Spey Valley, Scotland

[James Boon]

Back in May, on the way up to Dornoch and Brora, I stayed in the Highlands for a week and managed to get an early morning round at Spey Valley, the relatively new Dave Thomas course just outside Aviemore. I was hoping to play Boat of Garten but things just worked out better for Spey Valley, so though I’d not really heard much about it, I was looking forward to seeing a new inland course up in the Highlands.

Firstly, the setting is just stunning! The view from the practice range is of the Cairngorm Mountains in the distance. The course takes us through birch woodland and heathland with the river Spey nearby (though not really in play), lochs, and the mountains all ever present, along with the stunning site of Ospreys flying overhead. This is the view looking back from the first tee over the practice round, Cairngorms in the distance…


Secondly, the Clubhouse, or rather lack of one. Spey Valley is part of the MacDonald resort in Aviemore, the main site for this is to the south west of Aviemore though the course is to the north east of town. The current clubhouse is really only a place to pay a greenfee and change your shoes, nothing else, and you then have to drive a couple of minutes to the course, down a narrow track to the course itself. Here you will see a derelict house and some old farm buildings which I assume were intended to be the clubhouse but apparently the deal with its owner didn’t work out and I wouldn’t be surprised if the were access issues with the narrow track, but while access and a good clubhouse are always good, I don’t consider them essential if the course itself is good enough. However, Spey Valley is selling itself as a pretty high end facility so this is something they really need to sort out!


Now to the course. I’ll list all the yardages from the yellow tees, mainly as those and the reds were the only tees put out the day I played.

Hole 1
Par 4
348 yards
A relatively gentle start. A fairway wood or long iron to avoid the bunkers on the left should be your best bet. Past the bunkers the fairway narrows at a ridge with birch trees on each side. The green isn’t visible from here as it sits behind the ridge. Notice also the greenstaff out at 6am. The place was crawling in them so every attention to detail is being paid here.


After the conservative tee shot mentioned above, you’ll still only be able to see the top of the flag, but clear the ridge at about 100 yards out and this is the view of the green.


And looking back from behind the green, you can see the gap between the birch trees.


Now for my biggest gripe about this course, a walk of almost 500 yards, past an access road, through a narrow strip of land covered in birch trees, past the 17th green and eventually you get to the 2nd tee…


A signpost about half way, just to reassure you haven’t got lost…


Hole 2
Par 4
355 yards
After that long walk there is a bit of a reveal moment as from the second tee you can see a bit more of the course.


The approach to this second medium par 4 in a row is to a wide green, made to look even wider as the left hand bunker doesn’t have any green behind


Hole 3
Par 5
463 yards
A short par 5 playing along the banks of the river Spey, but you would have to be very wild to hit one in there. If the walk too the 2nd tee hadn’t told you it’s a cart course, then the path here surely will!


Get one past the fairway bunkers and the green is within reach even for a modest hitter. The green is guarded by a group of bunkers short left and sits back in an area surrounded by more birch trees


A closer look at the green


Hole 4
Par 3
189 yards
This par 3 plays from a raised tee to a raised green. The green itself slopes quite a bit from back to front .


Hole 5
Par 5
608 yards
This hole can be stretched out to 635 yards from the back tees, which the club claims is the longest hole in Scotland? From the tee, the birches are thinner on the ground at this far end of the course and so everything appears much more open. Plenty of fairway bunkers and the ground dropping off to the right, put a premium on hitting the fairway here.


After the drive, the hole now plays down hill for the rest of its length. This means that combined with the firm and fast conditions and it playing downwind, you may be able to hit your second over the bunkers to the left and get pretty close to the green?



The green here is the furthest point from the clubhouse. By now I was also beginning to notice that virtually every bunker had one of these strange noses in…



Hole 6
Par 3
181 yards
This hole turns back for home. There is a small loch off to the right which doesn’t come into play, but again just empasises the great highland setting. The green has a ridge running through the middle creating two distinct tiers


Hole 7
Par 4
399 yards
A downhill tee shot here, probably not requiring a driver because there are bunkers cutting in on the right, with only a narrow strip of grass to the left, otherwise its into the heather…

Here is the view after laying up short of the bunkers. The green sits up on the side of a hill, with plenty of room for safe shot out to the right


A closer view of the green


Hole 8
Par 4
380 yards
An interesting medium length par 4 this one. A couple of trees have been retained to left of centre of the fairway, just before it doglegs to the left. This creates a narrow shoot down which an aggressive drive can be played to get closer to the green, or plenty of room out right, leaving a longer approach.


