Test Blog

After such a monster hole it is a relief to see that the next is a short par 3.  You tee off from an elevated tee box, again the wind can be an issue but a bigger problem is that damned railway line! The green is a decent size and is protected by some decent bunkering.  It is certainly not a gimme par.  The 6th plays over a wee burn and you are playing one of the few blind drives on the course.  Beware that the railway line cuts into the right hand side of the fairway and it is possible that what looked like a good drive from the tee could be ob by the time you wander down to find your ball! Here you now start to make your way back towards the starters box.  At this point if the wind which may have been your friend on the way becomes the enemy! The 7th is another 400 yard plus par 4.  This is possibly the most tree lined of the fairways now given a recent felling programme.  It has a lovely receptive green nestled in some dunes that is very pretty.  The 8th doubles back on itself and should be drivable for some of the big hitters at only 273 yards.  The green is pretty big and is certainly an easier hole than the SSI 16 states (in my opinion easiest hole on the course).  After a short par 4, the huge 532 par 5 is the final hole on the outward 9.  A decent drive should leave you positioned high above a big drop in the fairway.  It is best to avoid this dip as it is pretty waterlogged and from the bottom the green is difficult to locate.  A decent 2nd wood should leave an easy pitch to the green.  It feels like a tight green as you have 2 tee boxes – one at the back (16) and one to the right (10).
The 10th has a slight dog leg right.  It is another nice length and this variety helps to keep the course feeling fresh and challenging.  The first of the 2 par 3s on the back 9 is a decent 170 yards.  It is slightly downhill and the green is partially hidden by gorse.  It is a difficult tee shot and it has a number of greenside bunkers waiting for any errant shots.  The 12th and 13th are 350 yard and 400 yard plus par 4s.  Both have nice wide fairways and large receptive greens.  The final and shortest of the par 3’s is next.  It is a small-ish green surrounded by 5 bunkers.  Depending on the flag position you may be best advised to aim for the middle of the green as being too aggressive can result in you dabbling with the sand.  The 15th has a difficult tee shot, which is up hill and depending on the distance may result in the ball landing out of sight.  If you can get over the hill it does leave you in a good position to go for the green.

I played the Jubilee as part of the a 3 day links ticket - which incidentally must be one of the best value for money golf tickets you can buy.  If you are coming to St Andrews and you aren't too phased about playing the Old Course you should try to get one of these tickets (see here).  It was the last course to be played after I had completed the New, the Eden & the Castle but it did not disappoint.  

We played the course in some of the worst weather I have ever encountered - the rain was biblical.  In fact, it was this rain storm that finally did for my old Nike rain gear as it started to let in around the seems.  However, the torrential rain and biting wind didn't dampen our spirits.  This is a true test of golf - although shorter than some of its sibling courses it is significantly narrower too and therefore you really need to bring your best game here to get a score.  This course rewards strategy over brute force - less is more sometimes on this course.  

There are some wonderful tee boxes with views over the bay and the other links courses.  There are some strong driving holes but it is the shorter par 3s that are very special.  I know that everyone who visits St Andrews wants to play the Old or the New but I would strongly recommend that you play here too - it really is an underated gem.

On a side note I would like to recommend that if you are in St Andrews and fancy playing golf and it looks like rain buying a nice rain jacket is a good idea.  The group in front of us consisted of a father and daughter from Canada.  I noticed that the daughter was wearing an strange jacket but it wasn't until we met up on one of the tees (slow play....arggh) that I noticed she was actually wearing a black bin liner!  It seems she had no raingear and one of the green keeping staff had taken pity on her and had cut a head and arm holes in a bag for her to put over her head!  I dont think it did too much good but better than nothing!!

The opening hole of Scotscraig leaves you in no doubt that you are about to play a challenging course - the out of bounds on the right, the small fairway, the hidden green and the usually fast green! Due to the heavy rains in the previous week the greens were playing much slower than usual this was a relief as you could land the ball soft as opposed to hitting the green and seeing it bounce off the back.  The second is also a driving hole that is no friend to those with a slice as there is a large wooded area to the right that has a habit of swallowing golf balls. A wider fairway and a green that allows you to drop short and run in makes this one of the easier tests on the course.

The first par 3 is a long and straight. Some well positioned bunkers will cause problems.  The fourth is the classic signature hole of the course is a tough task.  From the tee you cant see the flag only a large fairway with plenty of fairway bunkers and trees and gorse waiting to snarl any sliced drives. The second shot is to be played across a gully to the elevated green which drops away on all sides so if you miss the green you will have a tricky chip shot.  The fifth is a fairly straightforward par 4, as with most of Scotscraig's holes there is plenty of gorse awaiting for your drive if you miss the fairway.  However, even if you do hit the fairway the chances are your not going to find an easy lie either.  The sixth is a cracking par 3, with water to your right and bunkers waiting at the front right and left the green is larger than it looks from the tee.

My favourite hole is the 7th which is another daunting tee shot - gorse gorse everywhere.  There is a large mound in the middle of the fairway with the best approach to try to clear the right hand side of this to allow a shot into the green. This is a classic links hole with bump and runs or putting from off the green giving the best option rather than chipping towards the flag.  The 8^th tee is situated beside the 5^th tee, there are plenty of fairway bunkers awaiting any errant drives. The 9^th is a long par 5 and depending on the wind it could allow a for a birdie chance.  As is usual with Scotscraig the fairway is narrow with well positioned fairway bunkers.  The green is undulating but falls away at the back which means it is better to be short than long.  You can order your halfway drinks by mobile phone at the 9^th tee and pick it up at the 10^th tee – which was nice!  The 10^th plays back towards the 9^th tee – there is a large central bunker in front of the green and plenty of gorse at the back.

