Ardfin Estate Golf Course, Jura, Scotland Photo Tour - Holes all 18 holes posted

[Tom_Doak]

This hole is gorgeous.

[Adam Lawrence]

Yeah, it is. The par threes generally are pretty epic

[David Davis]

Thanks for the comments. To be fair. I'm a completely rubbish photographer and every photo I take is with my iPhone. It's a matter of the blind squirrel principle. However, I promise everyone one thing, my photos just don't do this course justice. Catch this place on a sunny day and every hole will be absolutely breathtaking.

[Tom_Doak]

Catch this place on a sunny day and every hole will be absolutely breathtaking.

Seems the odds would be against that!

[David Davis]

Catch this place on a sunny day and every hole will be absolutely breathtaking.

Seems the odds would be against that!

Now that's a piece of information that arguably is not subjective.


https://www.yr.no/place/united%20kingdom/scotland/jura/statistics.html


At least figuring out the odds that is.


But then again who goes to Scotland for a tan?

[jeffwarne]

While I would prefer to stumble on a 10 pound honor box sheep mown 9 holer in such a setting,
I can't help but be intrigued
What a landscape.

[Adam Lawrence]

While I would prefer to stumble on a 10 pound honor box sheep mown 9 holer in such a setting,
I can't help but be intrigued
What a landscape.

If you did it'd be soaking wet. Sheep mowing is great but it isn't going to make a course built on peat and rock drain.

[jeffwarne]

While I would prefer to stumble on a 10 pound honor box sheep mown 9 holer in such a setting,
I can't help but be intrigued
What a landscape.

If you did it'd be soaking wet. Sheep mowing is great but it isn't going to make a course built on peat and rock drain.

We'd have a a ewe-air system installed...

[Niall C]

For those familiar with 90s pop music, the boathouse behind the eleventh green is where the KLF burned a million pounds.

Yes indeed, the band famous for penning the R&A's anthem. All together now "their justified and they are Ancient and drive an ice cream van...."


Niall

[Adam Lawrence]

While I would prefer to stumble on a 10 pound honor box sheep mown 9 holer in such a setting,
I can't help but be intrigued
What a landscape.

If you did it'd be soaking wet. Sheep mowing is great but it isn't going to make a course built on peat and rock drain.

We'd have a a ewe-air system installed...

Sheep fart warm air into the pipes?

[Niall C]

This hole is gorgeous.

It's funny but this was the one bit that jarred with me. Can't say why exactly but the double ridge looks a bit "forced". I'm trying not to say it looks unnatural as any kind of mown grass in a moorland setting is obviously going to look unnatural but somehow it doesn't look quite in keeping with traditional greens. I say traditional because the course really does look in these photos to have been laid out in an old fashioned manner using the lay of the land and whatever natural or unnatural hazards that are at hand, rather than built if you know what I mean.


It really does look fantastic. Some nice scenery also.


Niall

[David Davis]

It's funny but this was the one bit that jarred with me. Can't say why exactly but the double ridge looks a bit "forced". I'm trying not to say it looks unnatural as any kind of mown grass in a moorland setting is obviously going to look unnatural but somehow it doesn't look quite in keeping with traditional greens. I say traditional because the course really does look in these photos to have been laid out in an old fashioned manner using the lay of the land and whatever natural or unnatural hazards that are at hand, rather than built if you know what I mean.


It really does look fantastic. Some nice scenery also.


Niall

Niall, my feeling was that the greens tied in really well with the natural landscape. As Bob mentioned and I initially slightly mis-stated. Only some of the holes needed to add considerable earth and sand capping in order to be built. I certainly thought this green was spectacular and placed into a very natural place.


It could be the photo that is just not that great. If you look at the other photos from the front you can see although it's from a distance that the shaping here is really excellent but again that's just my opinion.

[David Davis]

     The 383 yds 13^th hole is a solid par 4 playing along the beach on the left. From the back tee the ideal line is over the old stone structure, a feature I loved about this hole but could understand other not liking it as much. I found it cool how the old stone walls and structures were worked into the course. The men’s medal tee allows for a line more to the left.



View from closer up - medal tee

 
The approach to this green needs to be measured carefully. There is a burn before the green and also one behind. There is ample room but distance control especially into the wind can be tricky here.
 

