Buda 2024 - some personal reflections

[Tony_Muldoon]

I think Ben is referring to Ross McMurray, rather than Donald Ross. The very much alive Ross is from Stourbridge, although he was a member of Elie, due to his parents living up the road.

Well that was rather dense of me......

I couldn't possibly comment.....(Saving this for posterity )

[Tony_Muldoon]

Well done Mark, it sure was swell.

I thought Craighead was going to be the filler course and I was so pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  If it’s true it was designed with all the money to be set aside for green construction, then the use of doglegs and the natural features, kept the tee shots interesting. I did feel there were more (mostly slight) doglegs than you get on most links, but it was not over used. That road across the par 5 with the bank that had to be carried, seems a unique feature here. Looking forward immensely to another visit.

I also have been pleasantly surprised in the last couple of years by the conditioning on the Balconie.  When I first visited, 15 years ago, it seemed that the fairways were surprisingly green and lush with non fescue being evident.  Happy to say they've turned it around and it plays truly linksy off tight fairways..  I thought the greens here and at the Eden were perfect and confidence inspiring.

I will return to the subject of the Eden, but surely its not lack of funds that prevents the Links Trust from some surgery?
Still well worth playing and now clearly the second best value in St Andrews.  Well its hard to beat the Himalayas for £4!   Was a fun event and pleased everyone was so enthusiastic about it.
I'd never been to The St Andrews Club, but it will remain a precious memory.  Bill obviously has clout.  The best table in the house was ours! Recommended.

I'm lucky enough to play NBWL every year, but you won’t get any argument from me that Elie isn't in the same category as a fun course.  it's in my top tier of places to play, love it.
Birdying 6 and yet losing the hole to Adam's eagle! It was a little unreal, but well deserved.

Now if only we knew where the Cup is (don’t worry I know) someone will need reminding next year.

Delighted that Bill Gaines and Steve Holloway have thrown their hats in ring to be future Captains.

Great fun and thanks to everyone for coming.

PS Does Mayday not get a special mention for worst drive?

[mike_malone]

Well done Mark, it sure was swell.

I thought Craighead was going to be the filler course and I was so pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  If it’s true it was designed with all the money to be set aside for green construction, then the use of doglegs and the natural features, kept the tee shots interesting. I did feel there were more (mostly slight) doglegs than you get on most links, but it was not over used. That road across the par 5 with the bank that had to be carried, seems a unique feature here. Looking forward immensely to another visit.

I also have been pleasantly surprised in the last couple of years by the conditioning on the Balconie.  When I first visited, 15 years ago, it seemed that the fairways were surprisingly green and lush with non fescue being evident.  Happy to say they've turned it around and it plays truly linksy off tight fairways..  I thought the greens here and at the Eden were perfect and confidence inspiring.

I will return to the subject of the Eden, but surely its not lack of funds that prevents the Links Trust from some surgery?
Still well worth playing and now clearly the second best value in St Andrews.  Well its hard to beat the Himalayas for £4!   Was a fun event and pleased everyone was so enthusiastic about it.
I'd never been to The St Andrews Club, but it will remain a precious memory.  Bill obviously has clout.  The best table in the house was ours! Recommended.

I'm lucky enough to play NBWL every year, but you won’t get any argument from me that Elie isn't in the same category as a fun course.  it's in my top tier of places to play, love it.
Birdying 6 and yet losing the hole to Adam's eagle! It was a little unreal, but well deserved.

Now if only we knew where the Cup is (don’t worry I know) someone will need reminding next year.

Delighted that Bill Gaines and Steve Holloway have thrown their hats in ring to be future Captains.

Great fun and thanks to everyone for coming.

PS Does Mayday not get a special mention for worst drive?

Which one of my 5 qualifies?

[Enno Gerdes]

Well done Mark, it sure was swell.

I thought Craighead was going to be the filler course and I was so pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  If it’s true it was designed with all the money to be set aside for green construction, then the use of doglegs and the natural features, kept the tee shots interesting. I did feel there were more (mostly slight) doglegs than you get on most links, but it was not over used. That road across the par 5 with the bank that had to be carried, seems a unique feature here. Looking forward immensely to another visit.

I also have been pleasantly surprised in the last couple of years by the conditioning on the Balconie.  When I first visited, 15 years ago, it seemed that the fairways were surprisingly green and lush with non fescue being evident.  Happy to say they've turned it around and it plays truly linksy off tight fairways..  I thought the greens here and at the Eden were perfect and confidence inspiring.

I will return to the subject of the Eden, but surely its not lack of funds that prevents the Links Trust from some surgery?
Still well worth playing and now clearly the second best value in St Andrews.  Well its hard to beat the Himalayas for £4!   Was a fun event and pleased everyone was so enthusiastic about it.
I'd never been to The St Andrews Club, but it will remain a precious memory.  Bill obviously has clout.  The best table in the house was ours! Recommended.

I'm lucky enough to play NBWL every year, but you won’t get any argument from me that Elie isn't in the same category as a fun course.  it's in my top tier of places to play, love it.
Birdying 6 and yet losing the hole to Adam's eagle! It was a little unreal, but well deserved.

