We have arrive a good hour before our tee off time.  We have had our bags taken from us and have entered the opulence of the changing rooms.  This gives me chance to break out the plus 4s for this round - they do get an airing now and again and at a place as special a Archerfield they were out!  After getting ready we hit the restaurant for pre-round sandwich, sitting outside in the sun with a cold one and a breakfast ciabatta was a delight.  In fact it was so good we forgot to get out on the practice area and had to scoot to the first tee right after our breakfast. We wandered the short distance from the back of the clubhouse to the Fidra's first tee.  Our group of 6 split into 2 groups.  The first group were playing from the Blue Tees and our group (myself, Badger & Special K) went off the Whites.  There are four sets of tees a Archerfield; Black; Blue; White & Yellow.  The first is a gentle par 4, 374 from the whites.  All the trouble is down the left but that is the best angle into the green - my natural fade (slice!) meant I was coming in from the right.  I hit the green but was a good distance from the hole, a 3 putt typical of my golf under-hit over-hit, in the hole left me with an opening bogey.

The 2nd is a 484yard demanding par 5.  Upon stepping onto the 2nd tee all you can see are trees!  The fairway looks very narrow from here and the best idea is to try to hit it straight.  I managed to end up in the trees but the advantage of Archerfield is that when you are in the trees the lie is usual pretty decent and you can get out fairly easily, even if it is sideways!  However once out of the trees it is a fairly straight hole with only 2 bunkers guarding the left hand side of a fairly generous green.  The 3rd is the easiest hole on the course, at just 345 yards this par 4 is fairly straight.  There are a number of bunkers that protect the green but even with my errant 2nd shot I was still able to chip on with ease and 2 putt.  The first of the Fidra's 4 par 3s, the4tth hole is a long 163.  The back of the green fades away so anything long or left will lead to trouble.  However, anything too short or too far right runs into the long grass and gorse bush.  Special K was shortish but hit a lovely chip onto the green to hole his putt for par.  Badger was short too but chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey.  I found the gorse bush and had great difficulty getting out of the long stuff.  When I did I managed to go over the left hand side of the green and into the bunker - it was text book how not to play this hole!  After failing to get out of the bunker and with the 3ball behind us appearing on the tee I picked up and recorded my first NR of the round!

Still trying to shake off the bad mojo from the previous hole we made our way to the 5th, a 367 yard par 4.  All 3 drives were on the short stuff but only Special K managed to make the most of this with a par.  We wound our way to the next tee through the dunes the par 5 which confronted us was strewn with bunkers, had a burn down the left hand side, a bank of trees on the right and the front right of the green was protected by a huge bunker.  None of us hit a decent drive at all and in fact both Badger and I too the pro tip of favouring the left hand side far too seriously both ending up in the wee burn!  A decent 5 iron followed by a 7 iron allowed me to scrap a double bogey.  By this stage the sun was beating down and Badger and I got the suncream on, I removed a layer and my plus 4s were looking more like trousers as they hung down a bit too far!  To say that I was feeling a bit  bedraggled was an understatement!  However, there is nothing better for you than a solid drive and on the 7th I managed just that.  A solid 230 yard drive just right of centre left me with a short iron into the green.  This hole has a SSI of 2, however with no bunkers the only issue is the narrow fairway.  

The par 3 8th hole continued my own personal fear of short par 3s.  Off the tee with my irons I really am struggling and when you are faced with two huge looking bunkers staring straight at you it doesn't help!  Also with your playing partners all make it over with ease that doesn't help either!  I did make it over but trying to chip up the hill onto the raised green and not shoot off the back resulted in some of the poorest chip shots you are likely to see.  I picked up - but to be fair the whole group struggled on this seemingly easy hole.  By now I was looking forward to the half way house and the enforced 10 minute wait.  However, I still had to negotiate the 360 yard 9th.  There are a number of bunkers on the right hand side of the fairway and the yardage book advises to hug the trees on the left - taking this literally I again ended up in the trees.  Badger was in good position down the right and Special K had creamed it down the middle.  Badge scrambled a double bogey and Special K a bogey - after hitting a bunker from a bad bounce on the green an over-hitting my escape my frustrated chip ended up back in the safe bunker - I picked up and wearily made my way to the halfway house for a bit of liquid refreshment and a seat.  

Suitably refreshed and forgetting about the last hole we tee'd up on the 10th.  All 3 drives were solid and we each hit decent 2nd shots.  We ended this hole with 3 bogeys and felt read to take on the back 9.  The 11th is another of the Fidra's demanding par 5.  Again pock marked with strategic bunkers and with a very narrow area to land from the tee only Special K played this hole like a pro with a well deserved par.  Badger and I decided to play in the sand for a bit before eventually finding the green.  As you leave the 11th green to head towards the 12th tee you are leaving the more parkland feel of the Fidra to play the links holes.  The course opens up with rolling dunes and no longer are the fairways tree lined. There is a large waste area filled with sand to the front and right of the green.  Special K ended up in the waste land and ranked up his highest score of the day.  Badger played it conservatively and chipped a beautiful shot to within a foot.  I managed to play some positional golf but was let down by thinned chip and a 3 putt.  However, this was a fantastic hole and was a good introduction to the next 7 holes.

Plenty of bunkers protecting the front and left of the green we all bailed out to the right of the green.  The greens are fairly fast and the rather large slope made this more difficult to read - we all left with bogey.  The 14th is a long par 4.  A large kidney shaped bunker on the left hand side of the fairway protects the best line from the tee.  Special K did exactly that but Badger was high and short on the left and I was positioned on the right hand side on a dune.  Special K maintained his solid golf with another bogey.  I managed a double bogey after muscling the ball out of the dune and hitting a short iron to the front of the green - the poor chipping continued and finished with a double bogey.  As Badger commented after finished with a hockey stick, this was the hardest hole on the course but aside from the length there is not too much trouble and certainly some of the par 5s particularly on the front 9 played harder.  The next 3 holes was my favourite stretch of the day - mainly as I played them all well!  The 364 yard par 4 15th on the right hand side is a large elevated bunker.  We all missed the bunker and we made 2 pars and a bogey between us.
 

 The 16th is a typical Scottish links hole, bunkers up both sides, a rolling fairway and kidney shaped elevated green.  Getting the ball to stick onto the green is the most difficult part of this hole.  Another par for me, a bogey for Special K and a snowman for Badger, although he was unlucky with his longest drive of the day rolling into the 240 yard left hand bunker.  The final par 3 hole on the course and the penultimate hole.  We all tee'd up discussing the possibility of a hole in one!  A duffed tee, a over-hit shot and one that looked like it was in the main bunker to the right of the green sorted out that possibility.  Turns out that Special K's shot was just on the edge of the grass leading into the bunker this allowed him to get out the putter and make par.  Full of confidence after the last holes and with a little regret as I knew the round was coming to an end we faced the final hole - another of the Fidra's demanding par 5s.  This time we had to decide which fairway to play from - the big problem being the huge bunker right in front of you at about 240 yards.  Both Badger and Special K missed this huge trap but yours truly land right in it.  I managed to get out in one and then hit a 5 wood into the rough about 90 yards from the green.  Special K and Badger were making good progress in a more traditional manner.  After messing up two easy pitches I eventually landed on the green in 7!  Badger was on in 4 and Big c was in the sand with his third but hit it out to within 3 feet and sunk and the resulting putt for par and a great sand save.  Badger ended with a nice bogey and I had, as my Canadian golfing buddies explained, a moose (10)! A poor end to a very good golf course.