 
Looking back from behind the green



The 416 yds par 4, 14^th hole might receive my vote for the #1 hcp hole.  Why not the longest for some reason the approach here was one we found very challenging.  The drive along the beach is a bit of a cut of what you can chew shot however it is possible to play well right. The fairway does appear wider than it plays however and running out of space on the right side is feasible even with what feels like the ideal line.

 
The approach is really what makes this hole so difficult in my mind. A good drive leaves a mid to long iron in still conditions and in our case into a heavy wind you have to choose between lay up, long iron or fairways wood. I hit 3 wood and made the carry but was still short right of the green. The second day in the other wind I hit 5 iron in finding trouble left which is clearly not the play. Still playing slight uphill this approach is tougher than it looks.
 

The 15^th hole is another serious par 4 and the longest par 4 of the set at 460 yds. The added challenge here is that the tee shot plays steeply up hill to a green surface that is out of view. At this point of the course we have turned back to the East to head back home.  On the way out golfers have had to guard against going left but now that’s changed around. Right is sudden death but there is so much space left and this fairway somehow makes this hole play much shorter than the distance.
The approach to 15 is another story and makes up for the perceived distance gained on a solid drive here. The slope is fairly steep and the player must ad an extra club or two.  The green is guarded by bunkers and drop off on the right side so the safe play is again to the left side just like the drive.

 
The 520 yds, par 5 16^th hole is an excellent 3 shotter. The fairway ahead is split by some native area and mounding down the middle.  The aggressive line is down the right side and will allow a shot at this green in two.  After the mounding begins the fairway runs down the bluff to the right to a green perched at the end of the bluff above the 11^th green. A safe shot to the left side of the fairway will require a lay-up with no chance to reach the green. This is a really tricky tee shot.



The approach to the 16^th, which I went for in two both times seems to draw you into going for it (obviously it did me), even though it is most certainly not without risk. Anything to the right will disappear.  The 15^th green has a beautiful location with a view out to the boathouse. Since it plays down hill the green which is protected by a tricky bunker on the left still seems to set up well for chasing one in on the ground.


 
 
The 17^th is a 456 yds par 4 dogleg right. The drive is up the hill with tons of space on the left hand side. Hugging the right side provides a much shorter approach but if not long enough the shot will end up being blind.



The approach to the 17^th green looks visually tough as it seems to play through a narrow channel however this seems to be an illusion for the most part. What makes it tough is there is a swale before the green that can catch what feels like an ideal shot. I had the feeling this one plays longer than it actually is so perhaps it’s still slightly up hill after the corner though it doesn’t feel like it. Another green and scenic green placement with 280 degree vistas.


The closing hole is a 540 yds up hill par 5.  This is a serious 3 shotter with a snaking fairway. Longer drives will have to stay right and be played over a semi blind native area. Too long (probably about 280 meters the fairway runs out to the right and this will be reachable by longer players.  The drive is faced by what I’d best describe as a subtle dogleg right and shots too long to the left can run out of fairway. This is not my photo but one I requested to show you the drive.
 
 
 
The second shot plays over a native area and up a pretty steep hill climbing back up to the top of the cliff/bluff.  This green is raised up and the surface is out of view due to the slope.  Right is danger and also guarded by bunkers so playing up the left side is advised.





Looking back down 18 - again not my photo.

 

[Niall C]

It's funny but this was the one bit that jarred with me. Can't say why exactly but the double ridge looks a bit "forced". I'm trying not to say it looks unnatural as any kind of mown grass in a moorland setting is obviously going to look unnatural but somehow it doesn't look quite in keeping with traditional greens. I say traditional because the course really does look in these photos to have been laid out in an old fashioned manner using the lay of the land and whatever natural or unnatural hazards that are at hand, rather than built if you know what I mean.


It really does look fantastic. Some nice scenery also.


Niall

Niall, my feeling was that the greens tied in really well with the natural landscape. As Bob mentioned and I initially slightly mis-stated. Only some of the holes needed to add considerable earth and sand capping in order to be built. I certainly thought this green was spectacular and placed into a very natural place.


It could be the photo that is just not that great. If you look at the other photos from the front you can see although it's from a distance that the shaping here is really excellent but again that's just my opinion.

David

Trust me, nothing wrong with your photography. I'm also not saying that the greens don't tie in, it's just that particular green looks a bit much IMO. Not that it's a bad green, or poorly worked which it's not. It just looks more modern than some of the others, to my eye at least.

