Test Blog

The 4^th is one of a number of short par 4s.  Although on paper these holes look like great birdie chances it should be pointed out that the Torrance is a very open course and being situated right on the coast it will be very rare to play without any wind.  Depending on the wind direction a 280 yard par 4 could play much longer.  The first par 3 goes in the opposite direction to the previous hole so if the wind was previously your foe it will be your friend on this hole.  It is a fairly large green but it does have quite a slope (back to front) so getting your approach correct is vital.  The 6^th is another one of the long dog legs on the course, with the hotel to your right hand side. You can’t see the green from the tee and at this point the bunkering on the course becomes much more interesting.

There are some very large and dangerous fairway bunkers on  a lot of the next 10-12 holes.  The fairways also are more undulating and the course starts to resemble a more traditional links fairway.  However, 7^th is just a bizarre little hole.  At 320 yards from the championship tees it is easily drivable, with the correct wind, for some of the big hitters but it is pock marked with bunkers. It is probably the smallest green too.  The 8^th is a nice little par 3 with the front of the hotel acting as a fitting backdrop to the green.  You then cross the road to play the 9^th and start the second part of the course which is played further from the hotel and closer to the cliffs and ocean. 

This is certainly the prettier part of the course.  However, it must be said that none of the lot of holes left me with a particular impression.  They are certainly longer holes than what has gone before with a 501 par 5 and the shortest par 4 being 312.  I was struck by the bunkering which continued to be well thought out and impressive.  Some of the fairways seem to have been re-laid so there was a fair amount of sand on the course, particularly on the 13^th.  The only disappointment is that the course meanders further away from the sea and the cliffs.  The 2^nd best hole of the day was the 16^th.  It is a fantastic tee which looks as though you are going to drive into the sea!  On a fine day, as it was on the day I played, you can look out into the North sea and wonder.  It is down hill and with the right wind you could feel like a proper golfer by booming the ball 300 yards!  The green on the day I played was an unfamiliar red due to Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.  A nice touch.

My favourite hole was the 17^th a short par 3, which runs along the side of the cliff.  There are some large bunkers protecting a very generous green but it was very pretty.  We made a slight error at this point and nearly played the 18^th on the Kittocks but realized our error before teeing off and found the 18^th of our course.  As previously stated the signposting is excellent however not all of the pathways are all laid out.  It seems to be a fairly wet course so some gravel paths may have helped particularly if you are playing off season.  However, that is a trivial matter.  The 18^th is a nice par 5 finish back to the clubhouse with some large mounds separating you from the 18^th of the Kittocks.  The green is elevated and again generous.  It must be said that the greens were in very good condition and not only were they pretty quick they also are very tricky to read.

 It starts off as a typical parkland course but it is a bit more target golf than Scottish parkland after the first couple of holes. There is a fair amount of water and certainly the front 9 fairways were fairly waterlogged when we played. The first 6 holes are fairly uninspiring stuff that is until you hit the 7th, 9th. Badger and I were bemoaning the "Augusta" and generally just didn't see that the course was particularly special.

However, after hitting our tee shots down the middle of the fairway on the 7th and walking over the brow of the hill to stare down at a picture postcard green flanked by some delightful trees in full bloom I was blown away. The signature hole par 3 8th is just spectacular - now water is my kryptonite. However, with such a setting even I didn't fluff my lines and hit a lovely little iron onto the green. A great hole. The 9th is a long par 5 that sweeps down to a tight green and is a real test. The 10th is a great hole - you climb high to reach the tee and the water fountain at the top is a godsend but the view - just awesome. 4 better holes are difficult to find and to be honest these 4 are worth the green fee alone. One of the sore points, mainly due to my incompetence is that we got slightly lost leaving the 10th green and ended up having to double back on our self. There was then another long and steep climb to our next tee. As I have already said this is a long course not just from tee to green but in between holes. The remaining 8 holes were of decent quality with some very testing long holes and some particularly interesting houses bordering the course too! The 18th plays back towards the house and conservatory and it does look magnificent.

Number 62. Played Autumn 2012. Traditional links designed by Old Tom Morris & James Braid.


