[Malcolm Mckinnon]

What to say about Pitreavie?


A 1922 design by Dr. Alister Mackenzie fairly early in his career on lands in Fife not 10 miles north of the Forth Bridge.


My expectations here were were not tremendous, however, a Scottish friend (Martin Bonnar), in the know, whispered that it was not to be missed. It's formative lessons in golf course design were percolating early in the career of one who would be eventually esteemed as one of the greatest golf architects.


I found a so-so maintained course with so-so land to lay a routing upon with the finest set of greens and a very imaginative, but confusing in places, routing that has more than couple of holes that are absolutely "world class".

Dr. Mackenzie was a frigging genius!!!

Unfortunately, You will not be able to perceive the real movements of the greens from photos as the camera just doesn't capture it. Go see the greens in person then!


I will here try to give the highlights!


My Scorecard is still in my golf bag so I will polish this up later.




Hole 1, Par 5, Tee view


Just Whack it away up the hill!


DSC01130 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


View from the Hill crest on 1st hole


DSC01131 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


But wait! Guess what is lurking right in the lay up spot! A nasty ditch!!


DSC01132 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And once up top a very nasty green!


DSC01133 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 2,  par 5


Wake me up after this ho-hum tee shot.


DSC01134 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


View of bunkers to the descending shot toward the green.


DSC01135 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


The green slopes front to back and away!


DSC01136 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 3, par 3


A long par 3!


Yikes!!


DSC01137 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


What the Heck is this?? Super Yikes!!


DSC01138 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 4, par 4


Tee View


DSC01139 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Approach on 4


DSC01140 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Just your average green, WTF!!


DSC01141 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


5th tee, an uphill par 4


DSC01142 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


My ball came to rest against a "cop" bunker in the middle of the fairway which you can see just a part of in the right of this picture. It is  just an abrupt raised mound but is just as half a shot punitive as a bunker.


DSC01143 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


5th green


Not much slope to this one..


DSC01144 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 6, Par 3


DSC01145 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


No easy two puts here.


DSC01146 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 7, Par 4


Tee view..


DSC01147 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 7 approach..


DSC01148 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


7th below the hole..


DSC01149 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 8, par 4


Blind tee shot, just shoot for the stake...


DSC01150 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr




From the 8th Fairway you can see the Forth River Bridges ( A new one under construction) and the Pentland Hills beyond south of Edinburgh!


DSC01151 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


8th green..


DSC01152 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


8th green looking back...


DSC01153 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


9th tee view, Par 4


A heroic drive over a chasm!


DSC01154 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


To a perched green...


DSC01156 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


An easy two put here??


DSC01157 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 10, Par 4


Valley down!! Then left!


DSC01158 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


10th approach..


Could there be a false front here, hmmm....


DSC01159 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


10th green and a very slow two ball which I had to bypass..


DSC01160 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


11th tee, Short par 4


No report here as I bypassed the molasses slow two ball in front of me, sorry..


12th tee par 3


A early idea for a short par 3, guarded by a deep ditch with a narrow green. Might remind you of a certain famous hole in GA, USA.


Tee view..


DSC01161 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


View of green...


DSC01162 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


12th green again...


DSC01176 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And once more...


DSC01175 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


13th tee, Par 4


The most ingenious hole on the golf course. The tee shot is benign...


DSC01163 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


BUT!, the down fairway kicks right to left steeply to a deep and nefarious ditch with water.


DSC01165 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And the approach is to a HUGE double plateau green...


DSC01166 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


14th tee, Par 4


Tee view


Over the ridge again...


DSC01167 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


To a view of this green..


DSC01168 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


15th hole, Par 4


Tee view


DSC01169 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


View of Green...


DSC01171 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


16th hole, A long uphill Par 3


Tee view


DSC01172 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And another tough green...


DSC01173 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


17th hole, par 4


Now on the lowest and flattest part of the property. Tee view...


DSC01174 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


17th green...


DSC01177 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


18th tee, Par 5


Tee view.


DSC01178 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Around the corner..


DSC01179 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


To another fabulous tiered green...


DSC01180 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Too bad it was the easy tier today...


DSC01181 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


For Golf tourists looking to put a notch in your belt this is not the course for you! However, for aficionados of Golf Architecture and History of such, here is a fascinating place to venture!

[David_Tepper]

Malcolm -

Thanks for the tour. Very interesting indeed.

Some how I thought Duff House Royal was the good Doctor's only effort in Scotland, but I guess not.

DT

[Marty Bonnar]

David,
You haven't heard us talking about Blairgowrie? You really need to get away from Dornoch. Especially into Fife!
Cheers
M

[Thomas Dai]

Some how I thought Duff House Royal was the good Doctor's only effort in Scotland, but I guess not.

DT

Hazelhead No1 (Aberdeen) and redesign of Pollok (Glasgow).


Atb

[David_Tepper]

Martin -

Duff House Royal is getting away from Dornoch!

