Buda 2024 - some personal reflections

[Enno Gerdes]

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.

[Ben Stephens]

One of my personal reflections is that you have the best chipping game for a mid teens handicap I have ever seen Enno! 

Your partner Mr Topp was pretty happy to have a lot of short putts - both of you played very well at foursomes unlike your fellow countrymen in the Ryder Cup

Another is that it was great to be back at BUDA again to see the usual pests and new faces. Have to feel for Doug who played so well and still lose a few matches.

[Peter Sayegh]

Thanks Enno.
Your post just reinforces my desire to get there. 'Bout time I stop hoping my buddies will someday join me on such a trip and take the plunge solo.
Please post any photos you may have.

[Richard Hetzel]

Thanks Enno.
Your post just reinforces my desire to get there. 'Bout time I stop hoping my buddies will someday join me on such a trip and take the plunge solo.
Please post any photos you may have.

I am in the same boat and leaning towards a solo trip very soon!

[Mark Pearce]

Peter, Richard,


You don't have to fly solo.  Just come and play the BUDA.  We need some fresh faces, the company is great and the courses almost always well chosen.


Enno,


Great post.  I'm with you on Elie in thinking it's in the same class as NBWL for fun.  I just love being there. 


I'm also with you on Craighead vs Balcomie.  The Craighead belongs in the most under-rated thread.  It's telling that, in the Summer, when the touring parties come to Balcomie, the members are happy to play Craighead instead.


The problems with 2/12/11 fairways lead to congestion, rather than danger but that area of the course is an issue, and none of those holes are great driving holes because there's so much space there.  However, in the prevailing Westerly (we had an unusual North/North Easterly breeze for all four days), the 2nd would be a terrifying drive if the fairway was narrowed.


And a great observation about the interraction of course and town/village.  There's no doubt that part of the charm of Elie is that it does run through the town.


I was fortunate enough to witness both Jason Topp and John Mayhugh have what, according to the stats, must have been the rounds of their lives.  The fact that when John went slightly cold on 10 and 11 at Elie Bill Gayne contributed his second ace of the fortnight (and his life) on 11 was really rubbing it in.  On top of the second/third ace in BUDA history (I also saw Nick Leafe's at Deal but don't remember Bill McBride's - where was that?) we had Adam Uttley play the front nine in 29 strokes.


As always with BUDA, though, and whilst the golf was great, the company was the highlight.  I'm looking forward to next year already.

[Scott Warren]

Any clarity on where next year will be, Mark? I’m a chance…

[Ben Stephens]

Any clarity on where next year will be, Mark? I’m a chance…

Gullane may be an option

[Mark Pearce]

Any clarity on where next year will be, Mark? I’m a chance…

Now that would be a great start to next year's BUDA!

[Enno Gerdes]

I'm also with you on Craighead vs Balcomie.  The Craighead belongs in the most under-rated thread.  It's telling that, in the Summer, when the touring parties come to Balcomie, the members are happy to play Craighead instead.

Mark,
I was looking at the Confidential Guide today, and I'm wondering if it's not actually Elie that's underrated. Should surely be higher than a 5.5 on average? In a relatively recent Golf Monthly ranking it doesn't even make the top 100 in GB&I. Other rankings have it around number 80. Is that "correctly rated", "overrated", or "underrated"?

[Richard Hetzel]

I definitely would like to attend BUDA next year. I retire in April and since I am taking 8-9 months off before looking for another job, I am free to do as I please! (wife will still be teaching).

[Sean_A]

I definitely would like to attend BUDA next year. I retire in April and since I am taking 8-9 months off before looking for another job, I am free to do as I please! (wife will still be teaching).

I am not sure you grasp the concept of retirement 😎.

Ciao

[Marty Bonnar]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

[mike_malone]

As for architectural discussions I hope to hear Gil Hanse discuss the surprising Craighead someday.




The gca Brits are unparalleled in their hospitality.


Crail was a bit much up and down for a 74 year old.


