Scotland’s Open Championship venues very rightly attract golfers from all over the world. There are also many big names in the Golf Monthly Top 100 that are just as well known such as Gleneagles and Royal Dornoch. Look a little further, into the Next 100, and you will discover a terrific mixture of fascinating but less well-known courses such as these five beauties.
Spey Valley
The par-4 seventh, Carn Dearg, is a beautiful but testing par 4
Running over a glorious expanse of heathland close to the ski resort of Aviemore, this top quality and gently undulating layout was designed by Dave Thomas, twice a runner-up in the Open Championship. It opened for play in 2006, and is blessed with the most fabulous scenery with mountain views, water, magnificent pine and heather all the way.
At 229 yards from the very back, Loch Meghan is the final par 3 on the course
Though not really in play, it flanks the western side of the River Spey. As testing as it is enjoyable, it is a genuine championship test that has hosted several professional events. There is something of a constitutional from the 1st green to the 2nd tee, but the reward is substantially more than worth the effort.
- GF: 18 holes £115wd, £135we
- W: macdonaldhotels.co.uk/aviemore/see-and-do/activities/golfing
The Duke’s Course - St Andrews
Surrounded by bold bunkering, the eighth on the Duke's Course is a fine par 3
This close to The Old Course and the home of golf, there can sometimes be a little sniffiness about anything other than true, traditional links. A couple of miles inland and up in the hills, the Duke’s Course is a refreshing and welcome contrast. Coincidentally designed by the man who beat Dave Thomas in a 36-hole play-off for the 1958 Open, Peter Thomson, it opened 30 years ago.
Stretching to 424 yards, Braw View is the par-4 thirteenth
It has received regular investment and upgrades including a new irrigation and drainage system in the last year. There are excellent far-reaching views over the town and out to sea, and the course is defined by its distinctive and attractive bunkering.
- GF: 18 holes £220 inc buggy & halfway house selection
- W: oldcoursehotel.co.uk/golf/the-dukes
Boat of Garten
The rumpled turf at Boat of Garten runs through pine
This unusually named club, derived from the ferry that crossed the Spey, boasts one of the finest and most natural inland courses in Scotland. Dating back to 1898, it was effectively the great James Braid who designed this idyllic and rural journey through the Cairngorms countryside. It was he who transformed it into a full eighteen holes back in 1930.
In the heart of the Cairngorms, the second hole is one of many lovely par 4s
Less than 5,900 yards from the back tees, don’t let anyone tell you it is anything but a proper test, full of subtle challenge. The air is clean and fresh, the turf is crisp, and there is beauty and interest all the way.
- GF: 18 holes £80-£100
- W: boatgolf.com
Panmure
Hogan, the par-4 sixth, is the toughest hole on the card at Panmure
This first-class and historic golf club dates back to 1845 and its course is just inland from the railway line that would have been instrumental in its foundation. There is a slightly unusual configuration with the opening three and finishing three holes running out and back along a narrower strip of land. The course then opens out onto a much broader, linksy landscape.
The short ninth must carry no-man's-land to a tricky, sloping green
This is a genuine championship test kept in tip-top order with greens that are frequently among the best you will find anywhere. Evidence of this is that the course was used to co-host the Amateur Championship in 2015 alongside neighbouring Carnoustie.
- GF: 18 holes £190 (£145 if UK golf club member)
- W: panmuregolfclub.co.uk
Southerness
Looking back down the par-4 eleventh at Southerness
Designed by Philip MacKenzie Ross just after WWII, the man responsible for the original Ailsa Course at Turnberry, Southerness is currently working with Sam Cooper on a variety of bunker renovations and design improvements. It runs over an easy walking and beautiful parcel of linksland set between the sea and brooding fells, on the southern coast on the opposite side of the Solway Firth to Silloth.
The green on the par-4 twelfth is brilliantly sited down by the beach
It’s a demanding card with no fewer than eight par 4s in excess of 400 yards, the loveliest of which is the 12th which works its way from left to right down to the shore.
- GF: 18 holes £100
- W: southernessgolfclub.com
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