Ideas wanted for a trip to Scotland

I have a significant birthday coming up in July and will be making a trip back to Blighty for it. Usually it's a 10-14 day trip spent with family and friends in the Southeast but I will be tacking on a few extra days this time to head up to Scotland and play some golf there.

I'm looking for some ideas and recommendations of areas to stay and play. With the long daylight hours I think should be able to play a shed load of golf. I will be on a budget of sorts so would like to play one or two bucket list type courses and probably hidden gems or good value for money places, thinking day tickets etc.

If any 606ers would like to meet for a game I'd be open to that too. Thanks for your help, Grumps

Basically Grumps, you've got quite a few hubs in Scotland now.
Glasgow/Ayrshire, Troon, Turnberry, Macrihanish, Glasgow Gailes, Barassie
Inverness: Dornoch, Nairn, Castle Stuart, Fortrose, Tain, Golspie, Boat of Garten
Aberdeenshire: Deeside, Royal Aberdeen, Newburgh, Murcar, Trump, Cruden Bay
Lothian: Muirfield, N Berwick, Gullane,
Fife : Ladybank, St. Andrews, Crail, Elie, St.Andrews, Kingsbarns, Scotscraig, Leven, Lundin.
Angus: Panmure, Alyth, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Letham, Carnoustie, Monifieth, Montrose, Downfield.


Mac can probably give you some Doak accredited courses.

Thanks Super, plenty of food for thought there. I can see that I won't be very productive at work for a while....

Obvious thing to consider with The Open being at Troon in July is there might be problems (and price hikes) getting tee times in that neck of the woods, but at the same time, all courses will be going all out to be in tip top condition. Nice dilemma for you.

Thanks Super, the Open will probably make things a little tricky with final qualifying and practice rounds and such like.

Admittedly it was a very long time ago, but I did a couple of trips and based myself just north of Perth. Access to Ladybank Blairgowrie Carnoustie was not an issue in terms of distance. Price might be now. Then you have St Andrews. Very much as Super said.

Final qualifying is different now Grumps from what it used to be. Instead of being local to the venue, there are about 8 qualifying venues around the UK, so that won't affect the Troon area as I think the Scottish one is on the East coast somewhere.

Cheers INW

Was just checking that out Super, all qualifying will be done by the time I get in the area and the only Scottish one is at Gailes.

I'd steer clear of Ayrshire in July. The strong dollar is encouraging loads of Americans to consider coming for the Open. Prices will be huge.

Any of the other areas suggested by SR are good bets. I'd suggest East Lothian is the best bet because there are so many courses and you can stay in Edinburgh. Pre-Festival hotel prices are not bargain level but they are more realistic. Plenty to do after golf too. If you are driving up from the south east of england you can play good courses on the way at Woodhall Spa, Rockliffe Hall, Seaton Carew, Dunstanburgh and Goswick.

Thanks for the advice George, I'm going to avoid the open like the plague. Gullane looked like it had some reasonably priced all day deals.

I also have a significant birthday this year, so does my best mate. We are planning a trip to St Andrews in the summer, June, July or August. 3-6 of us, handicaps 5-12, not fixed dates yet.

I recognise it will be busy and more expensive, but our last two off season links breaks we've had the stuffing knocked out of us by torrential rain and gale force winds.

We are looking at doing the £200 3 day unlimited ticket which is valid for every course except TOC, and then entering the ballot every day for TOC. On face of it £200 is great value when a green fee on the castle or new course is over £100. However I'd be grateful for advice from Super or anyone else who's done this as to whether this is feasible.

So 4 days, 4 rounds minimum but we will probably look to play 36 on one or two days so maybe up to 6 rounds. You're very welcome to join us grumps.

