[Clyde Johnson]

Clyde

Spey Bay is certainly a bit of a mixed bag. To my semi-educated eye it's a mix of old a new with the new generally being not quite as good. For instance in the picture above you can just make out a plateau just above the flag and about 100 yards (?) short of the existing green that looks to me like an old green. If I'm correct it must have been a cracker of a hole.

Did you manage to play Garmouth & Kingston on the other side of the Spey when you were up ?

Niall


I wonder if that plateau isn't/wasn't a winter green, out of the punchbowl in the case of a prolonged wet spell?

The Moray Coast is one of my favourite places in the world to play golf, though I'm surprised that it can support as many courses as it does. Spey Bay would be much improved as a nine-hole, with more interesting green complexes...it wouldn't be expensive.

Not been to Garmouth or Buckpool...should I?

[Ally Mcintosh]

Clyde

Spey Bay is certainly a bit of a mixed bag. To my semi-educated eye it's a mix of old a new with the new generally being not quite as good. For instance in the picture above you can just make out a plateau just above the flag and about 100 yards (?) short of the existing green that looks to me like an old green. If I'm correct it must have been a cracker of a hole.

Did you manage to play Garmouth & Kingston on the other side of the Spey when you were up ?

Niall


I wonder if that plateau isn't/wasn't a winter green, out of the punchbowl in the case of a prolonged wet spell?

The Moray Coast is one of my favourite places in the world to play golf, though I'm surprised that it can support as many courses as it does. Spey Bay would be much improved as a nine-hole, with more interesting green complexes...it wouldn't be expensive.

Not been to Garmouth or Buckpool...should I?

When I was young, I played a fair bit at Buckpool and Strathlene. I seem to remember Buckpool being relatively consistent and Strathlene having a few really good holes mixed in with a bunch of very average. I played Spey Bay quite a bit too.


Hazy memory though - very young.


Ally

[Niall C]

Clyde

Garmouth & Kingston has a few nice linksy holes and some OK parkland. Another club run on a shoestring.

As Ally says Buckpool and Strathlene are worth a hit in that order. Strathlene is nice with open views but there isn't much Old Tom left in it. Buckpool has some more interesting holes IMO with a few really good greens. From memory it's a Taylor & Hawtree design from the 1930's.

My Moray top ten would be;

Moray Old
Elgin
Duff House Royal (technically not quite in Moray)
Buckpool
Forres
Moray New
Hopeman
Dufftown (take your hiking boots)
Covesea (bonkers nine holer)
Rothes (another nine holer)

Moray Old and Elgin are lovely courses that are a great test while the others are more holiday courses and I don't mean that at all in a derogatory way.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

Niall -
What about Cullen?
DT

[Phil McDade]

Niall -
What about Cullen?
DT

Bypassing Cullen while visiting the Moray Coast for golfing is like going to Tuscany to see ancient cities with historic festivals and bypassing Siena.

[Thomas Dai]

A bit more about the “bonkers nine holer” at Covesea would be interesting. How “bonkers”?
Atb

[Adrian_Stiff]

1 Prestwick
2 Turnberry
3 Dornoch
4 Cruden Bay
5 Castle Stuart
6 Brora
7 Montrose
8 Shiskine
9 Machrahinish
10 Askernish


Happy just to see them, don't really need to play them except Prestwick.


Seen most of the others, not seen the revised Turnberry.

[Jim Sherma]

I've been thinking of this quite a bit. I've done one trip to Scotland based in St Andrews and multiple trips to Ireland. I will travel to Scotland in the next two years and am trying to figure out the plan. I might have my son with me who is just getting into the game (just turned 12, 13 or 14 for the trip). Looking for an itinerary that would have playable courses that wouldn't beat up my son too much while still being interesting to me and also be kind of off the grid. My thoughts at the moment are:


Fly into Inverness and head north hitting:


Golspie
Brora
Reay
Wick


Splurge round at Dornoch coming back down to airport


All five of these courses are on my top 10 list of interest for various reasons. The other 5 are:


Elie
Prestwick
Cruden Bay
North Berwick
Musselburgh Old


For whatever reason these are all of interest. Would also love to play Crail Balcomie again - as good a place to be alive as I can think of.

[Ken Moum]

Niall -
What about Cullen?
DT

Bypassing Cullen while visiting the Moray Coast for golfing is like going to Tuscany to see ancient cities with historic festivals and bypassing Siena.