Shame what they did to an otherwise enjoyable Eden


Agree on a competitive Himalayas where James Boon and I had the same idea to lengthen the holes.


The hosts are the best


The chance to play at other top courses with other Pests is wonderful.


I need to improve my health this winter!!

[Ben Stephens]

Regarding the courses my ranking would be


1 Elie
2 Balcomie
3 Craighead




Here are my initial GCA thoughts on




Craighead


It was my first Gil Hanse course - there were highs and lows. It is my understanding that it was done on a low budget. The greens were fascinating however I felt it was a bit overdone like a young golf course architect trying too hard - I question what the ball would be like in strong winds would they roll off because of the quite severe slopes there were very few flat areas (or straight putts) to putt on.


Liked where Hanse positioned the greens on the coast to maximise the views and the site itself however was disappointed with the routing and felt it was dangerous in places where you could drive onto the other fairway to take a short cut to the greens plus greens close to other fairways which could breach safety margins that would put a current golf course architect's PII at risk!.


I felt a bit disorientated on 9 and 18 because the other hole distracted me - it's probably me I can see others liking it. There were quite a few holes of similar length which it lacked a bit of variety I felt. 


I wouldn't have designed a hole directly uphill like 11 and there were too many bunkers together in a cluster generally and they weren't that visible that you had to rely on aerial images. I would have preferred to spread them out a bit more randomly in varying sizes or have fewer sand bunkers and have more grassy hollows - that's a personal view. Putting the bunkers in a cluster makes more of the areas around it feel flattish. If it was spread around randomly it would look different and give the holes a bit more character.


To me there wasn't really a standout hole on the course maybe 14 as the holes felt similar to each other unlike Balcomie.




Balcomie


Is a golf course from another bygone era which was great to experience which I liked - It would never be designed this way with today's game in mind because it can be dangerous and the club are putting themselves at risk for possible serious injuries especially with modern drivers spreading so far wide these days. In future will they reduce the numbers on the course or redo the layout to ensure golfers safety comes first. That's just me speaking using my architects cap.


The greens were interesting to play and probably more sensible than Craighead's greens. 12 and 13 greens were fascinating to putt on. Hole 14 having seen so many photos of it - always thought the green looked flat however it was a tougher hole with that slope on the front half of the green. The final 4 holes felt too squeezed together (maybe reduce it to 3 holes) and a bit detached from the rest of the course. It would be an ideal place to have a par 3 course with the clubhouse overlooking all of them.




Elie


enough said one of my favourite courses - the ULTIMATE Holiday course and I was on holiday! Would have liked to play a few more rounds on it and I certainly will be back hopefully sooner than later - its in the same bracket as North Berwick and Brancaster there should be more golf courses like this and they would attract more people to play the game. Adam Uttley was my playing partner and his 29 was breathtaking everything went for him and they were some superb shots played - I doubt I will ever play with someone that will shoot 29 gross for 9 holes! 

[Mark Pearce]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

No.  I did ask Ross McMurray if he was available to talk to us about the changes he has made to Elie (superbly, by the way, with absolutely no loss of identity or change of character) but sadly he wasn't available (though if dates had been different, he would have loved to). 

[Ben Stephens]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

No.  I did ask Ross McMurray if he was available to talk to us about the changes he has made to Elie (superbly, by the way, with absolutely no loss of identity or change of character) but sadly he wasn't available (though if dates had been different, he would have loved to).

Didn't Ross originally come from Elie or nearby? The works there looked neat and will take time to blend in - Elie is still the same as I remember as much as I could from 25 years ago so so much fun!

[Mark Pearce]

Ben,


Gregor and I (and, for that matter, his brother Finlay) have played many windy rounds on Craighead.  It's fine in the wind.  Hard, but fine. 


I love 11 - it's different, quirky and interesting to play.


As to favourite holes on the course, 14 doesn't make my top 5.  It might be the toughest, though, on a windy day.


We really do see golf courses very differently.