Here is a view towards the green, from just past the driving area. Notice the bunker to the right which is sited to catch a drive from any monster blasting one over the trees to cut off the dogleg


Hole 9
Par 4
308 yards
Decisions to be made again off the tee on this short par 4 which has the feel of a slight dog leg left. Hit your tee shot out towards the right fairway bunker and you have a decent angle at the green. I’m not sure you would be able to drive the green, as the bunkers short left would come into play, but just short right would be a reasonable place. Take the aggressive left hand line, and you are left with tricky pitch over the greenside bunkers.


From the aggressive left hand side


Or from the more conservative right hand side


So that’s the front nine, par 36 totalling 3231 yards. Some good holes running through a mix of birch woodland and moorland, but a lot of the par 4s all feel a similar medium distance, with the 600yard plus 5th making up for this. So far, not exactly the “Championship” challenge I was expecting, more like a fun resort course.

Back nine to follow…

Cheers,

James

[James Boon]

Hole 10
Par 3
167 yards
Back nine starts with this par 3. Wind was blowing right to left so I aimed out right and just missed the tree short right which overhang the front of the green.


There are two of those damn noses in this bunker short left!


Hole 11
Par 4
428 yards
Okay, a bit of length on a par 4, and a narrow driving area to boot! The line is to the left of the fairway bunker, the hole then doglegs slightly to the right.


The approach is to a green perched up on a bank, so there is a big drop off short. Here is the view from behind the green


Hole 12
Par 4
453 yards
Long and tight again, as the course really starts to show its teeth. Anything left here is down a slope and into the birch trees.


A lot of dead ground short of the green make judging the approach tricky, but this is what you see as you get closer


Hole 13
Par 5
513 yards
A shortish par 5 now, but quite a hard dogleg to the left past the fairway bunkers seen at driving distance


A layup has to challenge with pine trees coming in on the left and an island of heather and young trees on the left side of the fairway


From behind you can see the island of heather and scrub. The approach itself has to be spot on because of a drop off over the back and left.


Hole 14
Par 4
401 yards
A fairly mediocre hole over flat land, but it was here that I was distracted by a couple of Ospreys, one complete with its fish dinner in its talons!


Hole 15
Par 4
393 yards
This one seems to be straight out of the ”give me something” school! Dog leg left around a cluster of deep bunkers, which can be taken on with a driver but then the small loch on the right comes into play, and whats that? NO! It’s a fountain, what were they thinking!


View from the fairway, with the loch on the right


Hole 16
Par 3
173 yards
Now we play across the loch and to a tricky raised green, that’s wide, but shallow


A closer look at the green


Hole 17
Par 5
489 yards
Another short par 5, but this was playing directly into the wind, so a true 3 shotter on the day. Planty of bunkers and birch trees should you stray off line.


A couple of bunkers just short of the green which would make it tricky to hit in two should the conditions favour it


Now for the reverse of the long trek between the first and second holes…

Hole 18
Par 4
405 yards
The tee shot on the last has the mountains in the distance nicely frame by trees at around 150 yards out. The ideal shot is probably a draw off the bunkers, but though this is as close as we get to the river, there is actually far more room left past the trees than it would appear


A fairly flat and dull fairway, which can probably be ignored because of the view…


Back nine is again par 36 and this time its 3,422 yards. This gives a total as par 72 and 6,653 yards from the yellow tees. The course can be stretched to 7,118 yards from the blue “Championship” tees. Further points to note are the SSS of 73 from the yellows and 75 from the blues, though it didn’t feel that difficult to me? Also mentioned are Slope Ratings of 134 from the yellows and 138 from the blues but I’ll need someone to translate that for me…

It’s a couple of months now since I played it, and its still difficult in any analysis to get past the great setting, but I do recall many of the holes being a good challenge and offering plenty of interest. The walk between 1/18 and 2/17 is a real pain, there are buggy paths a plenty and the lack of decent variety in the bunkering is also a bit dull (I think I counted 47 nosed bunkers to about 20 others!). The closest comparison I can come up with is the PGA Centenary at Gleneagles as a reasonably new course set in some stunning inland Scottish scenery, though I will say I have a preference for Spey Valley. If only they can get that clubhouse sorted…

Cheers,

James

[Gary Slatter]

James, good report.   

I played it at the end of April 2009 (3 rounds in the James Smith annual). 
 
I enjoyed the course and the stay in Aviemore- reminded me of Canmore, Alberta (same type of healthy looking hikers around town). The hotel had some very talented staff, I'm sure Anthony would agree although it's certainly not Cruden Bay. 

