Returning from what was a great Buda 2024, here are some personal reflections. Curious what others think!
1) Elie one of the best, most fun I’ve ever played. I’m not as knowledgable on the architecture side as some others, but that course is a lot of fun. I’m unsure if I had most fun at Elie, North Berwick or Deal, but those three are in a different league from everything else I’ve played.
2) The Himalayas is absolutely a must-play. So much fun, especially in a group. Can’t imagine going to St Andrews with your golf clubs and not playing a round here. You must find one hour somewhere in your agenda. I hope I’ll play it again, often.
3) Crail has two great courses. But if you force me to chose and give me a level playing-field (no cost, empty course), I’ll take the modern Craighead over the old Balcomie. Two things stand out for me: the greens are very, very good. And I especially loved the way the wall is integrated into the course. That’s also why I liked the second 9 more than the first 9. Apparently, the course was built on a budget, and the choice was made to invest money in the greens, not the fairways. Seems like a good call to me.
4) The Balcomie suffers from too much play (at least on the Saturday when we played). Holes 2/9/10/11/12 are just too close together. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people (including myself, obviously) play a hole from the wrong fairway. I don’t see how that can be fixed, though. On the other side of the fairway, tee 16 is basically in play from tee 17. A tee shot doesn’t have to be far off line to warrant a shout of Fore. I do think that an architect could (should?) fix that side of the course.
5) Balcomie 3/4/5 and Elie 11/12/13 are just great uses of land. Similar holes playing along the coast (on the right at Crail, on the left at Elie), with the beach in play at Elie and OOB at Crail. Those three holes alone are worth visiting.
6) Those two holes on the Eden… Well, enough said.
7) Finally, the more I play in the UK, the more I think that golf is great when it’s an integral part of the town. Elie, Gullane, North Berwick, St Andrews are the best examples for this (that I’ve seen). It just gives the town AND the city/village a special vibe. That’s probably something that cannot be recreated anymore.