Blairgowrie (Rosemount)
Number 22. Played Autumn 2010 & Summer 2013. Parkland course designed by James Braid.
Arrived in plenty of time, the big decision was how to warm up; driving range or roll and sausage. Fortunately, sense prevailed and we had 2 lovely square sausage roles! That left us with just enough time for a few warm up swings on the tee box. Lovely. The first is a 429 yard dog leg left par 4. It is not the longest of Rosemount's par 4s, but a combination of the fairly tight fairway (trees to the left; heather and more trees to the right) and an undulating fairway resulting in unexpected bounces and ricochets can make hitting the green in regulation challenging. I hit a decent drive down the left hand side of the fairway before hitting my 5 wood to just off the green - a sign of what was to come, I under hit my chip and left myself with a fairly lengthy putt. It must be said that the greens were in excellent condition and, as usual, were playing fast. Forgetting the previous occasions on which I have played this course I prompted fired my first putt almost as far past the hole as I was before. 2 further putts and in for a double bogey start and a 3 putt. Disappointing. However G-Star was just as bad, having hit his first drive into the trees on the right he promptly pitched out and landed in the rough on the left, his approach landed off the green and he too 3 putted for a half. A cracking start and, in my opinion, the best hole on the outward 9.
The second is one of the shortest par 4s on the course. As you can see a straight-ish tee shot is required. It is best to play from the left hand side of the fairway as there is a decent gap at the front left between the two green side bunkers for you to play into. I was in the centre, G-Star in the trees down the left, having taken the play down the left tip literally. After settling over my short iron I decided that the leaf that I had chosen as my alignment guide had left me too far right, I slightly altered my stance - hit a perfect iron which dropped beautifully into left greenside bunker. If I had stayed where I was it would have been pin high. Bugger. G-Star had taken his medicine and chipped out but then miscalculated his distance and left his pitch short. I approached the bunker to find it close to the edge leaving me with a difficult stance but got it out in one. 2 putts for us both later and we left with a half. I love this hole - it isn't the hardest on the course and the opening drive is fairly easy if you hit it straight but the green is small and well protected. From here you can see the 1st on the Landsdowne and through to the 10th green and 11th tee. It is a very picturesque hole and probably the best looking hole on the front 9.
Stepping up to the 3rd and I was fairly confident as this was one of the holes that I was receiving a stroke. That was until G-Star hit his iron to within 7 feet! With the pressure on , I duly hit my shot left and short. A chip which didn't clear the rough on the edge of the green left me with a bump and run which was still short. 2 further putts and another 5 on the card. G-Star missed his birdie but sunk the par, so my shot was to no avail. It doesn't look too difficult a hole on the scorecard but the bunkers really do look large! It does punish everything short but being long isn't too bad - if you hit the ball far enough. It must be said that the 2 par 3s on the front 9 are nowhere near as strong as the 2 on the back 9. The 4th is a dog leg left par 4. A well placed drive is required; most of the long holes on the Rosemount are fairly wide although the threat of landing in the trees is never far away. When the holes are bit shorter then fairways are a bit tighter and the course does make good use of dog legs to make playing for position paramount rather than just distance. Once you have negotiated the first shot there is one large bunker in the centre of the fairway; the green is fairly large. Like alot of the holes on the course there are 2 greenside bunkers at the front right and left of the green. I managed to win this hole after G-Star's errant iron ended up in the trees - giving me 2 putts to win which I duly did.
A long par 4 that, due to my lack of length, I play as a par 5! A couple of well placed fairway bunkers await drives that go right of centre. To compound the difficulty today the wind was up and was headed right at us; once you avoid the first two bunkers on the fairway you are again faced with the Rosemount signature of left and right greenside bunkers - no trouble long except for the rough. I managed to half this hole due to G-Star having some difficulty with his drive ending up in the first fairway bunker! At this point the Rosemount enters it's blandest period of holes; that's not to say that they are bad holes on the contrary but just compared to what came before and particularly what follows, they aren't as entertaining or as memorable. In particular the par 3 6th is the weakest of the par 3s. It is a straight iron with only a left and right hand side bunker to worry about. As is my want I made a pigs ear of this hole and fell one behind; even though G-Star had to recover from a bunker!
