Thurso GC - Course no 531

Polly and I played this good 18 hole parkland course on 24 August 2012.  The course was in remarkably good condition considering the rain that had fallen locally in recent days and weeks and our suspicions that the course could be prone to flooding, given the abundance of wetland bogs on and around some lower lying parts of the course.  OK, some of the greens were less than perfect, but like most of the courses were playing during our North of Scotland tour, Thurso is a small club with limited resources, so good on the members and greenkeeping for maintaining such a good course.

Thurso opens with a 406 Yard Par 4 with the clubhouse windows well within range for a hooked drive, so be warned!  OOB on the left further on also got my attention and a rare 3-putt led to a disappointing double bogey (I also 3-putted the 16th after a complete mis-read). The Front 9 has no great holes but is still full of interest, with a good mixture of long medium and short holes.  The back 9 is even better, with the best hole on the course being the 13th, a slight dog leg left 279 Yard Par 4 requiring a good long drive to clear heather to the left of the fairway.  I'd hit a good drive and had only a soft sand iron slightly uphill to the green.  I left that pitch a yard short of the green but no damage done, as I chipped in for birdie from there for 4 Stableford points on the Stroke Index 11 hole, a stroke that was to be pivotal in my annual Summer Trophy match with Polly.

This is the last green at Thurso, with Polly and the clubhouse in the background.  I'd gone round in 82, net 71, or net 2 over par, with 32 putts.  I'd also beaten Polly by a single Stableford point to regain the Summer Trophy by half a point, 6.5 matches to 6.  We have a friendly rivalry between us and I'm sure I'll have another fight on my hands next year, wherever our Summer golf takes us.

Thurso GC is well worth a visit, as is the Chinese Restaurant in the town itself!