15 Rounds, 1 Scottish, Welsh, or Irish Links (ie NO English)

[Mark Bourgeois]

Ok, let's do this for what I'll call 'ROW' links -- GB&I ex England. If you're feeling adventuresome, you can also consider Norway, Germany, and Denmark.

Which one do you pick and more importantly why?

Two ground rules:
1) You must be able to secure an overseas or country membership by May. (Assume you can locate a member or two if needed.)
2) You will play all 15 rounds in one week.

[Brent Hutto]

Mark,

I went to Harlech and Aberdovey back in September and each of them arguably meet your requirements with the added advantage of international memberships being super-affordable.

The yearly international memebership tariff is around 280 pounds and at least last year if you join before April there's no joining fee. Heck at Aberdovey they even throw in a club sweater and a book about the course's history as part of the membership deal.

I think 15 rounds in a row at Royal St. David's would be taxing. Just the physical tromp up and down the dunes on the final few holes make it more of a walk than Aberdovey. And there are some quite demanding holes as well. But I could imagine playing twice a day, indefinitely, at Aberdovey for sure.

Both courses do have a fair many events on their diary and also do a very brisk visitor trade in summer time. Even in mid-September there are quite a few visiting parties. So you would have to be careful in choosing dates to have a week of nearly unrestricted access to the tee sheet, even as a member.

FWIW, the members at Aberdovey seem very open and welcoming to visitors. Not that the folks at Harlech were anything less than hospitable by any means. Just a real open-arms type feel around the clubhouse at Aberdovey.

A possible negative is that Aberdovey now use the "divot bags" year round and expect them to be carried. I use a push cart so no big deal but 15 rounds with eight pounds of sand along with my club on my shoulders would get real old. A positive of Aberdovey is that a wider range of food is available during slightly more extended serving hours in the (very nice, modern) clubhouse.

Finally both clubs offer comfortable dormy accommodation at a discounted rate to members. Not that it's at all expensive for visitors. Highly recommended. Personally, I would *love* to acquire international membership at Royal St. Davids and just go stay in the Dormy one week a year and play as a member (for whatever that's worth, it would sure feel nice).

[jeffwarne]

Northwest
very walkable, interesting and a big enough town to stay a week
Dunfanaghy
Portsalon
Brora
Pennard-not sure I could walk it 15 times in a week
Aberdovey
Dingle-for the town

a lot would depend on the culture of the club

[Sean_A]

2) You will play all 15 rounds in one week.

Sounds like a penance...what do you feel guilty about?  

I think I would go for a 9 holer, maybe Musselburgh Old or even Shiskine, but I suspect you have masochistic tendencies.  In which case you may try Rathmore Golf Club, they play over the Valley Links at Portrush.  I wonder if Kilspindie has overseas membership.  Brora and Aberdovey are good shouts as well.  Strandhill is pretty low key so membership may be available there.  Pennard may break your will with 36 a day for a week, but if you are feeling adventurous, its tough to beat the course.  All in all, the flatter the better though so Aberdovey and Kilspindie may do the trick.  I think Aberdovey is decidely the better of these two, but Kilspindie is in a better spot for culture...assuming you have any energy for it.  I spose if you consider Pennard, maybe Askernish should be on the table.  Now that is off the beaten path and may just really reward a week stay.  They definitely have affordable memberships.

Ciao

[David_Tepper]

You can join Golspie as a Country Member for 285 pounds a year (or as an Overseas Member for 200 pounds), with no joining fee. Very fun, easy walking, scenic course, with tees very close to greens. Rarely a problem playing 2 rounds a day there.  

http://www.golspiegolfclub.co.uk/

[Ally Mcintosh]

Harlech must be a lovely town to stay in for a week. What about Tenby?

In Ireland, Portsalon would provide a charming course for a week. I know little of the quality of the local hostelries though. Dooks might work too.

My first choice would be Lahinch but you will be ruled out on overseas membership cost I suspect. And too busy.