Plenty of space awaits your drive - the biggest issue is usually the three fairway bunkers. The trees can be problematic if you cut the corner too much or a large slice. As with almost all of the par 4s the usual greenside bunkers await. Even though I am aware of these greenside bunkers after hitting the fairway with my drive I sliced my iron right and ended up alongside G-Star in the rough with the large-ish right hand bunker in front of us. G-Star chipped over perfectly and managed to psych me out as I dropped mine short and into the yellow stuff! Out in 1 but 2 putts weren't enough and G-Star went 1 up. I am not going to detail my drive here - to say that is was my poorest of the season is not an exaggeration! It is a 331 yard par 4 measuring - however unlike most of the holes this a well protected green - instead of the usual gap in between the left and right greenside bunker this green is surrounded by 5 bunkers! Having a shot here allowed me to grab a half and stop the rot. The second shortest par 4, again is fairly typical of Rosemount. Another dog leg left, fairway bunker and 2 greenside bunkers. It is actually quite forgiving off the tee - particularly for those with a natural left to right drive. A bogey for G-Star won him the hole - I finished the front 9 2 holes down.
The 10th is the last of the average Rosemount holes - it isn't bad by a long way but is just not that memorable! However, whilst the holes may feel fairly atypical at times and with the trees at times helping to protect you from the worst of the Scottish elements it is the greens at Rosemount that are a joy. Every one of them were in perfect condition. They always seem to play faster than any other course - the borrows are deceiving. It really is a joy to putt on these greens - even if I only 1 putted once in my whole round! This hole was a disaster for G-Star and allowed me to grab a hole back, even without the need for my stroke. The 11th is a beast of a par 4 - measuring a stonking 473 yards; this is only 5 yards less than the previous par 5! It is almost a par 4 1/2! It is a dog leg right - the fairway has two bunkers on the left and right hand side of the fairway that will catch more than their fair share of drives. Nothing more frustrating than smashing a drive down the middle to watch it trickle into one of the traps! Managing to avoid these with my drive, I thought I was going to take the hole with G-Star hit is iron to within 2 feet to 1 putt and half the hole. The 12th - venue of the inaugural Scottish100 Twit Vid! G-Star has previous of driving the green here so it seemed like the best place to video his drive! To be fair he didn't drive it this time! However, it does show that this is an eminently birdie-able hole. If you, like me, are not as a big hitter then as long as you can avoid the first trap you will easily be within a short pitch range. Neither of us covered ourselves in glory at this hole but I was happy to win the hole to square the game.
The wind was up again on the 13th and this was certainly a case of unlucky 13 for me. I had a nightmare. Now this hole should be fairly straight forward, nothing to be unduly worried about apart from the length. You don't want to miss the green on the left as there is a pretty steep little hill to negotiate. I had a nightmare with my irons and G-Star capitalised to win the hole and take the lead. Again. We are now entering the best section of the course, the long 14th, the tricky and pretty 15th, the challenging 16th & the exquisite 17th. The 14th is long! 493 yards - par 5. Two bunkers await down the right hand side of the fairway for the sliced drive. I hit a nice drive, avoiding trouble then had to pull out the 5 wood not once but twice to get close! A small chip and then a decent putt that just wouldn't drop left me with a bogey. G-Star (he is in the bunker in the artistic pic above) just didn't get going and eventually NR'd. A win to level the game. The 15th is gorgeous. A short par 3, there is plenty of trouble in and around the green. 6 bunkers in all protect the green. There are 2 pot-like bunkers to the left of the green but you certainly don't want to be right as there is a huge bunker awaiting you augmented by the large hill running down to the lake. The first par of my day resulted in a win by P4H & to take the lead in the match. The Black Loch is situated to your left as you approach the 16th tee. I was glad that I didn't have to play from the whites as the loch is in play! The "Martini Tees" which are further back into the trees and playing across the Loch look a joy to play but I understand that these are rarely used which is a shame.
