Five courses that best represent links golf in Scotland

[Chris DeNigris]

Mark,

I recently did both drives and they weren't too bad. I'm fairly used to that much driving though. 5 hrs is doable from Campbeltown to Inverness without speeding too much...

I didn't say it would be easy...just gratifying 

[Bill_McBride]

Chris nice trip but day one gives a 162 mile drive to Machrihanish timed at 3hrs 37mins. Day 3 nice to replay both courses before a 259 mile 6hrs 13min drive after 72 holes in 2 days and a red eye before 18 on day one, this could result in car v ditch or worse.

Good point!  My arrival day for the Buda went like this:

Arrive Gatwick 7 a.m., collect rental car, head NW to Henley-on-Thames to kill an hour or so before afternoon round at Huntercombe.   

Drinks after golf at Huntercombe, leave around 5 and head to Rye.

On the M25 close to Rye exit, doze off, luckily only one second or so, at 75 mph.   

Recover and drive on safely to Rye.  Check into hotel, on to dinner with Buda boys, then drinks outside crowded pub.

In bed at midnight.  Just another day on a UK trip!

[Robin Doodson]

I haven't played either but don't believe Kingsbarns or Turnberry are on linksland.

Please explain.
North Berwick is a must just for its links turf and history, plus a beautiful lesson in how much fun it can be to play a links course.

[Bill_McBride]

I haven't played either but don't believe Kingsbarns or Turnberry are on linksland.

Please explain.
North Berwick is a must just for its links turf and history, plus a beautiful lesson in how much fun it can be to play a links course.

Kingsbarns, like the new Castle Course, is on former agricultural land, not true linksland.

I think Turnberry is as well, at least for a large part of the course.  But I could be wrong about that!

[James Boon]

Kingsbarns, like the new Castle Course, is on former agricultural land, not true linksland.

I think Turnberry is as well, at least for a large part of the course.  But I could be wrong about that!

Bill,

I have to admit to having played neither (not that that stops anyone round here from nipping in with an opinion  ) and I'm not an expert on geology but I'm just reading Scotland's Golf Courses by Robert Price (as also mentioned in a recent thread asking what a links was) that describes the history and geology that have influenced the courses of Scotland. I'm learning a lot reading it, so I recommend it, but its certainly more geeky than pretty pictures.

The upper areas of Kingsbarns are on former agricultural land, but this was on over 6ft of sand and silt deposited by glaciers during the last ice age. So this area had a natural covering of sand that could be shaped to resemble classic links landscape. The lower areas include an old sea cliff, a links plain and a dune ridge, all more familiar as links landscape, but I get the impression this was probably manipulated a little also.

According to Price's book Turnberry is also on linksland. It may not seem it with all the flat areas from the old WWII airstrips and the cliffs around the turn, but there are the dune ridges along the sea from 4 to 8 the everything inland from there is all sand that has been blown inland, so its classified as links.

Anyone with more geology knowledge, feel free to put me right if I've got any of that wrong...

Cheers,

James

[James Boon]

Geoffrey,

Bet you wish you hadn't asked by now    If you dont mind me coming late to this thread, heres a bit of a summary as I see it...

Getting a foursome together for my first trip to Scotland.  If you could play any five courses (which allow public access) in Scotland to experience links golf, where would you play?  Assume TOC must be included.  I am fairly open on price and travel distance - I just want to get the right combination.

Going back to the original question, public access isn't going to be a problem apart from one or two courses. I think the key thing from your question is the "best represent links golf in Scotland" from the title of the thread? Others have touched on this as well. I'm not keen on pigeon holing things but lets give it a go for a minute...

1. Where it all started.
2. Classic championship challenge
3. Golf for the people
4. Golf for the elite
5. Funky, quirky, they dont build them like that anymore...
6. The new breed

I'll give examples in a minute but I think if you played one course from each category you would have had a pretty good representation of golf in Scotland. Some will also cross over into a couple of categories... So examples (feel free to agree or disagree with these):

1. TOC, Musselburgh Old, Prestwick
2. Any Open course, Nairn, Royal Dornoch
3. Take your pick from a whole load of wee 9 holers with honesty boxes, or more likley Gullane 2 or 3, or Brora
4. Muirfield? Renaissance?
5. North Berwick, Prestwick
6. Kingsbarns, Castle Stuart

Following that, people are right that youd be better of spending the time in one area assuming you will be able to return one day, but you seem keen to travel a little, and only you know if you will ever come back. So bearing that in mind, I dont think you draft itinerary is too far off, my only comment is that even though its a golf trip, it wouldnt hurt to smell the flowers along the way (especially if it will be your only trip)...

I see the logic in not trying to hit three regions in one short trip.  How about this schedule:

Day 1 - Fly to Edinburgh, drive to Dornoch
Day 2 - Play Royal Dornoch, Play Brora
Day 3 - Play Royal Dornoch, drive to St. Andrews
Day 4 - Play TOC, Play Elie, drive to North Berwick
Day 5 - Play North Berwick, Gullane, drive to Prestwick
Day 6 - Play Prestwick, fly home from Glasgow

Seems pretty close to a good itinerary based on the previously mentioned criteria. Will certainly need a sleep on the plane home! But how about:

Day 1. Fly to Edinburgh, fly to Inverness. Golf at Castle Stuart (6)
Day 2. Golf at Royal Dornoch (2) and Brora (3)
Day 3. Drive to St. Andrews. Golf on TOC (1)
Day 4. Either a second round on TOC or golf at Elie (3), drive to North Berwick
Day 5. 36 holes and lunch at Muirfield (4)
Day 6. Golf at North Berwick (5), fly home from Edinburgh

I have written a longer, more in depth version with a few more choices, but I'll PM that to you to save waffling on here...  What do you think???

Cheers,

James

[Mark Pearce]

James,

I can see Elie falling in your category 5 (quirk) or, at a push, 4 (elite).  I don't see it as 3 (for the people) anymore than most of your others.  The place has more R&A members as members than any other club in Scotland (the R&A itself aside, obviously).

Mark

[James Boon]

Mark,

I have to admit that I was putting Elie in there based upon what I'd heard other people say about the course. I never got the impression it was that exclusive? However, I stand corrected, so lets push it into 5? Maybe as we already have NB in that category, that opens up Gullane 2 or 3 as a possible alternative? Or maybe as we already have Brora in that category, there is a push for another round at TOC. Afterall, if Geoffrey is coming all this way, it seems a bit of a luxury to have 2 courses from that category on the play list?

Cheers,

James