Now if only we knew where the Cup is (don’t worry I know) someone will need reminding next year.

Delighted that Bill Gaines and Steve Holloway have thrown their hats in ring to be future Captains.

Great fun and thanks to everyone for coming.

PS Does Mayday not get a special mention for worst drive?

Which one of my 5 qualifies?

I think Tony is referring to the one where you drove backwards...

[Sean_A]

Well done Mark, it sure was swell.

I thought Craighead was going to be the filler course and I was so pleasantly surprised to be wrong.  If it’s true it was designed with all the money to be set aside for green construction, then the use of doglegs and the natural features, kept the tee shots interesting. I did feel there were more (mostly slight) doglegs than you get on most links, but it was not over used. That road across the par 5 with the bank that had to be carried, seems a unique feature here. Looking forward immensely to another visit.

I also have been pleasantly surprised in the last couple of years by the conditioning on the Balconie.  When I first visited, 15 years ago, it seemed that the fairways were surprisingly green and lush with non fescue being evident.  Happy to say they've turned it around and it plays truly linksy off tight fairways..  I thought the greens here and at the Eden were perfect and confidence inspiring.

I will return to the subject of the Eden, but surely its not lack of funds that prevents the Links Trust from some surgery?
Still well worth playing and now clearly the second best value in St Andrews.  Well its hard to beat the Himalayas for £4!   Was a fun event and pleased everyone was so enthusiastic about it.
I'd never been to The St Andrews Club, but it will remain a precious memory.  Bill obviously has clout.  The best table in the house was ours! Recommended.

I'm lucky enough to play NBWL every year, but you won’t get any argument from me that Elie isn't in the same category as a fun course.  it's in my top tier of places to play, love it.
Birdying 6 and yet losing the hole to Adam's eagle! It was a little unreal, but well deserved.

Now if only we knew where the Cup is (don’t worry I know) someone will need reminding next year.

Delighted that Bill Gaines and Steve Holloway have thrown their hats in ring to be future Captains.

Great fun and thanks to everyone for coming.

PS Does Mayday not get a special mention for worst drive?

The Cup failed to make an appearance…again?

Ciao

[Tony_Muldoon]

The Cup failed to make an appearance…again?

Ciao

Si!
Heavy sigh.




Ben would be great if you can find that article.
Agree with all that the recent work is very sensitively done, but it would be interesting to know exactly what changes have been made?


Happily my photo tour from 2011 still works.
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50582.0.html
(Sidebar: the "old man" in the thread is known to some on here as Silent Paul. 
Travel is wasted on him, when we got back to Elie he couldn't recall ever having been there!)


I'm guessing the 4th played too close to the road and so it's now been shifted to the right. The spine that ran through the fairway (shown clearly in my photo's) now sits on the left edge of the fairway and green.  However its been well done and if I hadn't seen it previoulsy, I'd never have known. Still a fine hole.
I also (Think I) remember more fairway accross the road to the right of the 8th green?  The bunker to the left of the fairway has been moved back but it seems a little narrower near the green now?

In the tour I suggest that Elie is the second best course in Fife.
Have now played 5 rounds and happy to agree with my younger self.

[Mark Pearce]

Yes, the most significant change was moving the 4th fairway away from the road.  On that hole the left fairway bunker has mover with the fairway and a fairway bunker short right, that was irrelevant for good players has been removed and, I think, the front right greenside bunker has been moved closer to the green.


On 8, as you say, the rough on the right has been moved away, and the fairway bunker moved further from the tee.  There was also some re-shaping at the back of the green.  On 13 the right fairway bunker has moved further from the tee (in a foursomes match Cameron and I played this Summer, the lad teeing off on the same holes as me, playing off +1 complained that he could no longer carry it with driver and proceeded to hit an iron into it).  I *think* the right fairway bunker on 17 has moved.


There may be some other bunkering changes, too (fairway bunkers on 14, 15 and 16?), but the work has been done sufficiently well that when we were up in the Summer there was a lot of discussion as to what changes had, or had not been made. 

[Ben Stephens]

The Cup failed to make an appearance…again?

Ciao

Si!
Heavy sigh.




Ben would be great if you can find that article.
Agree with all that the recent work is very sensitively done, but it would be interesting to know exactly what changes have been made?


Happily my photo tour from 2011 still works.
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50582.0.html
(Sidebar: the "old man" in the thread is known to some on here as Silent Paul. 
Travel is wasted on him, when we got back to Elie he couldn't recall ever having been there!)


I'm guessing the 4th played too close to the road and so it's now been shifted to the right. The spine that ran through the fairway (shown clearly in my photo's) now sits on the left edge of the fairway and green.  However its been well done and if I hadn't seen it previoulsy, I'd never have known. Still a fine hole.
I also (Think I) remember more fairway accross the road to the right of the 8th green?  The bunker to the left of the fairway has been moved back but it seems a little narrower near the green now?

In the tour I suggest that Elie is the second best course in Fife.
Have now played 5 rounds and happy to agree with my younger self.

