the price is well set for what’s on offer.

Nice views north towards Glasgow and the Campsie Hills from Rouken Glen’s downhill par 4 12th, a hole probably drivable in the faster running Summer months

The course actually felt pretty ‘beat up’ on this “end of season” October day, with unkempt greens, bunkers and tees. The course showed a sever lack of green keeping investment. A few greens had actually been “lost”. Overall, the condition was worse than the average council run courses in Scotland, in my experience.

Moly driving at the 9th hole, a dog leg left at 351 yards.

However, at only 4742 yards from the white tees, this par 65 generally open parkland course gives the mid teen handicap golfer the chance of “breaking 80”, that seemingly mythical number. On the day I shot 81, a score made worse by my triple bogie 7 at the downhill short par four 12th, the stoke index 18 hole – two balls were needed.

Fran trying to find a decent place to tee off at the par three 16th at Rouken Glen.

Although a short course, with several bland holes, it is a pretty tough walk and there are a few challenging holes – most notably the uphill par three 5th hole, where driver will be required for all bar the really long hitters. With such a congested golf course area, with several courses nearby, I rather think that without the Sports Club backing, Rouken Glen, would really struggle.

The open aspect of Rouken Glen shown here at the short par three 14th

This is no more than a 2 star quality course, but its cheap pricing means that an overall 2.5 for value is reasonable.

Facts:

Round List Price £15. Actual Paid £12.

Course/Slope Rating (yellow) 62.6/109.

Course Type: Parkland

Par 65  (11 par 4s, 7 par 3s)

Distance (white): 4742 yards

Moly’s Scorecard at Rouken Glen – 81
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