Cruit Island, Donegal, Eire

 www.cruitislandgolfclub.com

SSS white and red tees par 68



View from the 1st tee, Cruit Island Golf Club

This nine hole course must be in the running for the most spectacular setting for a links course.  Situated at the tip of Cruit (pronounced 'crootch' by the locals) Island, it is accessed by a single track road which goes over a bridge spanning a sea
inlet.  The course is surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic
Ocean, sandy coves, granite islands and rocky outcrops. This is not a championship course but a traditional links course which follows the terrain.  The greens are good but it is difficult to concentrate on golf when the scenery is so beautiful.  The par 3 sixth hole is the most dramatic we have played with a long carry over a sea inlet with waves crashing through a natural granite arch.  Keep on the straight and narrow - any shot drifting to the right is gone!

The 6th hole - a daunting carry to the green

You will find a traditional warm Irish welcome here in a clubhouse with a view over the ninth green and Ouaigh Island.

Worth a visit?  Most definitely for the setting although it is remote.

Buddon Links, Carnoustie

SSS White tees 69
         Red tees    69

The 18th hole overlooking Carnoustie Bay. 
The Carnoustie Golf Hotel is the white building in the background

Buddon Links is one of the three links courses at Carnoustie including the Championship course which is an Open Championship venue.  Buddon lies between the Championship course and the sea but the sea can only be seen from the 18th where there is a magnificent view across Carnoustie Bay to the town.  Opened in 1979 after the purchase of land from the Ministry of Defence each hole is named after a famous historical battle - facing a hole called Waterloo at a strategic point in your round could be tricky!  The course was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas with two new and one reconstructed holes being added this year.

This is an unpretentious but very enjoyable course.  We played it in sunny but quite windy conditions which made it challenging but not impossibly difficult.  The greens were in excellent condition and there is a modern golf centre to relax in after your round.  Most of the course is true links but the middle third was more heathland with pine trees and water features.



Worth a visit? Yes - a good course and good value for money.

Silloth on Solway, England

http://www.sillothgolfclub.co.uk 
 

White tees par 72
Red tees par 75

Like many links courses Silloth on Solway owes its existence to the railway - it was founded by the North British Railway Company in 1892.  It was laid out by David Grant, a playing and teaching professional at North Berwick, where Lord Tweedale, the chairman of the Company, had been captain.     Silloth's most famous member was Cecilia (Cecil) Leitch who won 12 titles, including 4 British Ladies Amateur Championships in the early part of the 20th century.  A portrait of her dominates the clubhouse lounge to this day.

The 1st green with the clubhouse in the background

Views over the Solway Firth to the hills of Dumfriesshire

We played Silloth on a cold and windy day.  Silloth is an old Victorian seaside town which is a long drive from the M6. It is an old fashioned links course which follows the Solway coast and has magnificent views over the water to Dumfriesshire in Scotland.  The first nine is shorter (par 35) and goes predominantly in a westerly direction into the prevailing wind.  Relief is obtained when one turns back to the clubhouse in the longer back nine ( par 37 for men and 40 for ladies including 6 par 5s and only one par 4)!  The course was very wet with a swan swimming in the middle of the 8th fairway.  Probably as a result the greens were slower than we would expect of links greens.  We were disappointed to be charged full summer rates despite preferred lies being allowed and a mat on the tee at the 9th.

Worth a visit?  In drier conditions if you have a day to spare.

Chisholm Links, Dunedin

 www.chisholmlinks.co.nz

White tees par 71
Yellow (ladies) tees par 72

The 11th hole sweeps downhill with views of Dunedin in the distance

The ninth tee overlooking Tomahawk beach

Southlands (Oreti Sands), New Zealand

Paraparaumu Beach, North Island, New Zealand

 www.paraparaumubeachgolfclub.co.nz

Red tees par 71 (4714m)
White tees par 71 (5485m)

The first course we have played in New Zealand!  Paraparam, as it is nicknamed, was founded in 1949 and is one of only four courses designed by Alex Russell.  It lies a short drive north of Wellington on the undulating dunes of the Kapiti coast.  Paraparaumu has hosted many New Zealand Open championships and the course record of 62 is held jointly by Bob Charles, Maurice Bainbridge and two others. 