The Golf House Club in Elie has been playing golf over these links since 1875 and the course has remained pretty much unchanged since 1896. Therefore you are getting an authentic Scottish seaside links experience which relies not on distance or tricked up greens to offer a challenge but instead lets the elements decide on how well you will do! It is an interesting course which starts slowly but as you wind towards the beach becomes increasingly fabulous. The stretch from the 9th until the 14th is as good a stretch of holes as you will find anywhere in Scotland. In particular the 13th is one of the Scotland's finest par 4s and dont take my word for it, James Braid thinks that too! The course is ranked only 62nd which, in my opinion, is too high. I would suggest that this is a course which should be within the top 50.

Number 63. Played Autumn 2012. Parkland course designed by Doug Carrick.

On the banks of the magnificent Loch Lomond and in the shadow of the Trossachs the scenery is just breathtaking, alas the golf course just cant live up to nature. The course suffers from both water logging and overplay. There is not a lot the course can do about the water table but it could reduce the number of tee times to help the course recover. Although the greens were good, the fairways were in a very poor state and at 5 ½ hours for a round it is one of the slowest places I have played. As for design, the opening 6 holes are very un-Scottish but good fun, it is then all about the scenary as the course turns a little bland until the signature hole at 14 and a nice set of holes to finish. A solid if unspectacular course in truly spectacular surroundings.


Thanks. A huge thank to my host and fellow ST100 quester Stephen MacDonald. Also to Mickey Croce and my playing partner Rab, the banter was brilliant as my team went down 2&1. I'm sure Stephen will be joining me on many more adventures!

Number 67. Played Summer 2012. Traditional links designed by James Braid.


Another trip to Scotland's Golf Coast and another fabulous golf course. One of the most picturesque courses I have played, with the Bass Rock & Isle of May as constant companions. It isn't long and the fairways are generous. Most of the bunkers were fairly shallow and tend not to be in play too much from the tee but do lie in wait for your approach to the greens. The greens were true but not as fast as expected which may be down to the conditions on the day we played. I would recommend playing this course to anyone not least for the views!


Thanks: This was a free round using one of my vouchers from the Scottish Golf Show (a great day and highly recommended to any golfers). A big thanks to Steve for organising the day, his dad Maurice for bearing with me and The Golf Badger and to Jim and Allan for adding to the day with some witty banter.

Number 68. Played Autumn 2011. Traditional links by James Braid.


F&R was played as part of our highland tour and it did well to compete favourably with Tain & Brora. Certainly the opening 7 holes are very strong with some excellent holes with challenging lies, copious gorse & tricky greens. From the 8th onwards the holes felt a touch alike until we hit 16, 17 & 18 where the magic reappeared. A nice course to play if you are in the area but it is up against some excellent alternatives. If it wasn’t for the similarity of holes midway through the round this would be a top course.

Number 78. Played Autumn 2011. Links designed by Gil Hanse


The Craighead course is the newer of the 2 courses at Crail by some 103 years. It is an interesting juxtaposition with the old, short and quirky Balcolmie links. It has been designed by Gil Hanse (he of Castle Stuart fame) who has an eye for making modern links that look as though they were first laid in the 1800s! Craighead is no different; it is a classic links with no trees but plenty of gorse, bumpy fairways & deep bunkers. It is well worth playing but doesn’t quite have the alluring quirkiness of the Balcolmie.

Thanks: This course was played on the same day as the Balcolmie but once again a big thank you to Stevie (the Bandit in the Hat) and GordonBlackwood for organising the day - a superb course with superb guys. Shame I lost (again!).

Number 81. Played Autumn 2012. Parkland course designed by James Braid.


The East Renfrewshire golf club is an excellent Scottish inland course. It is a reasonably hilly course and has the usual Braid features of small well protected greens. The fairways are all tree lined but are surprisingly wide and forgiving. There are a few blind shots on the course but in general everything is in front of you and it is not a course that is trying to punish you. I particularly liked the tough 200 yard uphill par 3 11th. It does suffer from some drainage issues particularly on the 17th & 18th but this doesn't diminish the overall experience. I found the clubhouse to be very good and the club has an extremely friendly feel for visitors (it also a fine car park!). If you are around Glasgow it is a must play and if you are coming to Scotland for a tour I would recommend playing East Renfrewshire as it is very close to Glasgow airport.


Thanks. A huge thank to my host Delbhoy9 - it was great to play the course with a member who took the time to give me some local knowledge.