Newcastleton GC - course no 350

I played this scenic moorland course on 9 September 2010. Newcastleton is pretty close to the English Border, has 9 greens and 15 separate tees, making it an 18 hole course, measuring 5491 yards, par 69, off the yellow tees. As I was tight for time and had no particular wish to tackle a second circuit up and down this very hilly course, I put a ball into play off the 1st and 10th holes etc. (see the blog entry for Benbecula - course no 278, where we first used this shortcut method of playing). The course was deserted and the clubhouse closed, but a couple of members who arrived in the car park just after me assured me that scorecards were obtainable from any of the village shops, where green fees could also be paid. I was advised that there were a few memorable holes, some others less so and that the greens were slow and hairy. That very honest assessment was correct, but this is a small course run entirely by voluntary effort, so well done to all concerned. The condition of the course was actually pretty good and I can only give my respect to the dedication that the members must have to maintain the course and keep it running. OK, so it wasn't a great golfing experience, but like many other small village courses, the Newcastleton course provides a valuable community amenity and an interest for visitors to the local area. The greens were certainly very slow on uphill putts, and since most of them were also tiny, it was easy to miss them and have an awkward pitch and run. Indeed, anything over 4 feet was very tricky. This is one of the best holes, the 5th/14th, a 155 yard par 3 played downwind to a plateau green sloping steeply left to right. I had a bogey on both holes, missing the green to the left with both tee shots. The most memorable hole had to be the 18th, a steeply downhill 512 yard par 5 (a 452 yard par 4 from the 9th tee). The photo below is from the 18th tee. I guessed that the best line was down the left side of the fairway to maximise the effect of the slope and sure enough, my drive down that side ended up well down the hill in the middle of the fairway. The hole takes a 90 degree dogleg left after about 400 yards. I'd hit my drive about 350 yards but my view to the green was blocked by trees, gorse and bracken, so the only sensible play was an easy chip with a sand iron down to the corner of the dog leg, leaving a short wedge to the green. This is a view of the 9th/18th green, with the clubhouse beyond it. I missed the tiny green with my 3rd shot on the 18th, but managed to get the par with a good lob wedge and single putt. The 18th is certainly memorable, but I'm not sure it works well as a par 5, as (for me at least) there was no sensible way to try for the green after the drive and it just seems daft to have to play a sand iron as the second shot on a long hole. The 9th worked better as a long par 4, since my 300+ yard drive down the hill gave me a clear shot at the green with a 9 iron. I missed the green but scrambled the par with (another!) good lob wedge and single putt. I was out in 41, back in 42 for a gross 83, net 73, for a 4 over par score. Not bad, but I'm not sure I'd be tempted to make the long drive to play Newcastleton again.

The Castle Course - course no 349

Craig, Stu and I played this superb links course on 3 September 2010 with Susan, a cousin in law to Claire, one of my daughters. Susan plays golf for Scotland and had played the Castle many times before, so we were in good hands trying to play this, the latest addition to the list of excellent courses in St Andrews. Polly came along to help with the yardages and photography. The Castle Course has only been open for play for a few years but was in fabulous condition throughout and looked as though it had been there for many, many years. We all agreed to play off the White back tees, making the course a really formidable test at 6759 yards, par 71. I'd already played all of the other courses in the management of the St Andrews Links Trust (Old, New, Jubilee, Eden, Strathtyrum and Balgove) in all sorts of weather conditions, so it was a real treat to play The Castle on an almost windless and warm sunny day. The course guide tells us that it is "Set on a dramatic cliff top location with stunning views over St Andrews Bay and out to the North Sea. The Castle Course combines breathtaking beauty with wonderful golf." Such blurbs can sometimes be taken with a pinch of salt, but not in this case. Perhaps it was the weather, the good golf (some of us) played or the friendships shared, but for all us of us, this was simply a great course, beautiful to see and play. This is a typical view, taken from the 3rd tee, with St Andrews in the background.

