Scottish golf courses - all of them: Craigielaw South Golf Course

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Craigielaw South Golf Course - Course no 465

This is a 6 hole Par 3 course, with holes from 100-139 yards, 714 yards in total, Par 27 and is part of the excellent facilities at Craigielaw GC near Aberlady in East Lothian. I played the South Course on 16 November 2011, prior to a round with Polly over the 18 hole links course at Craigielaw. This little course is a good warm-up for the demanding main course at Craigielaw (which I'd played a few times before) and is also good for general practice and for beginners. Some of the short practice courses I've played have been little more than flags on sticks in a field, but the South Course is extremely well-designed and maintained and offers a real test. The small greens were pretty slick and although not as severe as the undulating inverted saucer greens to be found on the main course, were still really tricky.

This is me on the 4th, a 126 yard Par 3. An easy 9 iron to the back left of the green and a couple of putts on that one, but I'd found a really awkward lie in a bunker at the 3rd. I was happy enough to get it onto the putting surface only to see it trickle back down a slope into an even worse lie in the bunker. A double bogey there and bogeys at the 1st and 5th led to a gross 22, with 9 putts. Not great, but a good warm-up for the main course. Polly and I had a great round over the main course in bright Autumn sunshine, with no wind. Perfect for scoring in theory, but the main course is pretty difficult, with tough bunkering and raised greens with run-offs that can really punish a less than perfect approach shot. I struggled round the main course in 85 (4 over net par). You'll need to pick your way around Craigielaw carefully, avoiding the bunkers and a good short game is essential if you're not to fall foul of the raised inverted saucer greens. Accordingly, try to find the time for a quick spin around the South Course before tackling the main course.