Niall

[Anton]

Simply amazing property.  You created a fantastic photo tour.  Thank you very much for sharing your experience!

[David Davis]

I was missing a couple shots of 17 though the description is above. Here is the approach and green.







A little closer to the green. The flag had blown down in the above photo as it was blowing pretty seriously.

[Sean_A]

David


Thanks for the tour.  The course looks quite interesting with some intriguing choices made for shaping and vegetation.  Besides all that...who owns the house sitting in the rather precarious position on the 16th?


Ciao

[David Davis]

David

Trust me, nothing wrong with your photography. I'm also not saying that the greens don't tie in, it's just that particular green looks a bit much IMO. Not that it's a bad green, or poorly worked which it's not. It just looks more modern than some of the others, to my eye at least.

Niall

Niall,


Thanks, I think it's really tough to tell from photos in most cases. Out of curiosity can you please identify which green you feel didn't tie in and were over done based on the photos?


Cheers

[David Davis]

David


Thanks for the tour.  The course looks quite interesting with some intriguing choices made for shaping and vegetation.  Besides all that...who owns the house sitting in the rather precarious position on the 16th?


Ciao

Sean, good catch on the house, I couldn't remember it being in any photos. It's the only house near the course outside of the family home which is not what I'd personally call a house more of a chateau or mansion or something of this ilk.


That house is from the estate manager. He's a wonderful gentlemen and I was fortunate enough to be joined by him for a fair bit of time there. Since he was born on Jura and his grandfather and father were both estate managers there he has been raised with the history and day to day hard work of maintaining the Ardfin Estate. Seemed a lovely place to call home and did not represent an eyesore of any kind in my eyes. It's really at that remote corner of the property and may only be visible really from one spot on the course.

[Bob Harrison]

 To answer the questions raised by Thomas Dai and John Chilver-Stainer  I’ve included a link to a recent article in the Australian Golf Course Architects’ annual journal. This will give a broad explanation of some of the issues, but not a detailed one.

http://https://issuu.com/golfarchitecturemag/docs/aga18_2016_emag_toro_singles/34
http://www.harrisongolf.com.au/ardfin-estate-golf-course-jura-scotland-construction-update-june-2016

Both the physical conditions and the logistics of the Ardfin site were incredibly demanding. We didn’t do any sandcapping, but did remove extensive amounts of peat, and in a lot of cases replaced the peat with crushed-up rocks from adjacent borrow pits. So, much of the courseincluding features was shaped in rocks, which made it fairly difficult. 
The soil either remained in place or was won from elsewhere on the site. We then did very extensive three-tiered drainage over the broad playing areas, and this consisted of open ditches, agricultural drains at 5‑15m centres, and gravel/sand slit drainage at 1.5m centres. (You can see this on some of the photographs which David attached.)
It was, and remains, very important to produce firm, fast surfaces, and we are well down the track in this endeavour. Running shots must be a very importantquestion of choice, and it’s a great shame to watch some US tournaments when their greens are ringed by cabbage rough, and the only escape is the dreadful flop shot.
Only 32 bunkers, the land forms and the walls dictate much of the strategy.

[Niall C]

David


It was basically the picture at the top of the this (second) page.


Bob


Thanks for your continued input and congratulations on a terrific looking course. I've played a few moorland courses in this country and they can be fast and firm in summer and best avoided in winter. Do you think it will still play relatively firm and dry in winter ?


Also what is the maintenance regime likely to be ? Will it be like an upmarket members club or more like a Brora with partial grazing ?


Niall

[Thomas Dai]

Bob,
Thanks for the responses and the links to further reading. Interesting stuff. Peat bogs etc, horrible. Well done. Amazing location.
atb

[David Davis]

David


It was basically the picture at the top of the this (second) page.

Niall

Niall, I see what you mean from the photo I think. However, oddly enough that was such a cool green and one of my favorites. I think I just caught it from a strange angle as I was trying to get the green in all the way back to the boat house and tee and give an idea of the hole from another angle. Those ridges seemed very natural like they were coming down from these mounds which were indeed natural formations (at least as far as I could tell) They also existed in other places on this area of the property.


I'd guess if you saw that green in real life it wouldn't bother you as much. Maybe I'm wrong.


Thanks for pointing it out for discussion.


David