I can't really give any advice on the tickets as such, as obviously I've never had to get a game that way.
I would imagine that entering the ballot every day you well get the Old course at least once if you are willing to play at any time.
I can definitely recommend the New, Jubilee and Castle as the best courses in St.Andrews, but I wouldn't be too bothered about a game on the Eden or Strathtyrum as visiting paying golfers. You'd be better off going to another course such as Lundin, Crail, Elie, Ladybank or Scotscraig which are the best courses apart from Kingsbarns in the area (all within about 20 mins). The St.Andrews Bay courses (Torrance and Kittocks) will most likely leave you feeling a bit cold. Overpriced and not very good.
One absolute gem in the area is Montrose, just up the coast from Carnoustie. Quite simply it's one of the best links courses I've ever played.

Happy to meet any of you guys for a game though.

Yeah I imagine Ayrshire Coast will be rammed. When is Trumpberry due to open? I played Dundonald about 10 years ago and really rated it. Only problem is the weather. What do they say? If you can see the isle of Arran it's going to rain, if you can't see it it's raining already.

Statistically the east coast, Lothian, Fife, are much drier.

Thanks for the offer Ray, that's much appreciated. I'll be in England during the first three weeks of July. If it works out great but no worries if that doesn't work out for you and your mates.

I'd be happy to meet you for game too Super. Thanks for all your advice and help.

Thanks for the info super. So if we couldn't get on a course one day we'd be better off playing castle/new/jubilee twice rather than bother with the others? The deal is only for the links trust courses so doesn't include nearby courses like kings barns.

We've done a couple of trips most recent about 6 years ago and played Jubilee, Leven, Lundin, Crail (both), Anstruther, St Andrews bay (Devlin? we had a great 2-for-1 deal here). Leven was my favourite.

What I mean is that if you have an unlimited ticket, then the Eden and Strath aren't worth wasting it on, the other alternatives would be better.

New/Castle/Jubilee/Old are worth playing twice. If the weather is rotten, you'll get a bit of shelter from the wind at Ladybank or over at Downfield.

LordPutt and I should be (I b****y well hope so anyway) fully ensconced in our new home somewhere in the Leven area of Fife by the summer (we've already sold our house here in sarfe east Lundun and are going house hunting in 3 weeks time ) so we might be up for a round or two with anyone making the trip. We plan to join Leven GS which looks a really friendly club and ridiculously cheap compared with the sort of prices here in the south.

1GG

When people ask where to play in Scotland I always recommend picking a hub instead of trying to move all around the country. People often think Scotland is small and therefore you can travel between any two courses you want. This might technically be true but it is a terrible way to see the country.

Fly to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Inverness then hire a car and head to one of the hubs listed by super. (Dornoch, Aberdeen, Ayr/Glasgow, East Lothian, St Andrews).

Choice of location may come down to what you want to do when not playing golf or how much golf you want to play.

If maxing out on rounds is important then the St Andrews season ticket is great.

LadyPutt wrote:LordPutt and I should be (I b****y well hope so anyway) fully ensconced in our new home somewhere in the Leven area of Fife by the summer (we've already sold our house here in sarfe east Lundun and are going house hunting in 3 weeks time ) so we might be up for a round or two with anyone making the trip. We plan to join Leven GS which looks a really friendly club and ridiculously cheap compared with the sort of prices here in the south.

From Lundun to Lundin? Good luck LP, sounds fantastic. You might want to consider opening a B&B for all the 606ers travelling up to see you and play golf.

Sounds like a Scottish meet brewing...

Mac, yeah I'm definitely leaning towards one location and relatively short trips to different courses. I'm not fussed about what to do outside of golf and if I am playing 36 a day then sleep will probably be more appropriate. If it works out with Ray then I could see the St Andrews are getting invaded by some 606ers and the season ticket being heavily used.

LP, fingers crossed it all works out in good time. I'd be more than happy to take the trip out to see you and LordPutt for a game or a beer, or both.

Barra, I can see it now. All these soft suthernas rocking up to be greeted by a blue clad army of Scottish 606ers and Super, in his emerald green finest...

