Lilliardsedge Park Golf Club - course no 273

This course has 9 greens and 18 tees, making it an 18 hole course, which from the yellow tees measured 5179 yards, par 70. I played Lilliardsedge on 8 April 2010 after my round at nearby Jedburgh. Lilliardsedge forms part of a large caravan park with lots of log cabin type lodges as well as large fixed caravans and spaces for touring caravans etc. I don't know much about caravanning, but the standard of facilities looked pretty impressive and it was obvious that some serious money had been invested on site. This is a view of the second green, with some of the caravans in the background. I'd expected the course to be little more than a basic add on to the caravan park, but some of the holes were pretty challenging, particularly where there was a considerable difference between the front and back tees. For example, the 5th is a tricky par 4 of 412 yards, but becomes a 472 yard par 5 as the 14th hole.

I parred the 1st, 2nd and 4th holes easily enough as they were little more than driver, wedge and putting on greens almost as slow as at Jedburgh. The 3rd hole was more awkward, with a large pond on the right awaiting anything remotely wayward off the tee. My 8 iron approach was slightly short of the green, but an excellent lob wedge led to a birdie 3. However, I made a right old mess of the tricky 5th with a double bogey after hooking my drive out of bounds. This is the 6th, a short par 3 of 115 yards (which becomes 147 yards from the 15th tee). I also hooked a ball into a lateral water hazard at the 7th, the Stroke index 1 hole and ended up with a triple bogey. Not good. I eventually got to the turn in 6 over par for an unimpressive 40. The back 9 was longer by around 200 yards, but on most of the holes, there was only a few yards difference between the back and front 9 tees. I thought this was best hole, the 157 yard par 3 17th, from an elevated tee to a small green well protected by bunkers. After some furrther waywards shots, I did the back 9 in 41, for an 81, net 70. Lilliardsedge is an excellent facility for holiday golf and general practice and there are some pretty good holes. It is also mostly flat and easy walking, a welcome relief after the more physical challenge set by the windy conditions at nearby Jedburgh.