Paraparaumu lies on true links land

After a friendly welcome we played the course on a cloudy but warm day with light winds.  This is a true links courses winding through sand dunes.  The greens were hard and true but tricky with run-offs around most which punished an inaccurate shot.  The bunkers were tough punishment for the errant shot as they were filled with volcanic sand which is quite different from normal links sand. The start is particularly tricky and the par threes would test any level of golfer.  The 17th is a true risk and reward hole with the more difficult route to the right off the tee being rewarded with an easier approach shot. The 18th is a dog leg from left to right to a raised green and a welcome rest in the clubhouse!

Worth playing? Yes, it is a tough test of golf and the only links experience in the North Island



The view of the 18th from the clubhouse

Nairn Championship Course, Scotland

http://www.nairngolfclub.co.uk/

White tees par 71, SSS73, 6441 yards
Red tees par 75, SSS 75, 5735 yards

Nairn opened in 1887 and since then has had input from four legends of golf design - Archie Simpson, old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers.  It remains essentially the same as then barring some lengthening for the Walker Cup matches in 1999 when the Great Britain and Ireland team including Luke Donald, Simon Dyson and Paul Casey prevailed by 15 points to 9.  Nairn was also kind to the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team, including a 16 year old Charley Hull, in 2012 when they won 10.5 to 9.5.  This win ensured that Great Britain and Ireland held the Walker, Curtis, Ryder and Solheim Cups simultaneously for the first time ever.


The 1st is a gentle opening hole

 This is a classic links course running along the beautiful Moray Firth in the north-east of Scotland.  The first seven holes run alongside the water with views across to the Black Isle.  The first is a benign starting hole with a fairly wide fairway although usually played into the prevailing westerly wind as are six of the first seven holes.  Clever bunker positioning enhances the 2nd, 3rd,5th and seventh holes and the par 3 4th and 6th holes test accurate club selection and shot execution.  The 8th and 9th look deceptively simple par 4s but the upturned saucer of a green at the 8th and the left to right sloping green at the 9th guarded by bunkers and gorse will test the best approach shots and putts.  An interesting feature of the course is the fisherman's bothy and ice house at the turn which was built in 1877 and housed around 5000 salmon per season.  The bothy is now a halfway house where the golfer can catch breath before embarking on the second nine.

The seventh green

The theme continues with lovely links holes, cleverly placed bunkers and tricky but excellent greens in the second nine.  The two par 3s, the 11th and 14th are particularly good.  At the 11th an accurate shot is required to avoid the six bunkers guarding the front of the green which nestles in a slight hollow.  The 14th is a long par 3 guarded by a bunkers front, right and left where keeping the ball below the pin is crucial.  However a short shot will roll off the front of the green and make a par difficult.  Do not be distracted by the magnificent views from the elevated tee!  The 15th also plays towards the Moray Firth and is a short par 4 and birdie opportunity provided the swale at the front of the green can be successfully negotiated.  The golfer then turns for home but there is little respite. The 16th and 17th greens are guarded by a ditch and burn respectively which will punish an indifferent approach shot.  The 18th is lined by out of bounds, bunkers and gorse bushes but as with most of this course will reward straight hitting.

There are sea views at every hole. 
From the 8th green the Black Isle is on the horizon

Worth a visit?  Definitely - a lovely classic links course with views of the sea from all the holes. A great test of golf.

