The Golf Courses of James Braid...

[Marty Bonnar]

Could any of our esteemed members in possession of the above mentioned tome, please have a quick perusal of same and thence advise me of any mentions of:

Torrieburn,
Torryburn,
High Valleyfield,
Valleyfield House

esp. in conjuction with any chat of Braid's golf course in the area, obviously!

TIA,
FBD.

[David_Tepper]

Martin-

Are you aware that a James Braid Golf Trail has been established on Scotland? A very nice brochure w/map has been created and published. I picked up a copy when I was over in the Highlands this past September. I do not know what group is actually organizing this project.

I don't have the brochure in front of my, but as I recall, the Trail has 5 or 6 regional trails with 4-6 courses in each region.

DT

[Bob_Huntley]

Martin,

Whilst staying in Peterhead and playing Cruden Bay, Ed Keith and I decided to drive up to Huntly and Keith to try out the golf courses. Unfortunately the heavens opened up and both course were closed as the greens were under water.

What are they like?


Bob

[Sébastien Dhaussy]

I don't have the brochure in front of my, but as I recall, the Trail has 5 or 6 regional trails with 4-6 courses in each region.

DT

David, here is the 6 trails and the 4 regions:

Southwest region
West Coast Trail
Ayr Belleisle, Irvine, Routenburn, Stranraer & West Kilbride

Highland region
The Highland Trail
Brora, Golspie, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Nairn & Boat of Garten

Historic Heartland
The Inland Golf Trail
Edzell, Forfar, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Downfield
The Gleneagles Trail
Gleneagles Kings, Gleneagles Queens, Taymouth Castle, Crieff, Alloa
The Links Trail
Arbroath, Panmure, Carnoustie, Elie, Lundin, Scotscraig

Southeast region
The Lothian Trail
Dalmahoy, Mortonhall, Ratho Park, Royal Burgess, Royal Musselburgh

[David_Tepper]

Sebastien-

Thanks for posting that info.

DT

[ForkaB]

Martin

Are you looking for info on the old Dunfermline GC course on the Kircardine Road (the one you can see on the Earl of Elgin's estate).  If I remember correctly, it was done by Braid.  If so, the DGC club history has some info on it.

Richard of that Ilk

[Brian_Ewen]

Bob
If I remember correct , Keith GC is a Braid , but Huntly is an Old Tom Morris design.

Have played Huntly a few times , its a short , easy walking , enjoyable course with a burn meandering through some of the holes .

I notice that there is plans for a refurbishment of Taymouth Castle . Does anyone know if this includes the Braid designed golf course ? .

It wouldnt surprise me if there was changes , as the course is not rated as one of Braids Best .

Brian

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Martin

Are you looking for info on the old Dunfermline GC course on the Kircardine Road (the one you can see on the Earl of Elgin's estate).  If I remember correctly, it was done by Braid.  If so, the DGC club history has some info on it.

Richard of that Ilk

Rcih,
Are you talking about the current location just down the street from the football stadium?

If so, I visited there and really enjoyed the little time spent. It looked like a really neat little course on some interesting property.  The head pro took me up (And I think I told you this story before) to the main dining room--climbing the circular rotunda of stairs to the top and showed me on the wall, a picture and story board of this Father & son who went to America and lost their lives in some battle against some Native Americans. (Politcally correct term as not to offend the GCA sensitive)

Years later--not knowing the fate of his Father and brother other then hearing speculative rumor that they had been killed by the...ahem...natives, went out on expedition to find their remains so he could bring them back to Dumfermline.  On the advice of a...ahem...Native American guide, they followed lead after lead until one day they came accross the purported area where the battle occured. Sitting under a tree were two skeletle remains, one holding the other, and instantly, the youngest cried, "I have found my Father and Brother!" When asked how did he know it was them, he repiled something to the affect that the love between them and the son holding the father was proof enough--or something like that..... (in fact Rich, now that I remember, YOU were supposed to go over to Dumfermline and get a photo of that plaque with the story on it for me!)

Anyway, the story might be boring for some, but when the head pro showed it to me he literally started crying a tear, and it shook me up pretty good also. I had already had just left the Old Course and St. Andrews an hour earlier and drove directly to there. I was in a pretty shaken state.

Finding the information I needed from the current Dumfermline site about the long lost Dr. A. MacKenzie course which is still partially sitting out there near the Firth of Forth Bridge, and it was in fact there. Looked to be an excellent site for golf. I believe they called this the Dumfermline-Queensferry Course, correct?

I miss Scotland, and just like MacArthur and Bobby Jones, I will be back!

[ForkaB]

Tommy

Not the current location (near the football stadium?--only in the LA version of "near".....), which is the 4th site for the club and was done by Stutt after the war (WWII).  Braid's course was DGC #3, and was located about 5 miles to the west, near Torryburn/High Valleyfield.  It is now a farmer's field, but you can still see a lot of geen sites from the road.  Course #2 was the MacKenzie one, and you can see a hole or two from the train when you cross over the Forth Bridge on the way to Edinburgh.  Course #1 was at Fod, about 5 miles due north of the Queensferry site.

I got all this from the club history, a copy of which is still for sale at the Aberdour pro shop.  FBD--check it out next time you're down here.

Brian

As the owners/developers of Taymouth Castle aspire to be a 6****** resort (i.e. Gleneagles standard) I'd be surprise if they didn't try to improve the golf course, which has a potentially good/great site, but which does not inspire today, as you say.

[Marty Bonnar]

Sean,
thanks. It was a bit of a long shot but yesterday I had a walk around a NLE course in the Estate of the former Valleyfield House which is very near the 'Torrie' Course which Braid designed for the then Dunfermline (now Pitfirrane) Golf Club.
The Torrie is also NLE, but highly 'vestigial', and has been the subject of a recent (2001, I think) Planning Application for re-instatement. This makes even more of a mystery around this other course now!

David,
The Braid Trail is indeeed a grand idea run, I think, by VisitScotland - our national Tourist Board. I love the history of Braid and think he's actually a bit of an under-appreciated national hero!

Bob,
How cool would it have been to play your namesakes!!!
I've never ventured to Huntly or Keith in a golfing mode. I have visited the distilleries (the Strathisla - a major constituent of Shivas (sic) Regal - Yum!) there though. I'd imagine they'll be fine inland tracks down beside the rivers (the Deveron and the Spey, respectively). I'd bet Rihc could provide the necessary critiques...

Seb,
I must get out more! I've only played seven or eight of those!

Rich,
Not the Torrie. I found an old map which clearly shows a Golf Course in the grounds of the NLE Valleyfield House (directly North of High Valleyfield) and was wondering if Braid had nipped over the road while he was at Torrie! The trebly interesting bit in all of this is that this is where the young David Douglas worked and is also a Humphrey Repton-designed landscape (His only Scottish commission and it's in a right old state!) I'll post some pictures later today.

Tommy,
I think it was me that was supposed to photo the plaque. Mucho Apologies!!

Sean,
Info at Braid Society website:

http://www.thebraidsociety.com

Whew!
FBD.