The course straddles a gently sloping clifftop, with each fairway crumpled by all sorts of humps and hollows. The course guide might say aim down the left, but even when I managed to hit a drive in that direction a bad first bounce would take the ball off elsewhere. Equally, a slightly mis-directed drive could be deflected back on line. I'd heard that a common feature of the layout was tussocks of rough grass in the middle of fairways, adding to the difficulty of the course. Thankfully some these features appear to have been removed to make the course more playable, but I was having one of those days, scoring wise. For example, I just missed the fairway on the 404 yard par 4 second and had a poor lie with the ball well below my feet. Rather than take a conservative wedge back onto the fairway, I went for the green with a 5 iron, only to sh--- the ball into the real bundai, for an eventful 8. Anything off line was severely punished. I was hitting the ball well, but just too often. When I did get a kindly bounce and a chance to restore some semblance of order to the scorecard, my putting let me down. I'd been forewarned about the Castle's greens - big, fast, almost impossible to read and full of humps and hollows, but even those warnings didn't prepare me for what was to come. For example, this is my 40 foot birdie putt on the 10th an excellent 167 yard par 3. I'd aimed around 10 feet to the left of the pin, but even that was nowhere near enough, so another bogey went down on the card. I'd actually gone out in a remarkable 53, with 2 pars (including the 536 yard 5th, the Stroke Index 1 hole!), so another bogey was really helpful. Susan and I were playing Craig and Stu and were by then heading for a likely defeat, but such was the quality of the course I didn't really mind.

I'd already taken 90 by the time we got to the Castle's signature hole, the outstanding 17th, a 184 yard par 3 played over a gap in the cliff face. This is me on the tee, wondering how to minimise the damage! I settled on a 3 wood to the left of the green, hoping the slope would carry ball greenwards. That strategy worked reasonably well and a bogey was OK, but I still needed a par down the 18th a 555 yard par 5, to break 100. Thankfully, I was on in 3 but I needed (and got) a smelly downhill 12 footer for the par. Craig, meanwhile, had to apologise to the 3-ball in front for hitting through them on the green with his second (the boy can play and went round in an amazing 73!) My dismal performance had played its part in Susan and I losing 5 and 4. We'll be seeking a rematch at the Duke's or elsewhere in due course, so remember guys, modesty in victory, gracious in defeat.

We'd thoroughly enjoyed our day and agreed that The Castle was a fitting addition to the Trust's other outstanding St Andrews courses. I'd recommend anyone to play it at least once. You might not score well, but I guarantee you'll love the experience, from the welcoming staff and the great clubhouse to the maddening humps and hollows on the fairways and greens. I hope to play The Castle again sometime and knock a few shots off that 99!

Windyhill GC - course no 348

I'd passed Windyhill after playing at Clydebank and District in July 2010 and was keen to play it, as it was clearly in great condition then. I finally played Windyhill on 31 August 2010 on a warm sunny and (thankfully) windless day. As the name suggests, Windyhill is both hilly and exposed to the elements, and like nearby Balmore GC to the north of Glasgow, it's a really good and interesting parkland course. There are some hills, rolling fairways and awkward slopes to contend with, but the course is well designed and like its neighbour, was in great condition. For example, this is a view along the 3rd fairway. I'd been paired with Ian, another visitor, who had previously been a junior member at Windyhill some years ago so it was good to play with someone who knew the course and was such great company. Thanks for the game, Ian!

The Windyhill greens were in amazing condition and were really fast and tricky to read. For example, this is the 8th hole, a dog leg 461 yard par 5. I was on the back of the green in 3 with what looked like a downhill slightly right to left putt from around 60 feet. I got the pace pretty well but as the ball neared the hole it veered away to the left and off the green down a slope into light rough, leading to a double bogey. I'd also been out of position a few times on the front 9, as accuracy off the tee is pretty important here and scored a very disappointing 48 to the turn.