The old icehouse has an insulating turf roof

The Machrihanish Golf Club

www.machgolf.com

Mens' par 70
Ladies' par 72

 



Playing from the 1st tee

Machrihanish is my favourite links course but I have to admit to some personal bias.  My grandparents and my mother were members and I played the course as a small child with a cut down 5 iron.  It lies at the south west end of the Mull of Kintyre and lies around Machrihanish Bay with its wonderful views of the Hebridean islands of Gigha, Islay and Jura.  The first hole is often considered to be the best opening hole in the world with a drive diagonally across the sandy beach.  An error of judgement means a shot from the beach which is not out of bounds but a lateral water hazard. 

The course was opened with 12 holes in 1876 and then extended to an 18 hole course in 1879 by Old Tom Morris who is famously quoted as describing the course as "specifically designed by The Almighty for playing golf".  After the first hole it is a varied test of golf with undulating fairways winding their way through sand dunes, fast and true greens and magnificent views of the sea.  I love it - it is a magical place.

 

 

Worth a visit?  Yes, yes and yes - and even more so for the scenic drive down the Kintyre peninsula.

Seascale

www.seascalegolfclub.co.uk

SSS White tees 72
        Red tees    74

View from the 1st tee

Situated on the remote west coast of Cumbria, England, Seascale Golf Club was founded in 1893.  At that time the town of Seascale was a busy Victorian seaside resort developed after the building of a railway which still separates the golf course from the sea but it is no longer a popular resort because of the proximity of the Sellafield nuclear facility.  We played the course on a damp and breezy day and were disappointed by the first few holes which were not bordered by sand dunes but skirted farmland.  However most of the course is a true links although the second nine is more classic with the last few holes being particularly challenging.  There are views of the Isle of Man and the mountains of the Lake District but the course is dominated by Sellafield which towers over the holes around the turn.  At the end of the round there was a very friendly welcome in the clubhouse which sits on a high point of the course with sea views.


The tricky par 3 10th

Worth a visit?  It is a long drive to this links course which is spoiled by Sellafield


The last few holes are by the sea



The Renaissance Club, Dirleton, Scotland

www.trcaa.com

White tees par 71, SSS 73, 6766 yards
Red tees par 71, SSS 71, 5382 yards

Opened in 2008 the Renaissance club course is one of the newest in the true links list.  Situated in East Lothian it is close to the legendary courses at North Berwick, Gullane, Luffness and Muirfield.  The area was previously a pine forest and although many of the trees were felled significant numbers have been retained which compromises the course's claim to be a true links.  It was designed by Tom Doak and its initial layout has been changed considerably.  We played it in its original layout as guests of Richard Loudon but having recently walked round the new layout whilst refereeing a match I have revised its description.

The view from the first tee

The ninth has an infinity green reminiscent of Castle Stuart

The first three holes were originally on flat land surrounded by pine woods but these have been replaced by visually pleasing holes with undulating fairways and sloping greens.  The sixth is the first of a quintet of strong par 3s with its green set into the side of a slope and guarded by mounds and a bunker on the right.  Three new holes, the 9th, 10th and 11th were constructed on land purchased from the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers which is much closer to the Forth estuary and provide magnificent views across the water to Fife. They are a significant improvement as the older layout had very limited sea views and are the most memorable stretch on the course.  The ninth is a par 3 to an infinity green alongside the old drystone dyke which is a feature on a number of holes.  The10th is a stunning par 4 played across the cliffs from the back tee to a thin ribbon of a fairway which doglegs left to a sloping, tilted green.  The par 3 11th plays downhill to a difficult sloping green.  The 17th is another tough par 3 with a 'Redan' style green.

The 10th is the signature hole.  The island in the background is

Fidra which can also be seen from the West Links at North Berwick

Is this a true links course?  The fairways and greens are hard and fast running but the soil is not sandy and there are too many trees for it to be a classic links course.  Fairway bunkers have a lovely wispy fescue look and the greenside bunkers are close cropped but lack the revetted faces we expect on a links course.  Although it is a lovely course to play it probably doesn't quite fit on the true links list.

Worth playing?  Yes, a good test of golf but not for the true links experience.  It is difficult to play as it is a exclusive club for members and their guests.