Surely Machrihanish could be a good shout here? Or if you are feeling adventurous, Askernish? When I finally get there it will be for a minimum 5 rounds. Brora / Golspie would be fun too.

[Tony_Muldoon]

It's Ramore Golf Club but I very much doubt they are allowed anyting but local members.  


Brent I am amazed the Welsh Clubs not want a joinnig fee (usually the same as an annual one).   It is astounding that clubs allow people to join for one year only with few playing restrictions at a bargain basement price


Mark if you are looking for a longer term deal, about 10 years ago you could join Portrush as an overseas member for something like £600 for the fitrst two years an then £200 a year after that - less than twice the then current day rate.  Two very fine courses in an area I love to visit.  Of course projected events in 2019(?) make the prospect more enticing but alos less likely that membership will be so easy to attain.


I would look to somewhere like Leven.  Nice villages to stay in the East Neuk and membership at a great rate that would allow you to afford to play elsewhere occasionally.  Time the visit right and you get to play the Leven/Lundin composite.  

Not been there but Strandhill Golf Club staying in Sligo soulnds interesting.  Side trips to Rosses Point and Enniscrone.  I love the Donegal options and you wont find better value but those towns are small.

I'm very lucky where I have my membership, but even then I've never played any course 15 times straight up.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Isn't Mark just looking to repeat his week at Westward Ho! from this year? A format that appealed greatly to me.

Machrie could work too. But I think staying in the Ugadale cottages at Machrihanish might be a winner.

[Sean_A]

Sheehy

Don't forget that you played Pennard during the weekend with a comp on.  As a member Mark can play early and late with a break in the middle. 

Spangles - I would be surprised if it took more than a few days to be a member of Pennard.  Though I think for Mark's purposes the dues may be slightly high...must be about £400.  Askernish will be far cheaper, but one must pay to get there...

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

If you're flying in and going directly to your chosen club/course/town which first (and only?) airport you're planning to land at and how far and how long will it take you to get  from there to your chosen club/course/town is key. (Also, are we looking at a one year only visit or recurring trips?)

If this isn't a concern Aberdovey would be a good choice in Wales. A Dunfanaghy base for the NW Donegal area would be one from Ireland (Dooks too?) and for Scotland, pretty much anywhere along the Moray Firth coast apart from the usually named biggy courses/clubs.

As a slightly different take, look out for 'Golf Weeks', where a club/course, and many of the sort of clubs mentioned herein will have them, hold a competition each day and all the entry fees will probably cost less than an overseas membership, examples would be Pennard, Tenby, RSD/Harlech, Brora, Golspie, Tain etc although even with practice rounds you might not get 15 rounds in this way but with mid-summer mornings/evenings..........

atb

[Mark Pearce]

Probably not possible to join Elie but there is a one week ticket which is a form of temporary membership and Elie satisfies every other requirement.  Crail doesn't have an overseas membership but standard membership is £350 pa and is readily available.

[Jon Wiggett]

Ally,

I thought about Machrie but they do not appear to offer memberships.

Jon

[Martin Toal]

Loads of Irish clubs offer overseas memberships. Some are premium priced - Ballybunion, Lahinch and the like, but many are bargains. Ardglass, for example, is £250 a year for overseas membership, with no joining fee. That would be a nice place to play and I hear there is another good course worth visiting not too far away.

Most of the Donegal clubs offer similar deals, Ballyliffin offering life overseas membership for 5000 Euro. Enniscrone offer overseas at 300 Euro a year with a discount of 50% at a bunch of other great courses in the Norrh West.

 

[Brent Hutto]

Brent I am amazed the Welsh Clubs not want a joinnig fee (usually the same as an annual one).   It is astounding that clubs allow people to join for one year only with few playing restrictions at a bargain basement price

The deal at Aberdovey with the book, club tie, sweater and with no joining fee indicates to me they're pricing it as a cost neutral alternative to paying visitor fees for a week's visit. It seems to be actively marketed as an attractive one-off deal rather than a long-term relationship. That's my interpretation anyway, based only on the deal itself (not that I've discussed it more than briefly with anyone at the club).

