Lesser Known Scottish Holes - An Ideal 18

[Ally Mcintosh]

Not sure why I'm interested in doing this... Maybe as a reference point for those travellers who wish to experience something off the beaten track...

Can we compile a course of outstanding golf holes in Scotland from some of the lesser known gems around the country?

All nominations taken from courses that are not the following:

The Old Course
Kingsbarns
Turnberry
Royal Troon
Prestwick
Western Gailes
Machrihanish
Loch Lomond
North Berwick
Muirfield
Carnoustie
Royal Dornoch
Cruden Bay
Gleneagles
Nairn
Royal Aberdeen
Brora
Gullane 1

[Mitchell Schneringer]

#1 at Murcar (into the wind=very difficult)

[Bill_McBride]

Elie #13 or pretty much any of the others.  Great little par 3 #11 right on the beach, 120 yards.  The pin looked like it was in the water!

[Anthony Gray]

  16 at Crail.

  Anthony

[Tom_Doak]

One of my favorite holes at Elie is the par-3 3rd.

The first two par-3's on the Eden Course at St. Andrews have to be contenders ... I think they are now #5 and #8.

Lundin Links #1 and #16.

Scotscraig had a couple of excellent holes, but I've forgotten the numbering.

[David_Tepper]

#9 "Paradise" at Golspie, a par-4 (410yds.), with heather along both sides of the fairway from tee to green.
#16 "Cairngorn" at Golspie, a par-3 (165yds.), a challenging shot from an elevated tee to an elevated, 2-tier green. 

Ally -

You have put Brora is some pretty well known company! I still think Brora would likely be on a "lesser known" gems list than on a list with Troon, TOC, Dornoch, Aberdeen, etc.

DT
 

[Mark Pearce]

Elie 9, 13
Crail Balcomie 8, 13, 14
Crail Craighead 10
Lundin Links 4, 16?, 18 (in fact any of the first or last 4 have a shout)
Kilspindie 4(?the long par 4 out to the sea)

[Stan Dodd]

Montrose # 2, one of the great fairways in Scotland and #17 great rolling green
Dunbar #9 fun short par 5.
Leven #18 stern par 4.

[Chris_Clouser]

#5 Anstruther.  Brute of a par three along the shore.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Hi David,

I realised that... I think that the only reason I included it was because of how ubiquitous it is around this here forum.

I maybe should add Blairgowrie to that list.... And Southerness as well.

The list is irrelevant really... Just fancied compiling a really top notch "Alternative 18"

[Rich Goodale]

Ally

You should also put Murcar on that list.  At least 1/2 of their hole could qualify, and the 9th(?) Serpentine is all world.

As for others, my fingers are too tired now....

Rich

[Sean_A]

I concur with Stan's nomination of Dunbar's 9th.

How bout Stonehaven's 11th - a 280ish leggin left par 4 heading away from the house?

Southerness also has a handful of crackers, but give me time to reflect.

Ciao

[Phil McDade]

A lot to choose from:

-- Almost anything from Boat of Garten's back nine -- 11 and 14 are really good medium-length par 4s, 15 is all-world quirk, and 18 is a very good closer.

-- I really like Crail Balcomie's 5th and 6th holes, shoreline-hugging par 4s, one short and one long, and the 7th is a fun hole, similar to Prestwick's 1st, with an ancient wall lining the righrt-side fairway and a blind approach to a sunken green.

-- Shiskine's quirky par 3 twosome of #3 and #4 (one straight uphill, the other a drop-shot), plus the long, blind par 3 11th.

-- Traigh may have a higher ratio of fun holes per its nine holes than any course I've played; #'s 2, 4, 5, and 8 are quite good.

-- The 10th and 16th at Peterhead.

-- Several at Fraserburgh, but the 4th, a shortish par 4, stands out.

-- The 1st at the Eden, for the green alone.

-- Any of the ravine-crossing, clifftop-hugging holes at Stonehaven; 5 and 15 stand out for me.

