Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, England

www.seatoncarewgolfclub.co.uk

White tees: Old Course par 71, SSS 72, 6603 yards
                   Brabazon par 73, SSS 73, 6920 yards
                   Micklem par 71, no SSS, 6594 yards
                   Bishop par 73, SSS 73, 6857 yards           

Red tees: Old Course par 73, SSS 74, 5526 yards
                Brabazon par 74, SSS 76, 5853 yards
                Micklem par 72, no SSS, 5513 yards
                Bishop par 74, no SSS, 5788 yards

The best known of the true links courses in this area, Seaton Carew's unusual name derives from the name of a Norman family who settled in the area (Carou) while 'seaton' means a farmstead or settlement by the sea.  Originally the Durham and Yorkshire golf club, it was founded as a 14 hole course in 1874 and converted to 18 holes in 1891.  Seaton Carew is unusual in that it has 22 holes and 23 greens, played as five different layouts.  Eighteen of the holes were designed by Alister Mackenzie who created Augusta National and the newer four by Frank Pennink.

The narrow entrance to the 7th green

After a friendly welcome we played the Old Course format which is the original Alister Mackenzie layout on a windy but bright day.  Compared to many links courses it is flat and has no views of the sea because of the massive buckthorn wind barrier.  Named 'Doctor' after Mackenzie, the 3rd hole is a memorable par 3 with a wall of huge bunkers awaiting a short shot and a right to left sloping green punishing anything less than a perfect shot.  Perfection is also required for the approach shot to the 7th with its narrow entrance.  At the turn the newer four holes can be seen. These have more dunes  than the original course and are closer to the beach so do have sea views. 

The second nine heads back towards the clubhouse with 'Lagoon', the 10th hole, again requirng accurate shots to avoid the fairway bunkers and the lateral water hazard on the right and to remain on the sloping plateau green.  The 12th is not for the faint hearted - a par 3 with a fearsome carry over suicidal rough.  The theme of difficult approaches and greens continues at the 17th, an excellent par four with a narrow tilted green complex.  With lots of out of bounds areas the 18th completes a testing course.

The par 3 12th

Worth playing?  Yes. An interesting course.  Try to play the layout with the newer holes which look good.

Newbiggin Golf Course, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, England

http://www.newbiggingolfclub.co.uk/

White tees par 72, SSS 72, 6536 yards
Red tees par 73, SSS 74, 5673 yards

Newbiggin golf course lies on the North East coast of England just north of the city of Newcastle in the town of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Golf was introduced to Newbiggin by a Scot, Mr Laing, who created the first 9 holes. Permission to play golf on the moor was granted in 1884 by the Freeholders for an annual payment of £2 after which the current layout was designed by Willie Park. The club has the dubious distinction of having had its clubhouse destroyed by fire on two separate occasions in 1921 and 1977.  On the former occasion the historical records of the club were destroyed. An ancient tradition of dunting new freeholders of the town is still carried out on the dunting stone on the eighth fairway.

Looking back to the town from behind the 3rd green

On first sight Newbiggin is unprepossessing.  It is situated on flat moorland but is a true seaside links course and is rather spoiled by Lynemouth power station which dominates its furthest point.  Being on the North Sea coast it suffers at times from the haar or sea mist.  We were told that if the marker post on the first cannot be seen the course is deemed unplayable!  Fortunately we had no visibility problems when we played it with Rosie and Martin Dennis on a warm and windy day.  The first four holes follow the coast with out of bounds awaiting the sliced shot.  The fifth is a memorable drive across cliffs and then a semi-blind second shot to a sloping green.  The green at the lovely par 4 sixth is in a bowl which reminded us of the thirteenth hole at Strandhill (18 September 2015).  The seventh is a par 4 where the challenge is in putting on the severely sloping green. The following holes are less memorable with a few having softer more parkland type turf although we were told that there are plans to replace them.  There are only two par 3s, the thirteenth and the seventeenth, both of which are well thought out and good tests of golf.  Overall we enjoyed the course although the greens were slower than we would expect on a links course.  At £14 per round (twilight) it is great value. 

The drive at the 5th is across a rocky inlet

Worth playing?  At that price and for holiday golf - yes

Panmure Golf Club, Barry, by Carnoustie, Scotland

www.panmuregolfclub.co.uk
White tees Par 70, SSS 71, 6360 yards
Red tees Par 74, SSS 74, 5684 yards

The clubhouse is modelled on Royal Calcutta Golf Club reflecting

the jute industry links between the two areas.

Panmure lies inland from the Carnoustie courses, north of the railway line but still in the links land at the mouth of the River Tay estuary.  Initially nine holes laid out in 1845 and extended to 18 holes in 1880 it was moved to the present site in 1899.  After suggestions by James Braid in 1922 it underwent a partial redesign and lengthening resulting in the current course.  Before the Open at Carnousite in 1953 Ben Hogan made rigorous preparation by familiarising himself with the local conditions and even reputedly cutting the 17th green himself and cleaning the mower afterwards!  He went on to win the tournament.