Windyhill has some really good holes, my favourite being the hugely difficult 431 yard 12th, played over a hollow to a narrow tiered fairway, with a the green set on a small shelf on a hillside. Two (at least!) shots are required to find and hold the small green. I'd missed to the right, but hit a great lob wedge to within 3 feet for an easy par. How about this for a great looking short par 3? This is the 14th, a 142 yard hole that plays even shorter than it looks. Another feature of the course is the amazing views over Glasgow and its surrounding hills. I prefer the countryside to cityscapes, but there are great views across Glasgow from most holes, with the city playing an effective backdrop on some shots. For example, here's the view down the 16th, a scary 323 yard short par 4 requiring an accurate tee shot played blind over some bushes, with only the distant green and the skyline to aim at. Here's the view back up the fairway! My ball is on the right and yes, I did get it in for par. (Ian had his troubles on that hole so his putt was for something more!) I thought that Windyhill was a really good course, full of variety and interest, with some great holes. And if the members we met are anything to go by, this is also a really friendly club. When the pair behind caught up with us on the 12th tee, one of them asked if I had left my ball marker on the 7th green. I hadn't, but it was great that the guy wanted to give a 20p coin back to me in the first place. A small example of the integrity that surrounds the game of golf. Windyhill is definitely well worth playing if you get the chance, but don't be surprised if the course lives up to its name! I'd certainly like to play it again sometime and to beat the poor score of 91, net 81 (9 over par) that I managed first time round.

Spey Valley Golf Course - course no 347

Polly and I had been due to play the Spey Valley championship golf course in Aviemore a few weeks ago, but we'd a minor problem with the car, so thanks to the guys in the pro shop for switching our tee time to 29 August 2010. The forecast had been for a warm sunny day, but this is Scotland so we took our wet suits, just in case. We'd also taken the Pro's advice to hire a buggy, as the course is well spread out, with considerable distances between some of the holes. Wet suits and a buggy were the right choice, since although it was sunny lower down the country, once we got up to Aviemore and into the mountains, it was cold and raining. Indeed, it was only 4 Degrees C when we arrived at around 1100 hrs! The excellent Spey Valley course is a hefty 6653 yards, par 72, off the yellow tees and is a moorland course, set high in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountain range. The mountain views were terrific, spoiled only by increasingly frequent cloud cover and squally showers. This is me, ready for action by the 1st tee, before the next shower arrived. Polly had opted to drive the buggy rather than play. The wind and rain was coming in from the north west, and with the steering wheel on the left of the buggy and the layout of the course and timing of the showers, Polly got a regular good soaking whilst I was relatively sheltered. I don't think she saw the funny side of that and to be fair, she looked freezing cold!

I thought that Spey Valley was a fantastic layout in great condition. Despite the heavy rain that was falling the greens remained lightning fast. OK, some of the fairways were getting pretty saturated and there was no run on the fairways, so the course played its full length. Given the poor weather conditions and Polly's obvious discomfort, despite her wet suit (we should also have packed waterproof warm hats!), I was playing as quickly as possible. The course was pretty quiet and I was waived through by a couple of 4 balls, all walking the course with pull trolleys or shoulder bags and looking thoroughly drookit (Jay - another of the many Scottish words for being wet). Indeed, I got through the front 9 in little over an hour, playing far too quickly, to be honest. This is a view down the 4th, a really good 189 yard par 3. I'd found the green with my 7 wood, but most of the greens are huge and I 3-putted this one from 60+ feet. The camera was stowed away after this hole, since for the next 12 holes or so, the rain was really nasty. I was out in 45 (only 2 pars!), playing too quickly and getting colder and wetter by the minute.


I managed to slow down my swing on the back 9 (difficult to do when you're going round by buggy rather than walking!) and played better, despite the wind, rain and cold. This is the excellent 173 yard par 3 16th, played in a rare spell of watery sunshine. I cleared the water hazard in front of the green OK, but the wind took the ball way right into a bunker. Another bogey followed, but I was 3 under 5's on the back 9, stood on the 17th tee, so not too bad given the conditions. The 17th is a tricky 489 yard par 5 with magnetic bunkers. I found 2 of them during my poor double bogey. However, some semblance of respectability was restored on the last, a 405 yard par 4, which I parred after a rare single putt. I'd gone round in 88, net 78, or 6 over par after my handicap. Not too bad really, but I'd like to think I could better that score considerably, given more reasonable weather. On some other lesser courses I can think off I would have been thoroughly miserable, but I really enjoyed the round, and the course. Thinking back, there wasn't a weak hole at Spey Valley and some were just outstanding. For example, I particularly liked the the monster 608 yard (635 yards off the Blue championship tees!) 5th with a blind drive and second shot. Driver and 2 good fairway 7 woods and a short pitch from the side of the green to within 4 feet gave me a good chance for par, but I missed the short putt. Great hole, though. I'd already decided half way round the course that I'd like to play Spey Valley again and even after her soaking Polly loved the look of the course and is mad keen to play it next year. Spey Valley is a very challenging layout and is a great test of your game. Play it if you get the chance but think seriously about hiring a buggy. The holes are well spread out and it's a very long walk!

