Carnoustie Golf Links *****

Links Parade, Carnoustie, DD7 7JE

Nearest main town: Dundee

 

Carnoustie's reputation as the toughest course in the British Isles was taken to the top of the scale and beyond by the Open Championship that was held there in 1999. So tough was the course that it brought many of the world's best golfers to their knees as over-fertilized rough made the layout virtually unplayable. Since then the R&A have admitted that the set-up of the course was too severe and we can only hope that Carnoustie will be forgiven by the game's elite, who did not take kindly to being humiliated on such a public stage. In truth, it is a cracking golf course whose return to the Open rota was eagerly anticipated by all those who have played it in more favorable circumstances.

Visually it could not be more intimidating. The land is very cheerless, furnished with scrubs, scrapes and ditches. There are none of the moon­scape dunes that you associate with the great Open courses, neither is it a traditional out-and-back links. Instead, the severity of the course is entirely governed by the strength of the wind and the height of the rough.

Players have to hit the ground running at Carnoustie, requiring a long iron to a hidden green at the 1st, and then having to avoid a bunker in the middle of the fairway at the long par-4 2nd. There is a brief respite until the 6th, a par-5 with out-of-bounds all the way up the left and, once again, strategic bunkers placed in the middle of the fairway. From there, you need to thread a line through the out-of­bounds and a burn to set up a pitch to the green.

But it's the closing holes for which Carnoustie is famed, starting with the 15th, a 460-yard par-4 swinging spectacularly around a rolling ridge. The 16th is, wait for it, a 248-yard par-3, followed by the 17th, where you face a drive to a fairway which is almost completely surrounded by a stream. Both the 17th and the 18th, which cross the stream twice, provide a very unlinks-style finish but are excellent for matchplay.

 

Secretary: Mr G. Duncan (General Manager)

Tel: 01241 853789 Fax: 01241 852720

Professional: None

Playing: Midweek: round prices on application; day n/a. Weekend: round n/a; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Lunch and dinner served.

Comments: Best in the country... Ultimate test of golf overrides lack of facilities... Course only lacks playability... Need to cut back rough for amateurs. .. Don't play this beast in any more than a breeze. .. What a course, a must. . . A real education although expensive...The No.1 in Scotland... If the wind blows in the Open watch out. . . 18th is a classic finishing hole... New clubhouse will improve this club no end. . . Most difficult I've played. . .Great test - in the Portmarnock class... No dunes, no long rough - it's the design that is so punishing...Greens are the killer. . . Finish is the toughest anywhere.

 

The Gleneagles Hotel (King's) *****

Auchterarder, PH3 1NF

Nearest main town: Perth

 

If you think of Scottish golf courses as wild and unkempt, then think again. Gleneagles will blow away any preconceptions you might have. There ore four courses at this exclusive golf and hotel bolthole, all beautifully manicured with a very modern feel. The King's is the best of them all, ol1d few come away from it without falling in love with this very sensuous and natural course.

The King's lays claim to being the best inland course in Scotland, and the claim is founded on very solid arguments. It is kept in consistently superb condition, but not even the heather-clad Grampian Mountains, which form the backdrop to the course, or the silver birch and rowan can persuade you that this is a victory of style over content. There are eighteen very individual holes here, providing a varied technical test. There are drives from elevated tees to camber fairways, approach shots to elevated greens, sweeping plateau doglegs, angled greens, downhill approaches and more.

Many of the best holes come towards the end of the round. There's the drivable short par-4 15th, where you can gamble on setting up an eagle or birdie, the plunge approach to the par-4 15th and the par-3 16th in wild grasses. The 17th swings around the side of a hill to a sloping elevated green, and finally there's the par-5 18th, the first half of which is a very natural roller-coaster fairway.

What will strike you about the King's course is the shaping and artistry of the holes. The fairways and greens have very curvy lines, and even the bunkers seem to draw your vision. With the bushes and grassy hills teeming with wildlife, it's a riveting experience. And if you're staying at the Gleneagles Hotel, a standard bearer for service and welcome in Scotland, you will truly be the envy of your golfing compatriots.

 

Secretary: None                          

Tel: 01764 662231 Fax: 01764 662134

Professional: Mr S. Smith

Tel: 01764 662231 Fax: 01764 662134

Playing: Midweek: round £110.00; day n/a. Weekend: round £110.00; day n/a.

Facilities: Bar: 11 am-11 pm. Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7am-10pm. Bar snacks.

Comments: Famed Gleneagles quality. . . Palatial course. . . A haven for wildlife... Sculpted masterpiece with elements of all the classics. . . Can get windy. . . A right royal experience... On a fine spring morning it is paradise... Fantastic... Nothing better, but at a price. . . Outstanding in every way, only the cost is off-putting... Beautiful, natural layout with fabulous practice facilities... Perfect in every way... Played like a rabbit, would like to go back and play well... Heaven in the Glens... Everything is excellent... layout and course condition second to none.