DT

P.S. Greetings from the bonnie Highlands!

[Rich Goodale]

Great photos, Malcolm.


Living<10 miles from Pitreavie, I've played the course >25 times over the past 20 years in all sorts of weather and under all sorts of conditions, and it is easily one of the best inland courses in Scotland.  If it were located within 100 miles of London it would be considered a must play for GCA afficionados.  Alas, few of our fellow wing nuts think of Pitreavie when crossing the border, choosing to spend their money on courses of more renown but far less character.


Thanks


Rich


PS--Oor Marty is too modest to say that the 1st green is his creation.  How many of the other archies on this site have had the balls and vision to change a MacKenzie green?
PPS--I've played the MacKenzie green as often as the Bonnar green, and the latter significantly changes the hole, in most ways positively.


rfg

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks Malcolm a happy reminder and I wholeheartedly agree with allyou say.
 
Amazing how he keeps heading back to that sudden rise in the land full marks for geting the most out of the interesting features.
 
I think the good Doctor Goodale and I paid about £20 each for the pleasure. Along with Cavendish one of the best bargains in this land.
 
 

[Niall C]

Well done Malcolm, although I'd disagree with you and say that 1922 wasn't that early in MacKenzies career. He was already well known and fairly experienced by then.

It's interesting how you get recurring design ideas on his courses. For instance the 18th green reminds me of the 18th at Duff House Royal except the bank at DHR is kept closely mown so you can use it as a back stop. Not sure that they cut it close enough at Pitreavie to do that.

The par 3 downhill you've already mentioned but there is also the 13th which has a drive to a slightly hog back fairway and then the hole dog legs slightly to the left playing over a gully to a tiered green. Very reminiscent to the 16th(?) at Pasatiempo and I believe a hole at Cavendish.

With regards to conditioning, I suspect you got it too early in the season to be at it's best bad glad you enjoyed it anyway.

Niall 

[Niall C]

For those interested in MacKenzies work in Scotland, the MacKenzie Timeline research team have the following;
 
New Courses

Pitreavie GC, Dunfermline
Duff House Royal GC, Banff*
Portland Course, Troon (RTGC second course)*
Strichen (NLE), Aberdeenshire
Bonnyton GC, near Glasgow
Hazelhead No. 1 course, Aberdeen
*both courses were built over existing courses where MacKenzie utilised turf from existing greens in building the new course.
 
Redesigns

Blairgowrie (Rosemount), Perthshire
Pollok GC, Glasgow
Erskine GC, near Glasgow
Ballater GC, Deeside
Royal Troon Championship course, Ayrshire (bunker at 10^th)
Prestwick GC, Ayrshire
Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, Edinburgh
Dunfermline GC (Ferryhills course), Dunfermline
 
Miscellaneous


Duddingston GC, Edinburgh – MacKenzie prepared plan for redesign of existing course plus new course on adjacent land that was to be bought in. Plan was rejected by members and none of MacKenzies work was carried out.


Site of what is now Royal Tarlair GC for MacDuff Town Council – MacKenzie looked at the RT site plus another site overlooking the town and made general recommendations. It was during his visit to MacDuff that he advised on DHR which lead to him designing new course there.


The Glen GC, North Berwick – MacKenzie provided a redesign to Burgh Council who owned course at the time. No plans have been found for MacKenzies suggestions and it is known that the Council didn’t retain Mac or his brother to carry out any work but that a redesign was carried out shortly thereafter although whether to MacKenzies design or not is unknown. 


Gleneagles – by MacKenzies own account he was the first gca to look at the site which would make it c.1913 or before, however we’ve found no collaborating evidence to confirm when and if MacKenzie looked at the site.


St Andrews – as well as producing the plan of the Old Course, there has been suggestions that MacKenzie was involved in the design of the Eden course with Colt, however no hard evidence to suggest that he was.


Dalmunzie – rumours persist that MacKenzie was involved in some shape or form at this private 9 holer however no evidence has been found and there is evidence that suggests Tom Simpson designed the course.
 
If anyone has anything else that Mac was involved in Scotland then happy to hear from them.
 
Niall

[Sean_A]

Malcolm

I was so impressed by the tour that I tried to alter our itinerary for next weekend.  Unfortunately the timing doesn't work...but I shall try to play Pitreavie at some point.  Thanks for the tour.

Ciao

[Tony_Muldoon]

Gleneagles – by MacKenzies own account he was the first gca to look at the site which would make it c.1913 or before, however we’ve found no collaborating evidence to confirm when and if MacKenzie looked at the site.

Colt was there earlier than that. 

[jeffwarne]

Love how the tee shots are merely suggestions-look inspiring-not dictated


So many courses could be improved with a similar bunker scheme (restraint)


Challenging looking greens(pinnable slope and tilt-not flat individual tiers) that would be ruined by modern speeds


so many courses---so little time

[Niall C]

Jeff


Definitely a course for you.


Tony


Colt at Gleneagles - when was he there ?


Niall

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