At this point it feels like Scotscraig’s notorious narrow fairways start to widen slightly – the 11^th bends round to the right before dropping down to a burn which cuts across the fairway.  After the burn the fairway then raises up to the green.  Depending on how far you drove your ball may determine whether you play this hole as a par 4 or a par 5.  The 12^th is another good driving hole with a heavily undulating fairway – however the drive isn’t the biggest test as the approach to the green which is heavily guarded by bunkers across the front is the make or break shot on this hole.

The 13^th is a challenging par 3 – I would love to tell you how best to approach this hole but as I over hit the green by a long way and had to chip back over the gorse all I can say is the green slopes significantly and can be difficult to judge pace.  The 14^th is another good driving hole with out of bounds on the right.  Your second shot will need to be judged to determine whether you play from before or after the burn running through the fairway.  The approach to the green becomes very narrow with a large tree to the left and a bunker to gather any short and left approaches.  One of the more responsive greens – it is getting to it that proves to be the problem. The final par 3 is a tough hole with out of bounds on the right, a burn at the front and a two tiered large green making landing on the correct level imperative.  The 16^th is a blind tee shot which should be played to the left of the marker post (they have recently grown the rough to catch anyone who tries to go right of the marker).  Anything right may either be in the trees or worse case scenario end up in the adjacent industrial estate!

The 17^th, imaginatively titled “Road”, has a road running up the right hand side.  A drive right is best and in fact a drive onto the 18^th fairway will still leave you with a good approach to the 17^th green.  A large green side bunker awaits and if the pin is positioned behind this it could be tricky to get close.  A fine closing hole is best played down the right hand side with a large green which is protected by bunkers.  The green is large so better to be long than short.

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.

Number 47. Played Spring 2012. Parkland/Moorland designed by James Braid.


The Boat of Garten golf course, even the name sounds intriguing! A highland parkland course set in some of the world's finest scenery and not a bit of water in sight! Looking at the pictures you can see that this golf course can only be described as beautiful. It is also an extremely fun and challenging course to play. A finer example of James Braid’s course design you will struggle to fine. If you ever fall out of love with golf, come to the Boat it will reinvigorate you and your game; a true highland hidden gem.

Number 49. Played Spring 2012. Links/Heathland designed by Old Tom Morris.

Home to one of Old Tom Morris' best par 3s (the 210yard 17th), it is called a traditional links but there are certainly elements of heathland and 2 holes which play like parkland. I particularly loved these changes and I loved the walk over the “Alps” at the 11th to see the Dornoch firth behind. It is a real treat of a course with some fantastically difficult bunkering - my particular favourite (or least favourite being the bunker on the 11th hole). Its greens aren’t as fast as Dornoch but they are true. It is a gem and well worth playing.

Number 50. Played Autumn 2011. Traditional links designed by Old Tom Morris.

At number 50 on the list you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a course that would be a nice to play but not necessarily a must play; you would be wrong. Why this isn’t higher up the list I don’t know. A more sensation, quirky, fun links I have yet to play. It is very tight with many of the tees, greens and fairways criss-crossing each other. This is precision golf at its best. Length is not your friend on this course; accuracy is key and praying for the weather to be kind!


Thanks: 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!).

Dalmahoy is now part of the De Vere group of hotels and therefore takes advantage of their points based membership system.  As the hotel is also on site it is a course that does seem to get a lot of golfers playing it but it does suffer from that age old problem of resort golf courses; lack of respect.  As with its sister course at the Carrick I was not overly impressed by Dalmahoy (East) both in terms of the course and its condition  

During 2013 Scotland has had an excellent summer and many parkland courses are in immaculate condition (Lanark & Duddingston for example) however Dalmahoy wasn't.  It looked like a course that had many people playing but few caring about the place.  The fairways were pock marked with divots where people hadn't bothered to replace them, pitch marks were left unrepaired on greens and some greens in very poor condition especially given our weather recently.  I felt sorry for the course as I would hope that fellow golfers treat every course as if it was their home course but clearly that isn't the case.

If you take away the aesthetic issues I still wasn't impressed by the course.  The front 9 in particular is, in my opinion, best described as bland.  The only real protection for the course was the length.  The back 9 is significantly better with some pretty holes and better tee box positions.  On the front 9 there is little to fear with a driver in hand for most of the holes - the back 9 has some tricker driving holes and what seems to be a more strategic set of holes.  I particularly liked the run of holes from 12-14 and thought 17 & 18 were strong finishing holes.

However even though the back 9 was good the front 9 and general poor condition of the course does make me wonder why the course has been ranked so highly.  When you consider that the brutal but beguiling Irvine (bogside) is ranked lower than this course it does call into question the ranking.  

This discussion was had on twitter and the generally view was that the course has the "potential" to be an excellent addition to the various Edinburgh golf courses but investment was needed.  For me, it is ticked off the list and if I was looking for an inland course to play in Edinburgh I would pop down to Duddingston instead.

Number 56. Played Spring 2012. Traditional links by Willie Park Jnr.

Gullane, this town on Scotland’s Golf Coast gives St Andrews a run for its money in terms of Golf obsession. Gullane has 3 courses all of which are on the top 100 but it was no. 2 that I played on calm but overcast day in autumn. Gullane is renowned for its stunning greens – which are in play all year round. I wasn’t disappointed – the greens were amazing. The course set up is challenging and with the exposed holes on the top of the hill the weather can turn this course from demanding to impossible very quickly.

Thanks. Another huge thanks to Mr Golf – Gordon Blackwood for arranging the visit to Gullane and to Stuart Munro for his splendid hospitality. Once again ST100 had to buy the drinks after a dismay performance from himself and G-Star!