-- The 13th, Clivet, at Royal Tarlair.

No one's mentioned the famous closing hole at the 9-hole course in Durness -- clifftop-to-clifftop. Peter Allis liked it.

[Art Roselle]

The Alps 11th at Tain is very fun.  16 and 17 there are good too.

[Bill_McBride]

One of my favorite holes at Elie is the par-3 3rd.

That is a cool hole, very natural laying down there below you, with the village to the left and the wall and busy street behind.  I loved the way you went along the town, out to the beach and then back to the town, it's a great routing. 

Elie was probably the most pleasant surprise, along with Golspie, of my trip last summer.  I knew what to expect at Dornoch and Nairn and wasn't disapointed, but knew little of Elie and Golspie and loved them both.

[Tom Huckaby]

Someone simply MUST include a hole from Fortrose and Rosemarkie, the shining star of any hidden gems list... it's just too many years in the past for me to think of the one or two best holes!

[David_Tepper]

Tom H. -

I have played Fortrose & Rosemarkie a couple of times. I am not sure there is any one hole that really stands out there. I think F&R is more a case of the whole (and the spectacular setting of the course) being greater than the sum of the parts.

DT

[Tom Huckaby]

Tom H. -

I have played Fortrose & Rosemarkie a couple of times. I am not sure there is any one hole that really stands out there. I think F&R is more a case of the whole (and the spectacular setting of the course) being greater than the sum of the parts.

DT

Darn it.  Well at least it gets a mention...
 

[Jason Topp]

The New Course - 9

[Mickey Boland]

-- I really like Crail Balcomie's 5th and 6th holes, shoreline-hugging par 4s, one short and one long, and the 7th is a fun hole, similar to Prestwick's 1st, with an ancient wall lining the righrt-side fairway and a blind approach to a sunken green.

I think it is the 4th and 5th to which you are referring.  The 5th being the harder of the two as I recall and having "Hell" in the name.

How about the 4th at Lundin.  A brute with a good carry over a small burn right in front of the green.

[Mitch Hantman]

Tom

At Fortrose and Rosemarkie, the absolute standout hole to me is the par 4 fourth, Lighthouse.  Hard to properly describe, but a great setting, and very challenging.

[David_Tepper]

Mitch -

#4 "Lighthouse" at F&R is 455 yards and a par-5 on the scorecard. It is probably the toughest 455 yard, par-5 I have ever played.

The setting of the next hole is a nice short par-3, with water behind both the tee box and the green.

DT


 

[Brad Tufts]

#18 at Moray Old...very tough and long uphill second shot.

[ward peyronnin]

Believe it or not St Olaf's has a couple world class holes; somewhere around the 4 or 5 or 6th there is a terrific par four with a plateau green ; almost a knole hole and just thereafter a sporting par three dished out of an elavated dune.
Now can anyone tell me where St O's is?

[Joshua Pettit]

Hello Ally,

I just saw this thread, and I'm wondering if while you compiled that initial list of 18 courses in Scotland were you thinking in terms of that number hole from each course in that particular order?  After reading your question my immmediate thought was of the 6th hole at Western Gailes, in which I found to be one of the most interesting, and consequently one of my favorite holes I came across during my tour of many of the great courses throughout the British Isles last year.  Is that just a mere coincidence or did you mean for that specific hole to be on your list of nominations?  Western Gailes would certainly be among the top on my list of "lesser known gems" in Scotland, and throughout the entire U.K. for that matter.
 

Not sure why I'm interested in doing this... Maybe as a reference point for those travellers who wish to experience something off the beaten track...

Can we compile a course of outstanding golf holes in Scotland from some of the lesser known gems around the country?

All nominations taken from courses that are not the following:

The Old Course
Kingsbarns
Turnberry
Royal Troon
Prestwick
Western Gailes
Machrihanish
Loch Lomond
North Berwick
Muirfield
Carnoustie
Royal Dornoch
Cruden Bay
Gleneagles
Nairn
Royal Aberdeen
Brora
Gullane 1