Often overlooked in favor of the many great links courses Scotland has to offer, a recent round over the King’s Course at Gleneagles on a crisp fall day was a gentle reminder that not all the best courses in Scotland are to be found by the ocean. The King’s was the first course to open at the hotel in the 1920’s and was laid out by Scotland’s legendary James Braid. There are a few blind shots to handle which make it a standout from modern design but I strongly believe they add to the overall experience. Hiring a caddie is a wise move, with very large greens that have deceptive contours and some lines from the tee offering the chance to “steal a few yards” their local knowledge is well worth the caddie fee. Playing in a 3 ball under competition conditions the round was completed comfortably under 4 hours, the caddies certainly help with pace of play, if only all rounds could be completed in that time the game would be more enjoyable for all. While the PGA Course will host the Ryder Cup in 2014 (it is longer and designed to cope with the world’s best) the King’s provides a unique challenge for all, in truly magnificent surroundings. One more point single figure players should play from the white tees, a greater challenge on the par 3’s and some of the longer 4’s become two good hits to get home.
Tag: golf
Great Golf in Spain – New Addition(s)
The hottest course on Spain’s Costa del Sol is Real Club de Golf Las Brisas. This previously very exclusive course which did not accept outside play has opened its door to PerryGolf with a very special arrangement. In terms of quality and lineage it ranks with the best on the coast. Additionally, it is close to Marbella where most of the hotels are located. It has hosted the Nations Cup and many Spanish Open’s over the years and well worth adding to your schedule while in Spain.
Another course to consider is Finca Cortesin which hosted the Volvo World Match-Play Championships in October(previously at Wentworth, near London) the publicity garnered from this event will make it a must play course.
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+
Top 100 GOLF Magazine Rankings in the world
The recent edition of GOLF magazine with their 2009 rankings of their Top 100 golf courses around the world is always the subject for great debate and discussion amongst golfers. You may view entire list at;
http://search.golf.com/top-courses-and-resorts/top-100-world-courses-2009.html
One of the criticsms of the (ranking) lists are the relative inaccesibility of many of the courses, e.g. Pine Valley or Augusta National Golf Club. So with pen and paper in hand and my 25+ years of playing experience in the US and overseas I did a very simple analysis of course access of the two lists;
US Top 100 Courses – Of the Top 100 Courses, by my reckoning less than 20 permitted outside play that was not connected to a member, whether via sponsored unaccompanied or accompanied guest play. These 20 courses ranged from resort to daily fee.
On the World list, somewhere between 50 and 55 courses welcome visitor play, either because they are a resort, daily fee or a (semi) private club which accepts visitor play according to their rules.
I had no purposes to this “analysis” other than a curious observation and it supports my contention that there are many accessible world class golf courses spread throughout the globe….go and enjoy them!
About the Author: Gordon Dalgleish is the Co-Founding Director of PerryGolf, the leading provider of international golf vacations. You can find him on Google+
Dukes Course, St. Andrews by Keith Baird, Golf Travel Specialist
We were invited by the Old Course Hotel to play the Dukes Course last week. Quite a few of our fellow tour operators were in attendance for their annual invitation day. Breakfast was waiting for us when we arrived before we were shown to our golf carts and the driving range. We picked to tee off from the white tees which are the middle of the five positions they have on each hole, making it a very playable course for golfers of all levels. It was only the second time I’d played it, but the first since the extensive refurbishments were completed. The work they’d done, especially on the many bunkers, has turned it from a decent inland course to a very good one, and arguably the best in the St Andrews area. The greens were also in great shape, which in October, was a bonus. Unfortunately, my putting wasn’t up to scratch and I had more than my fair share of 3 putts! After golf, we enjoyed a couple of beers with lunch, which was followed by the presentation, held by Golf Director David Scott, where unfortunately we weren’t amongst the prizes (as a result of my putting), however that didn’t detract from what was a fantastic day out.
Road Hole Gets Longer for 2010 Open
The famous and iconic 17th hole of the Old Course will be lengthened ahead of The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2010. The ‘Road Hole’ will increase by some 35 yards to 490 yards. For those familiar with the set up, the new Championship tee will be constructed on the driving range of St Andrews Links Trust, the other side of the ash road that runs parallel with the 16th hole. An increased premium will be placed on an accurate (and long) drive over the sheds. It is thought the added length will re-establish the difficulty of the approach to the green and the danger posed by the road hole bunker and the road itself. Interestingly the length of the hole has not been altered since 1900. Lets just hope the wind is not in their face!!
You may find some interesting reading on the history of the Old Course at http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/st_andrews_oldest_golf_course.htm
Image of the Road Hole is from Europegolf.com.
