Perthshire – Page 6 – Scotland Golf Bible

Well kept and subtlety challenging course with Lomond Hills view.

Round (9 holes) £10. Par 34. Value (out of 5) – 3.5

Milnathort golf course is in the village of the same name in Kinross-shire, close to the M90, with very easy access from Edinburgh or Perth. It was founded in 1910 and laid out by W. Binnie the professional from Kinghorn, the small Fife links course.

1st at Milnathort looking back to clubhouse from the green.

It is basically a “9 hole” course, but with 2 adjacent greens for the long 6th and 15th played from the same tees and fairway, and different tees on the 4th and 13th to the same green. On the day I played the “front 9” card off the yellow, which is par 34 versus the white par 35, due to the 6th played as a very long par 4 of 467 yards.

Moly on the 6th tee at Milnathort – need to get the hips out of the way! Lomond Hills in the distance.

Its a really nice course, which was in great condition due I’m sure to the Indian Summer of September that had just gone. There are some very tough holes, with the first being a demanding opening 400 yard par 4 with a tight tee shot then played uphill slightly to a large double green shared with the 5th. After that things get more straight forward, until the long 6th, the signature hole, with views of the Lomond Hills, then the long par 4 7th, “The Spire”, played back towards the village.

7th approach at Milnathort – “The Spire”

The fairways in particular were a pleasure to play and walk on, and the trees were in full Autumn colour when I played. The greens are generally large and very true.

I played the best I’d done for a while, carding a 42 versus the par 34, including a lost ball at the 2nd, which was one of those shots that occasionally get lost inexplicably – I shot a 5 with the provisional ball.

6th approach at Milnathort

Lovely course, nice little clubhouse, easily accessible, with limited hazards – well worth a visit.

Some Facts

Course Type: Parkland

Par 34 (“front” nine) (0 par 5s, 7 par 4s, 2 par 3s)

Distance (yellow) 2834 yards

Moly’s Gross Score 42

Stableford 20

Moly’s Milnathort Scorecard – 42

Avoid Wednesdays and Saturdays!

Summary: Cost £10 (winter). Par 32. Score 43. Value (out of 5) – 3.5.

Detail. Blairgowrie has a population of 8000, it has some quaint but dated shops, certainly no high street coffee branded shops here. It does however have a fine golf club with 3 courses, 2 of which are listed amongst the very best in the world, laid out by the renowned James Braid! Blairgowrie epitomises the wonderful conundrum of Scottish golf.

The weather looked good and I set off after being advised during a quick telephone call that the Lansdowne course was free for several tee times around mid-day. However, as it turns out, Wednesday and Saturday are the days traditionally the members play en mas, and when I arrived the tee times were taken. I therefore settled for playing the Wee Course, and it turned out fine. But the message for visitors is avoid Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“The Wee”, is a lovely little 9 hole course (5 par 4s, and 3 par 3s), with ample lush fairways (they get their fair share of rain in Blairgowrie!) set in very mature woodland. Other than the 416 yard 8th, the par 4s are short and require accuracy, not length, from the tees, especially as some are dog legs where a driver will out-run of fairway. The bunkers have soft sand and were well raked, and the greens were big for a 9 hole layout.

The 2nd hole, a dog leg right, has a green protected by 2 magnificent trees making the approach an interesting challenge. Much easier to play in winter with less leaves!

2 trees guarding the 2nd green

However, the most intriguing hole was the par 3 7th, where you must trust your yardage as there is an unseen valley full of bunkers in front of the green.

Hidden Greens in front of 7th green

I had a disaster on the par 3 4th, where I pulled both tee shots well left, and ended with a 7. That actually sums up Blairgowrie – stay out of the trees to have any chance of scoring well. I look forward to tackling the Rosemount and Lansdowne courses, both championship quality.

News of the Day: Dennis Rodman, the US former basketball player, has apologised for angry comments he made about a US man detained in North Korea. Rodman is the most high-profile American to meet the young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un , who he describes as a friend. Bizarre!

Key Facts

Course Type: Heathland

Green Fees:

May – Sep; £30.00 per day; Winter £10 for 9, or £15 for 18.

Par 32 (5 par 4s, 4 par 3s)

Distance: 2373 yards

Moly’s Gross score: 43

Blairgowrie “Wee” scorecard

Category: Perthshire (Page 6 of 6)

35. Milnathort. 20th Oct 2015.

Par 34 (“front” nine) (0 par 5s, 7 par 4s, 2 par 3s)

7. Blairgowrie “Wee” 9 hole; Wed 8th Jan 2014

May – Sep; £30.00 per day; Winter £10 for 9, or £15 for 18.

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