The approach to the 6th green with trouble all round.  This was

Ben Hogan's favourite hole.

At first glance from the clubhouse the course looks easy but it is anything but.  The first three holes are a gentle opening and then it hots up!  The fourth leads to a tricky two tiered green where a two putt is not guaranteed.  This is followed by a fine par 3 well guarded by bunkers at the front of the green.  The par 4 sixth was Hogan's favourite hole and deservedly so.  A draw is an advantage for the drive to a narrow fairway.  Any slight imperfection in the approach shot means deep trouble either right or left forcing many players to lay up.  Pressure remains on the player on the sloping green with many subtle borrows.

The prevailing wind at the par 3 9th is left to right

The par 3 9th and 11th are strong holes.  At the 9th the prevailing wind blows left to right making an accurate line in crucial to avoid the bunkers on either side of the green.  The 11th is usually downwind requiring a shot which will carry the front bunker but also hold the green.  The par 4 12th green is guarded by the S shaped Buddon burn about 100 yards out, by deep rough to the right and by mounds on either side of the green.  The weakest hole on the course is probably the rather featureless but long par 3 15th. 

The Buddon burn winds in front of the 12th green

Panmure rewards the ability to plot your way around the course rather than long hitting.  It is challenging for the best players which explains its use as an Open qualifying venue but is not impossibly difficult for the average player.

Worth playing?  Yes as an excellent links course and a test of strategy.

Sheringham, Norfolk, England

www.sheringhamgolfclub.co.uk

Men's white tees par 70, SSS 71, 6251 yards
Ladies' yellow tees par 73, SSS 74, 5838 yards

The view from the 5th tee

Sheringham golf club is situated on the North Norfolk coast, Norfolk’s ‘Golf Coast’ which boasts three other true links courses, Royal West Norfolk ( which we visited yesterday), Hunstanton and Great Yarmouth and Caister and lies between the North Norfolk Railway and the North Sea. It was opened as a nine hole course in 1891 and extended to eighteen in 1898.  The original course was designed by Tom Dunn, a prolific golf course architect of the time.  Sheringham has been the venue for a number of major amateur championships including the English Women’s championship on three occasions.  In 1920 it was won by the then 18 year old Joyce Wethered whose obituary recalls that having been six down in the final to Cecil Leitch (see Silloth on Solway 11^th April 2014) she responded with a succession of threes before winning on the 17^th.  As she stood over her final putt a train rattled past on the North Norfolk railway.  Asked afterwards whether it disturbed her concentration she replied ‘What train?’.

The 17th green. 

 Sheringham is more of a clifftop and heathland course than a true links although some of the holes have a links feel.  Although the soil did not appear to be sandy some of the holes had the typical undulations and fast running fairways of a links course.  Having said that it is a very enjoyable and high quality although fairly hilly course.

The railway runs in close proximity to the 18th green

The first is a testing par four, uphill and with a tilted green set into the hillside.  A true golf brain is required for the second hole as each shot requires careful placement to avoid the fairway bunkers. The fifth is a spectacular hole with a high tee and a green which demands a perfect shot otherwise the ball falls off on the left and at the back or ends in the rough on the mound to the right.  This is followed by a long par 3 with equally good views from the tee.  The 11^th is a lovely par 3 which requires a carry all the way to the green to avoid the five greenside bunkers.  The 17^th has a particularly attractive green complex close to the railway and backed by a small wood.

Worth playing?  Yes but I wouldn’t class it as a true links course.

Royal West Norfolk, Brancaster, England

www.rwngc.org

White tees par 71, SSS 71, 6457 yards
Red tees par 75, SSS 75, 5882 yards

The entrance to the course

Royal West Norfolk, often referred to as ‘Brancaster’, was founded with royal patronage in 1892 and I doubt that it has changed much since then.  Situated on the North Norfolk coast it is squeezed between salt marshes and the magnificent Brancaster beach.  There may not be another golf course where you are warned to consult the tide times before playing as the access road is under water at high tide.  The first tee is across the sandy approach to the beach through a wrought iron gate and feels like stepping back in time.

The 4th is guarded by a wall of sleepers and pot bunkers

 We played the course with our son William and our cairn terrier Maisie on a sunny day in June.  It is memorable for its long carries, intimidating sleeper walled bunkers and fast greens.  We were fortunate to have a dispensation from the secretary to play a three ball as like Muirfield this is usually a two ball course.  It is a traditional ‘nine out, nine back’ course with the prevailing wind assisting in the first nine and hindering in the second. 

