This is a 9 hole Par 3 course measuring 965 Yards, Par 27, located in Callendar Park, Falkirk, and is operated by the Falkirk Community Trust on behalf of its owners, Falkirk Council. I'd been meaning to play this one for a while but had never quite drummed up the enthusiasm for the 110 return trip. However, SED GC, the golfing society I'm a member of, was due to play the nearby Falkirk GC at Carmuirs in Falkirk on 3 July 2015 so that gave me the ideal opportunity to play Callendar Park. 3 July was a baking hot day and one round over the excellent Carmuirs course was tiring enough, so I was glad I'd opted to play this little Par 3 course rather than tackle another full round at Carmuirs.
The Callendar Park Course is currently open all year round but the Starter advised me that there is a proposal to close it during the winter months as part of Falkirk Council's wider cost-saving measures. It seems there is local concern that if the course is not operated over the winter months it might not re-open in 2016. It was certainly busy enough when I played it. Like other such facilities, I guess it would get pretty quiet over the winter months but I hope it doesn't become another closure casualty. There were clear signs of abandoned bunkers and greens adjacent to the existing course, suggesting that there had at one time been a larger course here. It would be a shame if the Par 3 course closes completely, since it's apparently popular with locals who use the park.
The course layout is actually pretty decent, with typically small greens, starting with the longest hole, as shown here, a 142 Yard Par 3. My 7 iron tee shot hit the up-slope in front of the green but a decent pitch and single putt was enough to rescue an opening par. However, missing any of the greens risked indifferent lies in clumpy rough, making scrambling quite difficult. The greens were generally in need of closer mowing and feeding, with other signs that maintenance expenditure is kept to a minimum. Most of the other holes were around 90-120 Yards apart from the slightly uphill 8th, at 139 Yards. I managed to scramble 6 pars and 3 bogeys for a score of 30 gross, including 14 putts. Not too bad, I suppose and enjoyable enough in the hot sunny conditions.
Here are some other photos of the course, in no particular order. I don't know how I managed to take these without capturing any other golfers in the photos, as the course was actually pretty busy!
The course layout is actually pretty decent, with typically small greens, starting with the longest hole, as shown here, a 142 Yard Par 3. My 7 iron tee shot hit the up-slope in front of the green but a decent pitch and single putt was enough to rescue an opening par. However, missing any of the greens risked indifferent lies in clumpy rough, making scrambling quite difficult. The greens were generally in need of closer mowing and feeding, with other signs that maintenance expenditure is kept to a minimum. Most of the other holes were around 90-120 Yards apart from the slightly uphill 8th, at 139 Yards. I managed to scramble 6 pars and 3 bogeys for a score of 30 gross, including 14 putts. Not too bad, I suppose and enjoyable enough in the hot sunny conditions.Here are some other photos of the course, in no particular order. I don't know how I managed to take these without capturing any other golfers in the photos, as the course was actually pretty busy!