Cullen is quite the place.  My wife andI have played in mixed  comps there twice, and a times it feels as if you need protective gear.  I still love it, despite thinking that the holes on the clifftop are, shall we say, NARROW in a crosswind.


If you like chowder you've got to go downtown and have a bowl of Cullen Skink.


One of our trips there I was talking to the Secretary and said they have church records in town of some boys being punished for "playing on the links" when they were supposed to be in church. He took that as evidence that they were playing golf... in the early 1300s.

[V_Halyard]

Fantastic Voyage had at:


Musselburgh Old (Documented Ace past the tavern)
North Berwick
Brora
Dornoch
TOC
Renaissance


Going back for some more at:
Golspie
Cruden
Gullane
Askernish

[Tim Gallant]

Clyde:


By far, the one I'm most jealous that you got to play is Iona.  I've got to go there.


If you want a really remote target, I recently stumbled across a picture of Whalsay, in the north of the Shetland Islands(!), that puts it high on my list of courses to see.

Thanks Tom. The Shetland Isles are a 300quid-plus flight from Edinburgh in peak season!


I'll replace those played 5 with:
Whalsay
Loch Lomond
Stranraer
Skibo Castle
Westray

Clyde, were you able to tick off any of these last year? I am resurrecting this thread, because I was looking at google maps of Whalsay and would love to hear from others who have played it. Worth the trip? Worth the flight? Also, as our resident Scottish gem expert, any new plays that you found interesting? Original?


For myself, here's ten I'd like to see that I haven't played yet:


Ardfin
Fraserburgh
Murcur
Moray
Whalsay
Isle of Harris
Askernish
Lundin
Tain
Golspie

[Ian Mackenzie]

I haven't played as many as some here, but have already played 20+.


However, I would like to play:


1. Ardfin/Jura
2. Boat of Garten
3. Askernish
4. Fraserburgh
5. Renaissance Club
6. Machrihanish
7. Mac Dunes
8. Machrie
9. Murcar
10. Musselburgh
 

[Ian Galbraith]

Ten, you're having a laugh      My hit list for Scotland has still got 31 courses on it !


Not much else to do but plan when penned into the house.

[Ira Fishman]

Well, we have tee times in July at Cruden Bay, Royal Aberdeen, Murcar, and Gleneagles Kings and Queens plus return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. Alas, I surmise that those games will not happen. In looking at the lists from others, glad to see Golspie mentioned often, but surprised Nairn not there. The recent changes since we were there a couple of years ago may not be for the better, but it really is worth a visit.


Ira

[Clyde Johnson]

Clyde, were you able to tick off any of these last year? I am resurrecting this thread, because I was looking at google maps of Whalsay and would love to hear from others who have played it. Worth the trip? Worth the flight? Also, as our resident Scottish gem expert, any new plays that you found interesting? Original?

Hi Tim,


Yes, I made it to four:


Wick - I had forgotten how far north Wick was! The course is trapped behind an enormous primary dune ridge, with the land behind mostly very quiet links - the outward nine is certainly more pastoral than ideal. The par-three along the river which forces the turn-back, plays to a three tiered-green sat higher in the dunes. The journey in features a couple of more interesting green complexes - the 13th featuring a bold step, and the par 3 14th falling away on a plateau.
"Doak: 4".


Portmahomack - There's much to admire about this little nine-holer. There are some clever touches, and an obvious star of the show - the par-four 8th drapes over wild links contour, with it's green wickedly perched. "Doak: 4".


Skibo Castle - It's a in a beautiful position, yet the golf course just doesn't grab me...and I think that's in the details of the generally un-noteworthy green complexes. It's savage, but the short knoll-to-knoll 6th is just the kind of 'different' hole the place needs more of. The pair of short-fours that follow alongside Loch Fleet are certainly funky and squeezed-in, but I can't imagine many architects resisting the temptation to play along that piece of ground. The stretch of inland water-side holes can blend into one, though I suspect most will be mesmerised. The finishing triangle of holes, especially the short-four 17th, break things up nicely. "Doak: 6"   


Stranraer - Braid's last is only 70 years old. Most of the course sits on rolling to fairly-hilly ground above Loch Ryan, except for the 5th, which drives dramatically down towards its banks. There's not much wrong here, though I'd join Portpatrick for its sense of adventure if I lived close-by. "Doak: 3".






So, I'll add:
Ardfin
Buckpool
Muir of Ord
Helensburgh


-------------


Glencruitten
West Kilbride
Shetland
Whalsay
Loch Lomond
Westray

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