Test Blog

Number 2. Played winter 2012. Traditional links designed by Old Tom Morris. 


The famous sign adorning the ornate gated entrance to one of the world's greatest golf courses welcomes you to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers or as we know it Muirfield. It was on one of Scotland's wet, windy and wild days that I braved the elements to take on this legendary course. The chance to play Murifield doesn't come along too often and therefore the rain wasn't going to stop me. However, it did mean my photographs weren't up to the usual standard so I apologise for that.

Even though it had been raining hard for a number of days the fairways were in excellent condition with absolutely no standing water. The tees were as good as some greens I have played on this year and the greens were sensational, particularly for December in Scotland. The course itself was difficult to judge as the wind did make it almost unplayable. My own experience was that the fairways were reasonably narrow but fortunately the rough had been cut down so my many wayward shots weren't badly punished. The par 3s were excellent with 13 being a particular delight. I am proud to say that I didn't end up in one of the bunkers at 13 like Mr Els in 2002. I think it would be impossible to play Muirfield without playing at least one bunker shot - there are some many bunkers all intelligently positioned. I did manage to end up in a number of the bunkers but without the same success as Mr Els!

After such a windswept round I retired to the clubhouse. Muirfield is a gentlemen only club with a strict dress code. However, women can play the course and can also use clubhouse as per this article with the Secretary. For anyone who manages to play the course I would strongly recommend that you also take advantage of the superb lunch. I was pleasantly surprised by the warm and friendly welcome we received in the clubhouse - this is not the stuffy clubhouse I had been told to expect. All in all it was an excellent experience on a superb course. I would love to return to play the course on a more benign day but even if I don't get the chance it is still one of the greatest courses I have played.

Thanks: A huge thanks to Dave for getting the tee time arranged and joining me on the day. I know he throughly enjoyed his day. Also a thank you to the assistant secretary who took the time to join us for lunch.

Nothing that I write here, nor any discussions you may have with people who have played it, can prepare you for the feeling on the first tee.  It is one of the scariest feelings in golf but once you get a good one off the tee it is one of the best feelings!  That first tee shot alone is worth the price of the green fee.

The Old Course is a truly special golf course - it may not be the longest, the prettiest nor the toughest (depending on the wind) but it is the most historic and you can feel the ghosts of past players guiding you along.  I was fortunate enough to play with some local members - if you are not playing with locals then my advice would be to take a caddy. The best position off the tee aren't always the most obvious and the various many bunkers are waiting in hidden dips to swallow up balls from the uninitiated.  

The front 9 is the more benign than the back 9.  In fact the back from 11 onwards really ramps up the difficulty.  It reaches it's toughest point at the infamous Road Hole before giving you something back on the wonderful 18th hole.  As with the 1st the 18th has a huge fairway to hit but you must avoid the Valley of Sin with your approach.

This is a must play course for any golfer in the world. I am delighted I had the chance and I hope it wont be my last!

Number 4. Played Summer 2011. Traditional links designed by Kyle Phillips.


Kingsbarns is one of Scotland's premier golfing venues, it has excellent facilities, a well designed and interesting course which is set up to test golfers of all abilities and it is blessed to be on some of the finest links land in the world. But, and it is only my personal opinion, there is a missing ingredient to that list and that is the infamous 'x-factor'. I think that whilst Kingsbarns has all the many great points that you would expect from a modern classic it feels a bit like a computer generated masterpiece rather than an authentic old master.

Number 5. Played during 2012. Traditional links designed by Old Tom Morris.


The best golf course I have ever played. It was stunningly beautiful, testing, natural & fun. The course has a sense of history & magical quality in the air. It is a classic old links – the use of the natural landscape is stunning. It has huge changes in elevation, holes with scores of bunkers and some with none! It is a thinking man’s golf course – each hole will test your ability and your strategic play. If you ever visit Scotland for golf do yourself a huge favour and visit Royal Dornoch, you will just love this it!

Number 9. Played autumn 2012. Traditional links.

Recently voted as the number 1 fun golf course in the UK, North Berwick (West) is a fantastically quirky and interesting course. It has some unique features, the wall in front of the green at 13, the much copied bunkering of the Redan (15th) and the huge valley in the green on 16! It is a course that will leave you with a huge grin on your face no matter what you score. Whether you are playing from the rolling fairways or from the beach (it is in play most of the way round) you will be playing golf at its most interesting. I loved every second of it (well except for the drive at 18 with the car park most certainly in the line of fire!). I can only say that it ranks just below the incomparable Royal Dornoch in my own personal list of courses played. If you do visit then please take the time to visit the clubhouse which is top notch.

Thanks: A huge thanks to Campbell at Murray Golf who was an excellent and generous host. The company of Murray Golf are an independent Scottish clothing label. I would highly recommend checking out some of their gear - excellent quality at a reasonable price.

After some strenuous stretching and a few practice putts and I was standing on the 1st looking at the beach, the sea and the fairway (which looked further away than it was!). However, whilst the first is a fantastic looking hole it certainly isn't as imposing as the pictures suggest. Because of the way the hole is shaped if you have a natural slice then there is plenty of grass to find, only if you have a tendency to hook the ball will this hole be truly scary. Both myself and G nailed our opening drives and, for me, it was the best shot of the day! The first is truly Machrihanish's signature hole and it was always going to be difficult to maintain this quality.  The other 17 holes are fantastic tests of links golf, when you are walking through the dunes with the butterflies flitting around and the crickets providing their unique soundtrack you feel as though you have been transported back to the 1800s. There are no signs of any holes being man made, instead all of the holes seem to be have been placed within the dunes since the dawn of time. There are a number of blind tee shots and with the fairways rising and falling with the dunes you get the impression that you are the only players on the course at times. In my opinion, the front 9 were the highlight. I felt the back 9, which is further from the sea, felt a bit bland in relation to what had preceded it.