The 16th is very good hole. Playing up hill you have a fairly blind drive - you must get over the ridge to give yourself any sort of chance. There are no fairway bunkers, but the change in elevation allied to the slight dog leg makes this a challenging hole. It has a very good green and although G-Star was again erratic off the tee his iron shot (4th) to within inches. I also bogeyed the whole but had a stroke on G-Star and this time it counted; I was dormie 2! My favourite hole on the course, a beautiful par 3 from an elevated tee across a valley to a two-tiered green. The flag, as you can see was on the bottom tier but take plenty of club if it is on the top as you do not want to be putting up hill here! I landed on the green and on the right level. G-Star ended up in the sand - his recovery shot was good but he didn't make the putt. This left me with 2 putts for the match and my first was weighted to perfection - the 2nd secured my 2nd par of the day and the win! An excellent closing hole and after the run of holes from 14 onwards you really don't want it to end! It is a charming par 4. It is a fairly straight drive from the tee - you really don't want to be right as you will be in the heather and prevented for going for it by some trees and the three bunkers which protect the right of the green. Position is key here as the green, like the 17th, is large and two tiered. You can hit the green in regulation but it is no guarantee of a par. At this stage we played for the first drink in the clubhouse - G-Star actually woke up and played the last perfectly with a nice par. I was too busy hacking about in the heather so trust me when I say it is best avoided!
Stepping up to the 3rd and I was fairly confident as this was one of the holes that I was receiving a stroke. That was until G-Star hit his iron to within 7 feet! With the pressure on , I duly hit my shot left and short. A chip which didn't clear the rough on the edge of the green left me with a bump and run which was still short. 2 further putts and another 5 on the card. G-Star missed his birdie but sunk the par, so my shot was to no avail. It doesn't look too difficult a hole on the scorecard but the bunkers really do look large! It does punish everything short but being long isn't too bad - if you hit the ball far enough. It must be said that the 2 par 3s on the front 9 are nowhere near as strong as the 2 on the back 9. The 4th is a dog leg left par 4. A well placed drive is required; most of the long holes on the Rosemount are fairly wide although the threat of landing in the trees is never far away. When the holes are bit shorter then fairways are a bit tighter and the course does make good use of dog legs to make playing for position paramount rather than just distance. Once you have negotiated the first shot there is one large bunker in the centre of the fairway; the green is fairly large. Like alot of the holes on the course there are 2 greenside bunkers at the front right and left of the green. I managed to win this hole after G-Star's errant iron ended up in the trees - giving me 2 putts to win which I duly did.
A long par 4 that, due to my lack of length, I play as a par 5! A couple of well placed fairway bunkers await drives that go right of centre. To compound the difficulty today the wind was up and was headed right at us; once you avoid the first two bunkers on the fairway you are again faced with the Rosemount signature of left and right greenside bunkers - no trouble long except for the rough. I managed to half this hole due to G-Star having some difficulty with his drive ending up in the first fairway bunker! At this point the Rosemount enters it's blandest period of holes; that's not to say that they are bad holes on the contrary but just compared to what came before and particularly what follows, they aren't as entertaining or as memorable. In particular the par 3 6th is the weakest of the par 3s. It is a straight iron with only a left and right hand side bunker to worry about. As is my want I made a pigs ear of this hole and fell one behind; even though G-Star had to recover from a bunker!
Plenty of space awaits your drive - the biggest issue is usually the three fairway bunkers. The trees can be problematic if you cut the corner too much or a large slice. As with almost all of the par 4s the usual greenside bunkers await. Even though I am aware of these greenside bunkers after hitting the fairway with my drive I sliced my iron right and ended up alongside G-Star in the rough with the large-ish right hand bunker in front of us. G-Star chipped over perfectly and managed to psych me out as I dropped mine short and into the yellow stuff! Out in 1 but 2 putts weren't enough and G-Star went 1 up. I am not going to detail my drive here - to say that is was my poorest of the season is not an exaggeration! It is a 331 yard par 4 measuring - however unlike most of the holes this a well protected green - instead of the usual gap in between the left and right greenside bunker this green is surrounded by 5 bunkers! Having a shot here allowed me to grab a half and stop the rot. The second shortest par 4, again is fairly typical of Rosemount. Another dog leg left, fairway bunker and 2 greenside bunkers. It is actually quite forgiving off the tee - particularly for those with a natural left to right drive. A bogey for G-Star won him the hole - I finished the front 9 2 holes down.