Speaking of possibly one-off bargain pricing keep in mind that both Aberdovey and Harlech can be visited for incredibly low prices without needing any form of membership deal. I'm not sure why Royal St. David's offered me an even lower than normal package price but my trip there was three nights in the dormy accomodation and three days of golf (one 18-hole day, two 36-hole days) for 180 pounds. The advertised rate would have been about half again that much but perhaps due to booking it shoulder season (September) and well in advance (nearly 8 months) were factors.

Fact is, you could probably play 7 days of golf at either club for roughly the same 300 quid as a year of international membership. But still the membership would be cool in its own right and of course there would be access to the members-only portions of the tee sheet.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Probably not possible to join Elie but there is a one week ticket which is a form of temporary membership and Elie satisfies every other requirement. 

I could do 15 rounds at Elie with no hesitation.   


Further use this course as an ideal place to experiment with your game and how to paly the ground game and the wind.  With every hole a 1/2 par hole you're required to make it up as you go along, so:-

Take one club out of the bag after each round until you get to 7, then put them back one round at a time.   

Alternate rounds.   Before setting out nominate; all shots within 40 yards of the pin to be either with a 7 iron or with a putter.


Or second round of the day, see how few clubs you can get round with.

Cool clubhouse, (only know one member so I'm reserving opinon ) and great location.

[James Boon]

I was tempted to Brora or Golspie, but on second thoughts, I'd go for Askernish. I think I'd happily play 15 rounds around there but I'd need at least a couple of weeks as I'd also want to get out and about around the rest of the Western Isles! I suspect membership wouldn't be a problem, and the Chairman of the club Ralph, would no doubt go out of his way to make you welcome!

Cheers,

James

[Mark Bourgeois]

These suggestions have been fantastic, keep them coming. I appreciate out of the box ideas like M Pearce's weekly tickets at Elie.

Sean, the idea behind 15 rounds 1 week is not necessarily to play that much. As a simple criterion though it does the work I need it to:
• course is not crazy busy or slow - easy to get out and get around
• course isn't simplistic eye candy and gets funner and interestinger the more you play it
• not a death march / no crampons needed

That said, remember this is not entirely about the architecture. Off course stuff is very important.

[Joe_Tucholski]

These suggestions have been fantastic, keep them coming. I appreciate out of the box ideas like M Pearce's weekly tickets at Elie.

Sean, the idea behind 15 rounds 1 week is not necessarily to play that much. As a simple criterion though it does the work I need it to:
• course is not crazy busy or slow - easy to get out and get around
• course isn't simplistic eye candy and gets funner and interestinger the more you play it
• not a death march / no crampons needed

That said, remember this is not entirely about the architecture. Off course stuff is very important.

Saint Andrews has a 7 day ticket (as well as a 3 day ticket).  It doesn't include The Old Course (all other links trust courses - including the infamous Doak 0).  Saint Andrews is a pretty good place to be.

[Garland Bayley]

Wales is not England?

[Adam Lawrence]

I was tempted to Brora or Golspie, but on second thoughts, I'd go for Askernish. I think I'd happily play 15 rounds around there but I'd need at least a couple of weeks as I'd also want to get out and about around the rest of the Western Isles! I suspect membership wouldn't be a problem, and the Chairman of the club Ralph, would no doubt go out of his way to make you welcome!

Cheers,

James

15 times round Askernish in a week would be a pretty solid hike...

[Mark Bourgeois]

 

I think we can agree RCP deserves its own country.

   

[Brent Hutto]

A country without a level lie anywhere to be found and with *very* liberal drinking laws.

[Bill_McBride]

Wales is not England?

The United Kingdom.....

[Garland Bayley]

Wales is not England?

The United Kingdom.....

Thanks

[Ally Mcintosh]

I think we can agree RCP deserves its own country.

   

When I finally make it to RCP, I'm half expecting to see Chaplin, Sheehy, Muldoon, Warren et al sitting round the bar in a parody of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams parody of Hopper's Nighthawks.