There was a thread on GCA - EGD at Elie started by Adam Lawrence last year


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,72423.0.html

[Ben Stephens]

https://www.golfhouseclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GHC_Elie_Strategic_Review_EGD_15.3.23_LowRes.pdf

[Mark Pearce]

Thanks, Ben, I wish I'd dug that out before the weekend!


I'd need to be there to know which of that work was and wasn't done for sure but the removal of that old tee by the 11th green has definitely been done, and seamlessly - I hadn't noticed it but looking at the old photo it's a huge improvement.


I also now know why I didn't carry the LHS fairway bunker on 8 in the afternoon.......

[Niall C]

Ben


Thanks for posting. I have to say I was oblivious to any changes. That speaks to either to how well the work was done or to my poor memory and poor attention to detail. Considering I played Elie only a couple of years ago with Mark, and thinking at the time how good the 4th was, then I suspect it's the latter.


Niall

[Niall C]

Also from the EGD report I note that Ross reckons the greens are bigger since anytime since 1950. Hooray for that.


Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Ben


Thanks for posting. I have to say I was oblivious to any changes. That speaks to either to how well the work was done or to my poor memory and poor attention to detail. Considering I played Elie only a couple of years ago with Mark, and thinking at the time how good the 4th was, then I suspect it's the latter.


Niall

I think the former.  I was impressed during the Summer and think I'm even more impressed after the weekend.  Because the feel of the course hasn't changed at all.

[John Mayhugh]

Enno,

Thanks for starting this thread. I am largely in agreement with your thoughts on all of the courses. I especially like your comments about the impact of golf being integral to the town. That has much more appeal to me than somewhere remote - but then that's also aided by the towns not being especially large.

This was my fourth trip to Elie, and I like it better every time I'm there. The changes that Ross M made seemed very sensible (wish he grew up near Knoxville TN.....). While it was possible to pick out some alterations due to the newer fescue color, I didn't sense much difference in the course other than the 4th. It's a shame that safety issues necessitated shifting the fairway as that was a really cool feature. Changes to the green surrounds on 11 make for a much more attractive hole - good for hole in one pics.

Elie should be 2nd priority on the list for anyone visiting Fife, but I'm glad it's not.

Another great Buda trip - my 10th, I think. I started my trip with some big dunes at Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay, and while visually stunning, I am finding I prefer tamer land (at least for links courses). Great job by Mark in organizing Elie & Crail, Tony with the Himalayas and Eden course, and Bill Gayne for a terrific dinner at his club. The view from the snooker room balcony stays with you.

[Jason Topp]

For me the biggest positive surprise was the Craighead course at Crail.  I had not heard much about it before visiting but I liked the greens, there are some lovely views from the course and every hole seemed solid with a little quirk thrown in through the wall. 


I was surprised that I did not love Cruden Bay.  I would like to see it again without the group ahead that slowed play to a 5-1/2 hour pace but I found the walk difficult and the quirk fun, but leaving the first time player with few or no clues on what challenge the hole presented.  I am sure I would like it more with repeat play experienced at a more reasonable pace.   


The Balcomie was a pleasure with the final five holes much improved from what I experienced on my last visit in 1992.   I don’t believe we climbed the cliff back then and the extra space was put to good use. 


Royal Aberdeen is about as good as golf gets.  Great greens and I liked the back nine contrary to prior expectations. 


Elie comes pretty close to the ideal course - playable for all, interesting challenges and such a varied set of holes that you had no idea you played 16 par fours until going back over the card.   


My favorite part of BUDA is reconnecting with old friends and seeing what our hosts have devised each year.  It has always been a treat and I greatly appreciate Mark and Tony’s efforts to create yet another memorable week.

[Bill Gayne]

What doesn't disappoint: BUDA! I think it was Mike Whittaker who at a previous BUDA said "BUDA never disappoints" and this year's edition was no different than the other BUDAs I've attended. Special thanks to Mark and Tony who were the glue that pulled and held it all together. Thanks to all the pests.


What does disappoint: The Links Trust for the management of the Eden course by allowing the work on the 14th and 15th holes (including the mounding to hide a maintenance area) to remain. Really enjoy the other 16 holes.


Other thoughts, I would guess that Elie and the Balcomie Course are built on properties of similar acreage. Elie has a far superior routing and is a much better course because it's better ground for golf. The routing on the Balcomie Course is kind of like scrambled eggs at times but I don't see any obvious changes that would make it more optimal.


The Elie Course is like the Thomas English Muffin being filled with nooks and crannies that really provide the ground game interest. I think it was Tom Paul who many years ago first made reference to the English muffin but it has always stuck with me when thinking about links land (even an English Muffin in Scotland).


My favorite hole at Elie would be the 11th  .


Really enjoyed the Craighead and seeing what Gil Hanse did early in his career on a tight budget. I played Castle Stuart earlier in the week which is a more recent Gil Hanse course on a big budget. For many reasons, the two courses aren't equivalent but the quality of work by Hanse and his team that was done on both courses is self evident.


The superintendents at both Crail and Elie are doing excellent work to maintain fast and firm conditions during a very damp Spring and Summer.


Lastly, agree with Jason's comment about Royal Aberdeen. All of the talk is about the front nine but the back nine is pretty great.


Bill