Balmore GC - course no 346

I played this excellent parkland course to the north of Glasgow on 25 August 2010, in the club's Balmore Gents Senior Open. The course was in great condition despite some recent heavy rain and at only 5517 yards, par 66 off the white Medal tees and no long par 5's, Balmore was ideal for a seniors event. OK, there are a few hills to contend with, but these features are well used in the course design and anyone reasonably fit wouldn't have any trouble getting round. Whether they score well here is another matter, as accuracy off the tee is important, as is avoiding the many trees. This is a view from the 1st tee, giving a good indication of the layout. I'd got there a bit too early, and after hitting some practice balls I scared myself silly on the practice green, which turned out to be (thankfully) much faster than those on the course itself. I like fast greens, but some of the slopes and pin positions on the practice green were almost impossible.

The 1st at Balmore is a 375 yard par 4 with a stream 150 yards out that some of the more elderly competitors found with their drives. I found my first bunker of the day with my 7 iron approach shot, and ended up with a bogey. The 2nd is an uphill 188 yard par 3 played into a light wind. I'd been playing my 3 wood pretty well of late, so it was a nasty shock when I hit the ball low and left off the heel of the club into the one spindly tree that obstructs the view to the green. The ball cleared the tree and a wall that runs across the hole, but was in a heavy rough and completely unplayable. A penalty drop onto a road and relief from that took me to some bare earth on the hole side of the wall. However, I'd hardly enough room to take a back swing and skulled my 3rd shot into the same area of heavy rough I'd just escaped from under penalty. This time, I couldn't find the ball, so definitely not the start I was looking for. I'd also let the group behind play through so the 2nd hole took 15 minutes and an inglorious 8 strokes. I dropped another 3 shots on the 3rd, the longest hole on the course at 448 yards, after finding an almost completely buried lie directly below the lip of a deep greenside bunker. Another bogey on the 4th after 3 putting the green and my handicap had gone after 4 holes. Had we been playing a Flag Competition, my round would have been over (first person out carries a flag and plants it where his last handicap stroke lands, the winner being the player who takes the flag furthest round the course, even up the 20th etc if he's playing under his handicap).

I'd clearly put myself completely out of contention in the competition, but respectability was still a realistic and achievable target on such a short course. Howewver, I staggered to the turn in a pathetic 48, a mere 14 over par. It was also remarkable that I was still enjoying the course given my error strewn front 9 (Balmore must be really good if I can say that after such a start!) The par 3's are particularly good, the best being the 16th, as shown here. This is a 150 yard hole, played from an elevated tee. I'd reckoned a 7 iron, but that was far too much club, as my ball hit the top of the big tree to the right of the flag. Luckily, I ended up at the front of the green and escaped with an easy par. I'd played reasonably well on the back 9 and needed to par the last, a 346 yard par 4, for a homeward 37 (5 over the par of 32). This is a view up the 18th fairway. I split the fairway with my drive and had only an 8 iron to the green. However, I thinned the ball into a stream in front of the green for a closing 7 and a total of 88, a remarkable 22 over par. Balmore is a really good course, well worth playing and I plan to enter next year's competition. After all, I've not got much of a score to beat! However, I think I'll not spend much time on the practice green next time and be more careful in club selection.