 

The challenging 9th green

The first hole shares a fairway with the 18^th with an ideal drive having a slight draw but beware overdoing it as there is long grass and out of bounds on the beach to the left.  The first par 3, the 4^th hole, has a raised green protected by a wall of wooden sleepers and three pot bunkers – be short at your peril!  The course’s most memorable holes are the 8^th and the 9^th, on both of which you have to negotiate large areas of tidal marsh land which at high tide make islands of parts of the holes.  The par 5 8^th requires creative thinking and has been likened to ‘a man crossing a stream by somewhat imperfect stepping stones, so that he has to make a perilous leap from one to the other’.  The ninth hole is a par 5 for ladies and a par 4 for men.  There is a long carry from the tee to the narrowest part of the fairway and then either a lay-up or a perilous shot over tidal marshes to a green set at a right angle to the fairway. 

Beach huts by the 16th tee

The golfer then turns for home but into the prevailing wind.  Many of the holes on the inward nine follow the dunes on the right and there are some excellent par 4s.  The par 3 1th is guarded by a huge bunker at the front but there is at least a landing area over it.  The 16^th tee has a line of quintessentially British beach huts to the right of the tee.  The 18^th is a straightforward hole until you encounter the large semicircular bunker at the front of the green which must have ruined a number of medal cards!

The clubhouse is almost on Brancaster beach

A seat and lunch (must be pre-ordered) in the wood panelled Smoke Room is a welcome respite in a clubhouse from the Edwardian era.  Royal West Norfolk is a hugely enjoyable experience in a magical place.

Worth playing?  Without doubt

Eden course, St Andrews, Scotland

www.standrews.com/play/courses/eden-course

White tees par 70, SSS 71, 6250 yards
Red tees par 73, SSS 72, 5450 yards

The Eden course is another of the links courses in the Mecca of golf, St Andrews.  It lies in a triangle of land between the Old Course, Strathtyrum (10/10/15) and the Eden estuary.  Designed originally in 1914 by Harry Colt the first green fee was 3d (the equivalent of 1.25p today) per round.   The front nine is all Colt originals whilst all but three holes of the back nine are Donald Steel designs from a redesign in the 1980s to allow the creation of the Golf Practice Centre.  It is a traditional links course defended by its pot bunkers, rough, gorse and the wind apart from the 14th and 15th where there is a pond which is out of character for a links course. 

The first green is two tiered with tricky slopes

We played with Lynn and David Lawson in an easterly wind which is the opposite of the prevailing wind.  Features of the course are its sloping greens which cause it to play harder than it appears on the scorecard and the stone walls behind some of the greens.  At the first hole the player is lulled into a false sense of security by a short par 4 only to be faced by a green with two tiers and difficult slopes requiring accurate putting.  The course then heads out alongside the Old Course towards the Eden estuary and turns parallel to the estuary at the short par 4 4th with the water intimidating on the right side and a typical Holt sloping green.  The par 3 5th and 8th lie side by side and are strong holes with challenging greens.  The ninth is a par 5 which is usually downwind and returns to the shepherd's cottage beside the first green.  The finishing stretch is tough - a par 5 16th with its rolling fairway and subtle slopes on the green and the long par 4 17th reminiscent of the 16th at the Old Course with out of bounds running down the right side, thick rough and bunkers on the left and a green shaped like an hour glass.

The Eden is less challenging than the Jubilee but is a very enjoyable links course.

Worth playing? Yes to complete the St Andrews experience.

Isle of Harris, Scarista, Scotland

www.harrisgolf.com

White tees par 68 SSS 64, 4954 yards
Red tees par 68, SSS 62, 4188 yards

This nine hole course on Harris in the Outer Hebrides has a breathtaking setting overlooking the Atlantic ocean, spectacular mountains, miles of golden sands and the island of Taransay.  It certainly rivals the best setting we have yet encountered.  It was first played probably in the 1920s and the golf club was founded in 1930.  The layout is natural, making use of the contours of the land.  It was redesigned in the 1980s by Harris native and golf professional Finlay Morrison who was the professional at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh at the time of his retiral and is still remembered there for scoring under his age in his nineties. 

The 2nd hole which doglegs from right to left.  The green

lies in the distance just in front of the greenkeeper's shed.

Scarista is a delightful holiday course where green fees are paid using an honesty box, typical of the highlands of Scotland.  We had a warm welcome from the greenkeeper and one of the members when we arrived to play on a cool, windy May day.  Local knowledge is definitely an advantage at this course - club selection can be difficult at the 1st and 4th holes which have blind greens and must differ greatly depending on the wind direction.  The first is a driveable par 4 downhill to a blind green.  The second is a challenging par 4 dogleg from right to left with the Atlantic awaiting a wayward shot and a long, narrow green set into the hillside.  The next holes meander over the dunes with views which will distract the player from their golf.  The nine holes finish with a tough uphill par 5 to a small green nestling in the dunes.