Marj

[Mark Pearce]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

No.  I did ask Ross McMurray if he was available to talk to us about the changes he has made to Elie (superbly, by the way, with absolutely no loss of identity or change of character) but sadly he wasn't available (though if dates had been different, he would have loved to).

Didn't Ross originally come from Elie or nearby? The works there looked neat and will take time to blend in - Elie is still the same as I remember as much as I could from 25 years ago so so much fun!

I thought Ross was a Dornoch boy.  Braid was born in Earlsferry.  There's a plaque on the street running parallel to the road along the 4th.

[Niall C]

Tom MacKenzie is the Dornoch boy or so I believe.


Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Wikipedia tells me Ross was born in Dornoch, grew up there and worked as a greenkeeper there.....

[Robin_Hiseman]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

No.  I did ask Ross McMurray if he was available to talk to us about the changes he has made to Elie (superbly, by the way, with absolutely no loss of identity or change of character) but sadly he wasn't available (though if dates had been different, he would have loved to).

Didn't Ross originally come from Elie or nearby? The works there looked neat and will take time to blend in - Elie is still the same as I remember as much as I could from 25 years ago so so much fun!

I think Ben is referring to Ross McMurray, rather than Donald Ross. The very much alive Ross is from Stourbridge, although he was a member of Elie, due to his parents living up the road.

[Ben Stephens]

Ben,


Gregor and I (and, for that matter, his brother Finlay) have played many windy rounds on Craighead.  It's fine in the wind.  Hard, but fine. 


I love 11 - it's different, quirky and interesting to play.


As to favourite holes on the course, 14 doesn't make my top 5.  It might be the toughest, though, on a windy day.


We really do see golf courses very differently.


Marj

Hi Mark,


I guess everyone see golf courses very differently - I can relate to why Hanse made the greens 'wild' I probably did the same thing at Rutland Water 20 years ago like a young golf course architect trying to make a statement. I guess being older and more experienced the views have changed with maintenance practice, green speeds improving, the cost of sand these days  and most golf course architects work on commercial projects it is rare to have a client that has faith in your ability to create very interesting greens even if it is borderline.


Played Moortown recently - the 10th green is quite severe and seems that the green is cut a bit higher than the rest of the course however I couldn't stop the ball nearly going off the green from the back  . The 17th on Craighead doesn't seem to be flat and raised/exposed which made me wonder if the ball goes off the green in strong winds.


I can see the majority of golfers not liking hole 11 however do understand why some do like it and the wall being an effective hazard for shorter hitters with the green being blind from behind the wall. I prefer going diagonal if possible rather than directly uphill.


Would be happy to play both courses at Crail again - especially Balcomie as I had 5 birdies in one round (could have been more as I had plenty of near miss putts)


Cheers
Ben

[Ben Stephens]

Has BUDA pretty much given up the previous architectural discussions/presentations, etc which were such a big feature of the early ones?

No.  I did ask Ross McMurray if he was available to talk to us about the changes he has made to Elie (superbly, by the way, with absolutely no loss of identity or change of character) but sadly he wasn't available (though if dates had been different, he would have loved to).

Didn't Ross originally come from Elie or nearby? The works there looked neat and will take time to blend in - Elie is still the same as I remember as much as I could from 25 years ago so so much fun!

I think Ben is referring to Ross McMurray, rather than Donald Ross. The not-long dead Ross is from Stourbridge, although he was a member of Elie, due to his parents living up the road.

Thank you Robin - I had read an article that had a Ross McM and Elie connection (trying to find it!).

[Mark Pearce]

Ross definitely has an Elie connection.  I believe that is one of the reasons the club chose him.  He grew up playing the course, I gather, and his work there suggests he understands the course very well indeed.

[Mark Pearce]

I think Ben is referring to Ross McMurray, rather than Donald Ross. The very much alive Ross is from Stourbridge, although he was a member of Elie, due to his parents living up the road.

Well that was rather dense of me......