Isle of Skye GC - course no 345

I played the excellent Isle of Skye course at Sconser on the morning of 17 August 2010, before travelling over to Raasay for the official opening of its new ferry terminal. This is another of the small courses that have 9 greens and 18 tees, so like the other course on Skye at Skeabost, the course at Sconser counts as an 18 hole course. The score card indicates that the club is awaiting the re-measurement of the course, but at present, the card gives the course as 4746 yards, par 67. Although there had been heavy rain since the previous afternoon, the course was in remarkably good condition and obviously drained pretty well, with lush green fairways and excellent small greens. Although the Isle of Skye course sits right by the sea, it is not a true links and plays more like a moorland course. It is also one of the prettiest courses I've played in a long time, with great views across Loch Sligachan, out to sea, across to Raasay and to the surrounding Skye mountains. Above is a view back up the 1st/10th hole to the clubhouse with Glamaig, the mountain that towers above the course, in the background. This is the view out to sea from the 2nd/11th green. I had the course to myself apart from the greenkeeper and his 2 collie dogs. It had stopped raining earlier in the morning, but the air was still damp and when I arrived at the course it was warm and sultry, with no wind. Scottish readers will immediately recognise the ideal conditions for swarms of midgies to appear and sure enough, I'd been attacked even before I'd teed off. I'd packed an aerosol repellent but it was already too late. Thankfully, the sun came out after a few holes and a freshening breeze minimised the problem. Three days later, writing this blog, the itching has finally eased!

At least I was playing well and as at Skeabost the night before, there was little run on the fairways and the greens were soft and receptive, so target golf again. I was out in 37, or 4 over par. Indeed, I had a run of 7 straight pars on holes 8-14, admittedly with some single putts, and with each passing hole the course got drier and the sun got warmer. Perfect weather for golf on a cracking little course. My good run came an end on the 15th, a 301 yard par 4, after I missed the green with a wedge. Worse still, the greenkeeper was working on the 142 yard par 3 16th and had put the flag in a temporary hole to the front and right side of the green, near to some tall rough. My 8 iron missed by only a few feet and I parred with my second ball, but the first ball may still be there, unless the collie dogs found it after I'd gone. I came back in 37 for a gross 74, net 64, or 3 under par, but this good score might have been even slightly better. Here's a final view from the course, this time out to sea from the 4th/13th green. Even if you're not playing well, you'd not tire of this course. The setting is simply stunning and if you ever get the chance to visit Skye, for goodness sake take your clubs and play this excellent course.

Skeabost GC - course no 344

This is a very short 18 hole moorland course in the grounds of the Skeabost Hotel on Skye. Skeabost only has 9 greens but with 18 separate tees, providing very different holes in some cases, this is still an 18 hole course under our "challenge" rules. The course is normally only available for play by hotel guests, so thanks to Janet, the General Manager, for letting me play on the evening of 16 August 2010. I'd actually have been even more pleased had there been only 9 holes, since heavy rain had been forecast for late afternoon onwards and boy, was that forecast spot on! The course was pretty flat and was based on heavy peaty soil that would clearly not take much to become saturated, with a number of streams and crossing the fairways (and more joining the party once the rain really got going!) The greens were tiny, adding to the difficulty, but with the (essential) preferred lies to overcome standing water, there was no run at all and I was playing target golf. Above is the 4th green, surely one of the narrowest I've played recently!


The course is a mere 3114 yards, par 62 and with little real rough and only shallow bunkering, it is relatively easy. Even a missed fairway off the tee left only a short pitch, so scrambling wasn't particularly tricky. I was out in 36. Sounds good, but that's still 5 over par, so definitely nothing to shout about. The holes on the landward side of the hotel are not particularly memorable, but holes 8/17 and 9/18 by the shore of Loch Snizort were simply stunning, despite the worsening deluge I played them in. This is the view from the 17th tee, a 100 yard par 3 requiring an accurate wedge over mature trees that block anything miss-hit. Hole 18 deserves a couple of views, first from the tee and second, looking back to the tee, which has been built on top of an old harbour jetty. I may have retired, but it seems I can't get away from harbours! This is a really good and testing 121 yard par 3, well worth the soaking to get there! I didn't really notice the pin position at the time, other than that it looked a bit tight, but from my 9 iron tee shot as above, I'd an easy par. I went round in 69, or a net 59, compared to the par of 62. However, the course didn't appear to be very difficult - or was I just hitting the ball straight and avoiding the basic blunders that I've learned to live with over the years? Time will tell!