The 4th green with the magnificent Scarista beach in the background

Worth playing?  Yes - a fun course in a spectacular setting but it is a long way to get there!

King's Links, Aberdeen, Scotland

http://www.sportaberdeen.co.uk/venues/kings-links-golf-course/

White tees par 71, SSS 69, 6292 yards
Red tee par 68, SSS 70, 5218 yards








The first hole is overlooked by Pittodrie stadium,
the home of Aberdeen Football Club

King's Links lies within the city of Aberdeen on the land between the town and the beach.  It is thought that golf was first played in this area south of the current course in 1625.  The Aberdeen Golf Club was responsible for laying out a course on this land in 1780, the first recorded instance of a golf course being laid out.  In 1872 the course was extended to form 14 holes, incorporating some of the current site. One hole was added in 1873 and in 1876 three more were added to make an 18 hole course.  It is now a public course run by the local authority.

King's Links looks like a true links course but doesn't play like one.  The fairways are soft with frequent patches of casual water despite a dry autumn, possibly because part of the course lies below sea level and is prone to flooding.  The greens were slow and holding with few contours.  Despite a friendly welcome we were disappointed by the quality of the course which was very worn in places. 



Crows bathing in the casual water on the 8th fairway

We played on a pleasant but windy Saturday when the course was very busy.  There weren't many memorable holes although the 10th is a lovely par 3 to a plateau green.  There were no sea views despite its proximity because a road on a raised causeway lies between the course and the sea.  The finish was weak with two par threes and a short par 4.

Worth playing?  No - not really a true links experience.

 

Balnagask, Aberdeen, Scotland

http://www.sportaberdeen.co.uk/venues/balnagask-golf-course/

White tees par 70, SSS 69, 6059 yards
Red tees par 72, SSS 72, 5575 yards


Balnagask is a public course in the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland.  It lies on the Balnagask headland between the estuary of the River Dee and Nigg Bay with stunning views over Aberdeen harbour and the historic Girdle Ness lighthouse.  The golf course was first opened in 1905 having been designed by Archie Simpson who also designed the more famous Murcar Links and Nairn (see 31st May 2013) amongst others.  It was then modified in 1920 by James Braid and finally in 1976 by the Hawtree Company responsible for the design of the nearby Trump International Golf Links. 



The 3rd green with the entrance to
Aberdeen harbour in the background

We played Balnagask on a windy day with a coastal haar which restricted some of the lovely views but the condition and quality of the course exceeded our expectations of a public course.  It was well maintained with typical links greens and fairways.  It lies on very undulating ground which means that there were a lot of blind shots and since the course was very quiet we lost our way on a number of occasions.

The 17th green overlooks Aberdeen harbour. 
The spires of the city can just be seen in the mist 

The first nine runs along the Dee estuary and the sea and overlooks the entrance to Aberdeen harbour.  There are a number of challenging par fours, many of which play into the prevailing westerly wind.  Two of them plus the 10th are par fives for ladies. There is only one par three in the first nine, the aptly named Spion Kop, which is played to a high plateau green.  On the tenth tee the views of the lighthouse, Aberdeen's beach and the harbour are quite distracting especially on a windy day when the waves crash into the rocks.  The 10th itself is a lovely undulating par five with a green set in a narrow valley but in general the second nine is less memorable.  The round finishes with a long downhill left to right par three with a green which is difficult to hold.  This course is remarkable value for money - it was £8 each for the round which included a discount for the weather!

Worth playing? Yes.  Good value but hilly and probably too many blind shots.

Strathtyrum, St Andrews, Scotland

http://www.standrews.com/Play/Courses/Strathtyrum-Course

White tees par 69, SSS 66, 5620 yards
Red tees par 68, SSS 67, 4705 yards

Strathtyrum is one of five true links courses at the golfing mecca which is St Andrews. Designed by Donald Steel, it was opened in 1993 when a local farmer who had won the honour in a newspaper competition struck the first drive as fighter jets from RAF Leuchars flew over the first tee.  It was named for the neighbouring estate from whom the St Andrews Links Trust bought the land.

The 2nd and 5th share a double green.
The backdrop is the town of St Andrews

Strathtyrum is a much less testing course than its bigger neighbours and was built to relieve some of the congestion on the other courses and to present a much less stern challenge for the holiday golfer. It lies inland from the Eden course so there are only occasional glimpses of the estuary. We played it with Lynn and David Lawson on a cool and dreich Scottish day with only a light wind. 

The par 3 third with a typically contoured green

It is short and flat and although pleasant to play the holes are not particularly memorable.  The greens have a hint of the normal Donald Steel upturned saucers and are well contoured but easier to hold than on most of his courses.  The course was in excellent condition as one would expect in St Andrews.

Worth playing?  If you want to play in St Andrews but don't want the challenge of the bigger courses.  A good starter for beginners or children.