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Clyde Johnson

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Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« on: January 02, 2020, 10:05:04 AM »
With news that Dollar Golf Club was wound-up on the 31st December, 2019 I thought it worthwhile to post a few photos of remembrance...


An interest in sub-6000 yard courses and a Press and Journal Newspaper voucher for a £10 game had encouraged me to visit in April 2016.


The small town of Dollar is one of a handful that string along the south facing base of the Ochil Hills.





Above the clubhouse, a par three starts out towards Castle Campbell. Ninety-degrees and 93 yards left, the second green sits forty or so feet above (!?). (I have no idea how the ladies managed from their tee, benched into the face of the rise, a third of the way-up.)











From there, the golf tracks back and forth, and inevitably up or down, across Dollar Glen. Bunker-less, rudimentary-shaped greens are the norm - propped-up and/or cut out of the slanted terrain. Though perhaps lacking variety, there was no shortage of challenge in approaching these small, benched and exposed (!) targets from differing stances.


Taking a couple of dramatic steps down beyond gorse and a burn, the par-four seventeenth was perhaps the only hole that lived up to the picturesque scene.








A taste of how inland golf once was. Always a shame to see such facilities disappear from the local community.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2020, 04:35:56 AM by Clyde Johnson »

Thomas Dai

  • Total Karma: 0
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2020, 10:38:39 AM »
A taste of how inland golf once was. Always a shame to see such facilities disappear from the local community.


The Clubs location - https://www.google.com/maps/@56.169323,-3.6772489,16z/data=!3m1!1e3

Shame to see the decline in ‘community golf’. It was once the lifeblood of the game. Times change however.
Atb

David Harshbarger

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2020, 10:54:00 AM »
Wonderful bits from the club history:


http://www.dollargolfclub.com


(Site has some embedded navigation so click on the history link on the left).


At points Vardon, Ray, and other luminaries had their try at Dollar.


I know from just looking at it this is the kind of course I, too, would like to see the pros play.  Not because they would overwhelm it, but because I'm sure most, at least, would find a spark of joy going after these challenges. 


This looks like that kind of course that you and me would have laid out, going from one spot to the next, trying to make up the coolest most fun shots. "Let's see who can put it over that mound there...now bet you can't get it on that shelf up by that tree"....on and on.  Sure there's more to it than that, but isn't that the spirt this hill evokes?

Sad.

The trouble with modern equipment and distance—and I don't see anyone pointing this out—is that it robs from the player's experience. - Mickey Wright

John Mayhugh

  • Total Karma: -5
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2020, 12:18:28 PM »
Clyde,
Thanks for this thread. The course isn't quite as remote as I envisioned. I feel some sadness for the game and those members in the photo that David posted.

That Painswick like tee shot on the 2nd is part of why I love golf in the UK. The most obvious solution to a routing problem, but one that only gets employed when you can't do much else.

Niall C

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2020, 06:05:38 AM »
Clyde


Thank you for posting this thread. As you said it's a shame another community club has been lost.


Niall

Marty Bonnar

  • Total Karma: 10
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2020, 05:50:07 PM »
I’m ashamed to say that despite living 24 miles from this Course (I checked on Google Earth), I’ve never ever even been inclined to play it.
I don’t know exactly how many courses I have within a half hour or an hour, but it’s A LOT. The times, once again, they are a-changin’.
F.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Tom_Doak

  • Total Karma: 11
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2020, 06:34:31 PM »
39 golfers pictured on the last day . . . I was wondering how they couldn't manage to stay open, but if they've only got 50 or 60 dues-paying members, there is no way that's going to work.


I'm surprised they didn't try cutting it to nine holes before shuttering the place entirely.

Marty Bonnar

  • Total Karma: 10
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2020, 07:05:58 PM »
39 golfers pictured on the last day . . . I was wondering how they couldn't manage to stay open, but if they've only got 50 or 60 dues-paying members, there is no way that's going to work.


I'm surprised they didn't try cutting it to nine holes before shuttering the place entirely.


Tom,
I was thinking the exact same - and they’re all bloody smiling!
I don’t think that would be my default reaction to my home course closing.
Cheers,
M.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Mark Chaplin

  • Total Karma: 0
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2020, 02:12:23 AM »
One of the issues for golf in Scotland is too many modest village and small town courses. In Aberdeenshire every 10 miles there’s a small club, all are well off the visitor trail so have to make their own way in life. I’m not driving 10 miles to play another modest course so stick to my own, but membership numbers fall and each club struggles. When you get down to 60 members those who want to continue playing aren’t enough to ensure the survival of the club in the next town so the spiral continues.
Cave Nil Vino

Niall C

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2020, 07:28:44 AM »
When I was based up in Moray there were quite a few (community) clubs that were/are run on a shoestring. I recall Keith GC had about 150 members and one greenkeeper and leased there clubhouse from the Council. Not a great course but had some holes that were good fun to play with there benched in square greens. Spey Bay was similar and it was said the course would close as soon as the ancient mower stopped working. At that time the "clubhouse" was basically a wooden hut with an honesty box for visitors. If I recall they had a guy who came in and cut the grass periodically but wasn't employed by the club full time. Garmouth & Kingston (or is it Kingston & Garmouth ?) across the Spey was similar.


Basically a lot of these clubs were/are run by the members in that there was no paid manager to do all the admin. These days I think a lot of the community spirit that kept/keeps these clubs afloat is possibly disappearing which is a shame. All the above IMO.


Niall

Brian_Ewen

  • Total Karma: 0
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2020, 09:00:51 PM »
One of the issues for golf in Scotland is too many modest village and small town courses. In Aberdeenshire every 10 miles there’s a small club, all are well off the visitor trail so have to make their own way in life.


And for decades most had rules that you could only be a member if you lived within that 10 miles.


Then ...




Thomas Dai

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2020, 05:53:23 PM »
And back in the day before cars were as available as they are now 10 miles on the bus or on your bike or even in a horse drawn trap/carriage took a while and wasn’t the sort of thing folks were likely to do often or on the spur of the moment.
Hence once upon a time, although masses of them are now gone, there were rural and rustic courses in many villages and small towns throughout the UK.
Atb

Mark_Rowlinson

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2020, 06:06:04 AM »
I played Dollar a few times back in the 70s/80s with my brother-in-law. It was quite fun. Sorry it's gone.

Brian_Ewen

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Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2020, 01:01:19 PM »

Historic Scottish golf course re-opens - six months after closing!


Landowners hope new nine-hole layout will prove appealing at Dollar.


https://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/historic-scottish-golf-course-re-opens-six-months-after-closing-2901738

Ally Mcintosh

  • Total Karma: 6
Re: Dollar GC; Clackmannanshire, Scotland - NLE
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2020, 01:24:54 PM »

Historic Scottish golf course re-opens - six months after closing!


Landowners hope new nine-hole layout will prove appealing at Dollar.


https://www.scotsman.com/sport/golf/historic-scottish-golf-course-re-opens-six-months-after-closing-2901738


Fabulous. Would be great if they get something going with Dollar Academy as well.