The 10th is the last of the average Rosemount holes - it isn't bad by a long way but is just not that memorable! However, whilst the holes may feel fairly atypical at times and with the trees at times helping to protect you from the worst of the Scottish elements it is the greens at Rosemount that are a joy. Every one of them were in perfect condition. They always seem to play faster than any other course - the borrows are deceiving. It really is a joy to putt on these greens - even if I only 1 putted once in my whole round! This hole was a disaster for G-Star and allowed me to grab a hole back, even without the need for my stroke. The 11th is a beast of a par 4 - measuring a stonking 473 yards; this is only 5 yards less than the previous par 5! It is almost a par 4 1/2! It is a dog leg right - the fairway has two bunkers on the left and right hand side of the fairway that will catch more than their fair share of drives. Nothing more frustrating than smashing a drive down the middle to watch it trickle into one of the traps! Managing to avoid these with my drive, I thought I was going to take the hole with G-Star hit is iron to within 2 feet to 1 putt and half the hole. The 12th - venue of the inaugural Scottish100 Twit Vid! G-Star has previous of driving the green here so it seemed like the best place to video his drive! To be fair he didn't drive it this time! However, it does show that this is an eminently birdie-able hole. If you, like me, are not as a big hitter then as long as you can avoid the first trap you will easily be within a short pitch range. Neither of us covered ourselves in glory at this hole but I was happy to win the hole to square the game.
The wind was up again on the 13th and this was certainly a case of unlucky 13 for me. I had a nightmare. Now this hole should be fairly straight forward, nothing to be unduly worried about apart from the length. You don't want to miss the green on the left as there is a pretty steep little hill to negotiate. I had a nightmare with my irons and G-Star capitalised to win the hole and take the lead. Again. We are now entering the best section of the course, the long 14th, the tricky and pretty 15th, the challenging 16th & the exquisite 17th. The 14th is long! 493 yards - par 5. Two bunkers await down the right hand side of the fairway for the sliced drive. I hit a nice drive, avoiding trouble then had to pull out the 5 wood not once but twice to get close! A small chip and then a decent putt that just wouldn't drop left me with a bogey. G-Star (he is in the bunker in the artistic pic above) just didn't get going and eventually NR'd. A win to level the game. The 15th is gorgeous. A short par 3, there is plenty of trouble in and around the green. 6 bunkers in all protect the green. There are 2 pot-like bunkers to the left of the green but you certainly don't want to be right as there is a huge bunker awaiting you augmented by the large hill running down to the lake. The first par of my day resulted in a win by P4H & to take the lead in the match. The Black Loch is situated to your left as you approach the 16th tee. I was glad that I didn't have to play from the whites as the loch is in play! The "Martini Tees" which are further back into the trees and playing across the Loch look a joy to play but I understand that these are rarely used which is a shame.
The 16th is very good hole. Playing up hill you have a fairly blind drive - you must get over the ridge to give yourself any sort of chance. There are no fairway bunkers, but the change in elevation allied to the slight dog leg makes this a challenging hole. It has a very good green and although G-Star was again erratic off the tee his iron shot (4th) to within inches. I also bogeyed the whole but had a stroke on G-Star and this time it counted; I was dormie 2! My favourite hole on the course, a beautiful par 3 from an elevated tee across a valley to a two-tiered green. The flag, as you can see was on the bottom tier but take plenty of club if it is on the top as you do not want to be putting up hill here! I landed on the green and on the right level. G-Star ended up in the sand - his recovery shot was good but he didn't make the putt. This left me with 2 putts for the match and my first was weighted to perfection - the 2nd secured my 2nd par of the day and the win! An excellent closing hole and after the run of holes from 14 onwards you really don't want it to end! It is a charming par 4. It is a fairly straight drive from the tee - you really don't want to be right as you will be in the heather and prevented for going for it by some trees and the three bunkers which protect the right of the green. Position is key here as the green, like the 17th, is large and two tiered. You can hit the green in regulation but it is no guarantee of a par. At this stage we played for the first drink in the clubhouse - G-Star actually woke up and played the last perfectly with a nice par. I was too busy hacking about in the heather so trust me when I say it is best avoided!
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