Number 12. Played Autumn 2011. Designed by Old Tom Morris / Tom Simpson & Herbert Fowler.

Well, where to start! G-Star and I had arranged a wee jaunt up the east coast to Cruden Bay.  We had heard great things about the course but when we stepped out of the car and walked around the side of the unassuming clubhouse we were blown away!  A truly spectacular golf course was laid out below us.  If the course played as a half as good as it looked from the clubhouse then we both knew we were in for a treat.

Fortunately member Ray Matthew was on hand to guide us round this quirky course.  There is plenty of gorse, tricky greens to hit and some impressive bunkers as well as a myriad of blind shots.  I would highly recommend a strokesaver or a caddy - if its wasn't for Ray I don't know were I would have ended up with half of my shots!  A tight opening hole with out of bounds on the left; gorse on both sides and some well placed bunkers.  This makes the tee shot reasonably difficult but your second shot should be easier as long as you accurate with your irons.  The greens were quick when we played the course and the traditional links bump and run golf is rewarded here.The second has a very scary table green - it is a large area but fear that you will be too big is unusually unfounded.  Trust in your iron play and you should be fine - however this is definitely a hole that looks far easier on paper than it actually is.  The first of the blind tee shots - I understand that this is one of the few par 4 holes in golf in which it is possible to get a hole in one, in fact the day before we played there were 2 at this hole! G-Star gave it his best shot with his drive shown in the picture below.  However don't be fooled by this hole, if you are not big enough then it leaves a tricky down hill shot and the green was also the one that I had most difficulty reading.

The fourth hole is the first par 3 on the course - it is a daunting shot as you playing across a grass hollow.  As with all links course - the wind here determines what club you will be using from an iron all the way to driver! Being big here is good as there is a bank that will gather your ball and helpful put it back towards the green.  The next hole is probably the most spectacular tee position on the course.  I was delighted to stand there and take in the view and also to realise that the wind was blowing right to left which meant my drive was the straightest I had ever hit!  It is a long hole and the bunker in front of the green is a tough to get out.  Even though the rough doesn't look too bad on the course - it did manage to snag a few of our balls on the this hole and that was only going to get worse!  This is a cracking hole and as you can see was my number 1.  The sixth is another fantastic hole - a proper par 5 with a testing tee shot followed up by a wood laid up before the stream before trying to hit another plateau green.  An extremely testing golf hole.

At this point you really do start to feel the changes of elevation as you make your way through the various dunes - some holes are completely surrounded and you feel as though you have been transported back to 1895 and fully expect to see Old Tom himself smashing a guttie towards one of these fine greens.  The seventh is another testing par 4 which is a dog leg left; two impressive sand dunes protect the green which is elevated.  The 8th is a short par 4, as you walk towards your second shot you should spot the flag for the fifteenth - take a note of the position as that hole isn't called "Blin' Dunt" (Blind Hit) for nothing!  The 9th is another spectacular hole offering you views across the course and towards Slains Castle.  It is a cracking driving hole and if you are big enough (or have the wind) the second shot might not be too difficult.  The tenth is another beauty of a driving hole - with out of bounds down the left and a burn which can cause concern to big hitters it tests accuracy over outright distance.  The green has two tiers and is one of the most difficult on the course - the pro tip is to hit your second shot below the flag as you do not want to be putting downhill on this green.  The eleventh is a short par 3, a quirky little hole which perhaps is a bit of let down after the proceeding grand driving holes however you do not want to miss the green as getting up and down could be difficult. The twelfth is a decent par 4 which is fairly wide and flat and, depending on the wind, should be a reasonable chance of par.

Another wonderful par 5 with dunes, bunkers and a burn to contend with.  My main thought as I hit my 2nd 3 wood from the fairway was that hole still seemed miles away! However, it turns out to be nestled behind a large sand dune so it is best to play up the left hand side to give you some chance of seeing the flag.  The next three holes are my favourite run of holes on the back 9.  They run along the coast before turning back in through the dunes and towards the clubhouse.  The fourteenth is a great hole - the pin position is shown on a box at the tee.  As you drive you want to be right of the bunker on the fairway but not too far right as you will be playing from the rough.  Your second shot will be blind to the sunken green shown above. You really want to try to miss the down slope as you don't know if your ball will stop if it does hit it! A great little hole.  The fifteenth is the blind par 3; which if you remember the pin position from earlier would help you a great deal! Oh and just to make it more difficult it is a dog leg and you need to hit your iron over the top of a large dune! There is a marker post to help but a daunting tee shot none the less! For the sixteenth you walk back up the side of the dune you have just driven over, remembering to ring the bell, and you are facing another par 3. You play across a lot of rough to the green - you want to land short of the green and allow the ball to roll down the hill.  However, that is easier said than done.  This hole has one of the original Tom Morris greens.

The penultimate hole is another good driving hole with a large mound in the middle of the fairway.  You also really need to avoid the monstrous bunkers which guard the green both left and right - Ray wanted my picture in one but I feared I wouldn't be able to climb back out!  A strong finishing hole with out of bounds on the left and burn to the right - if you are too far right you still should have a shot from the rough.  However the green is huge so don't be mean with your iron selection.  After we had finished on this enchanting course we all retired to the sanctuary of the clubhouse to partake in a few drinks and some fine food before heading back home.