The course was fun to play except for a couple difficult par fours that had no place to land a tee shot.  11, 15, and another.

We used the older clubhouse and it was good, bar and food were fine.  They did explain the problem with access which results in the strange set up and odd first and last holes.  Overall it was good value and a great break on your way to/from Dornoch or Nairn.  I hope they can resolve the issues.

[Niall C]

James

Evening to you. I seem to recall that it was myself that suggested you give this a go. I've played it a few times now and while I can't give it a completely clean bill of health I do enjoy the course. The bunkering style aside which seems to be a Thomas standard there are some really nice and challenging holes with the added attraction of a wonderful back drop, but its the few others which are just so puzzling that you do wonder what the GCA was intending.

Puzzle no. 1 -  hole no. 7, 399 yard hole with large dip before green. Bunker right of fairway which you either carry to give better angle in to green (greenside bunkers guard left hand side) or you go left and have to carry greenside bunkers with approach. All right in theory but if you go left you hit the down slope and end up 20 or 30 yards into the heather which you can't see. Must have looked great on the plan but........

Puzzle no.2 - hole no. 8 - 90 degree dog-leg or near as damn it. Standing on the tee for the first time and without reference to a strokesaver I had no idea intuitively whether it was a left or right turn, or indeed straight ahead with a forced carry. Another great idea on paper I think.

Puzzle no 3 - 15th drive towards the water and then what, a left turn ? right turn ? this one is perhaps more ugly (agree about the fountain) than puzzling but still a let down compared to the other holes.

Puzzle no 4 - 18th - only through a vague recollection of the adjacent 1st hole fairway could I work out that the hole went left, certainly nothing to suggest it looking at the front half of the fairway and bunkers straight ahead.

James, am I being too hard on those holes ? I ask that because I really do think there is some really good golf at Spey Bay but those holes in particular just don't make sense.

Niall

[Tommy Williamsen]

I wish I had knownmore about golf in the Highlands when I was there 15 years ago.  Thanks for the tour.

[David_Tepper]

"I wish I had known more about golf in the Highlands when I was there 15 years ago.  Thanks for the tour."

Tommy Williamson -

You don't have to feel to bad about missing Spey Valley when you were in the Highlands 15 years ago, as the course is only 7-8 years old.

DT

[James Boon]

First I think I need to apologise for the poor light quality on these pics. As it was dawn and often playing into a low sun, they really aren't great are they, even though I've tweaked quite a few of them...

Gary,

I found Aviemore a strange place, not quite as bad as Fort William but similar in that both places are destinations in the Highlands for people to then head off into the countryside. This means that the towns themselves have developed arather miserable 1960s aesthetic rather than the previous Scottish holiday destinations, Victorian towns such as North Berwick and Nairn.

Niall,

I trust you are well? Yes I remember now that you suggested giving it a go.
1. When I played 7 there didn't seem to be room to go down the left? It was either lay up or bomb over the bunkers. I'm therefore not sure if it works as it is, but I think with some slight adjustments to the fairway bunkers, it could be a very good hole?
2. I enjoyed 8, and thought that the gap between the trees on the left hinted at where I needed to be going, but maybe I had already looked at the yaradge book by then? But I can see what you mean, as the hole plays out from the trees to open heathland behind. Sort of a blind drive that isn't blind, just not very clear...
3. 15, a bit like 11 (as Gary suggests) really doesn't have anywhere to drive the ball from the tee. I dont mind the idea of laying up from the bunkers and dogleg, but there really isn't any room for anyone who wants to take on the dogleg?
4. I think if they could have opened the trees up on the left to make the river more in play, then the hole would make more sense. Maybe there was some retsriction on the proximity to the river bank?

I too think there is some really good golf at Spey Valley but I dont think you are being harsh. There are certainly some things that could be better with the course, but I would be interested to play it again and see if it some of those puzzles feel different now I know where I'm going?

Cheers,

James

[Scott Warren]

It looks very similar to another Thomas course I have played called Batchworth Park (at Rickmansworth near Watford) that is a really enjoyable course to play but just lascks that something that would actually lead you to recommend it. I blame the bunkering there and it seems you do at Spey Valley.

The bunkering at the other Thomas course I've played, Traditions (near Woking) was similarly annoying. There has to be some good coin out there for someone re-bunkering Dave Thomas golf courses!

Scrolling through the pics again, Spey Valley really does look quite fun.

So much snow on the mountains for May! Reminds me how bloody cold last winter was!