1GG

I don't like to diss my backyard but of golf is the priority then St Andrews wins out over East Lothian. That is not to say the actual courses are better but in St Andrews you require no transport to play 4/5 very good courses. And despite the mockery this will receive from Super, being a golfer in St Andrews does have a certain atmosphere which is kinda special. Even just getting a chippie after a good days golf and eating it while other like mind soles wander around you can be a pretty neat experience. In St Andrews you can indulge in total golf immersion for just a few days.


Having said that, lobster from the lobster shack in North Berwick after playing the west links is pretty hard to beat.

Must be because I'm local that it doesn't hold that fascination for me Mac. I'm desperate to get out of the place as soon as I'm done.

Super

It is not hard to identify with the feeling, just think of any holiday destination where you have a great time and that the town/area hold even a smidgen of sentimentality to you.

I know you are into winter sports, so there must be a resort/town that you frequent that produces similar feelings to what most golfers experience in St Andrews.

Absolutely there is, but that has terrain which is actually worthy of its notoriety.

TOC is good, I like playing it, I just think it's a poor venue for an Open, that's all.

Super

Don't fixate on TOC, when visitors to St Andrews talk of loving the town and golf atmosphere there is way more to the equation.

I'm a bit like you though Mac, I generally find golfers oafish and insufferable.

raycastleunited wrote: You might want to consider opening a B&B for all the 606ers travelling up to see you and play golf.

Joking apart, we had thought about it - but for golfers in general not just 606ers! But it's probably too much like hard work. We will have a spare room though ......

Where are you thinking of moving to LP? There's quite a few places you'd want to avoid round there.

super_realist wrote:Where are you thinking of moving to LP? There's quite a few places you'd want to avoid round there.

Like where? Be a bit more specific - and why.

Leven, Windygates, Buckhaven, Methil, Ballingry, Kennoway. All rough parts of South Fife which never really recovered post-coal. Bit rough, bit deprived.
The big snob in me would be looking more towards the east to reside, so Lower Largo, COlinsburgh, Largoward, Lundin Links. etc.

Another thing about Leven is it's a BUSY course, two clubs vying for times, plus it's like the self appointed administrative centre for Fife Golf, so it's constantly taken over by Competitions, great layout, but terribly over-played and it shows.

What about Elie?

Elie is mega bucks Mac, lovely town, my dad is from there but it's become very gentrified in recent years and house prices have sky rocketed.

Wow this place in Elie is so cheap. Bordering the golf course, pitching wedge distance from the club house and beach. 3 wood distance from the primary school. Maybe it's time to retire?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46487686.html

It clearly isn't cheap in the context of the local economy. Good luck commuting to somewhere that will pay you well enough to cover the mortgage.

That's why I said time to retire.

Although Elie can't be much more than an hour's drive from Edinburgh.

super_realist wrote:Leven, Windygates, Buckhaven, Methil, Ballingry, Kennoway. All rough parts of South Fife which never really recovered post-coal. Bit rough, bit deprived.
The big snob in me would be looking more towards the east to reside, so Lower Largo, COlinsburgh, Largoward, Lundin Links. etc.

Another thing about Leven is it's a BUSY course, two clubs vying for times, plus it's like the self appointed administrative centre for Fife Golf, so it's constantly taken over by Competitions, great layout, but terribly over-played and it shows.

I appreciate your comments SR, but I'm afraid we're retiring to make some money to be able to live comfortably in our old age and want to be reasonably close to civilisation (shops, health centre etc) so moving further east just isn't an option - we've looked at it. We've been "warned" about the Leven area by other people but having driven around it, popped into a few shops etc and had a good look, I can assure you it's far better than where we live at the moment - there's no graffiti everywhere, no dumped furniture on the streets, no abandoned cars everywhere, and no reports in the local press of someone being stabbed or shot at least once every week! That's south-east London for you - perhaps you can see why we want to get out (that and being the white minority!). As for the golf course, we want somewhere that's welcoming and that has certainly been our impression since I contacted the club and they have a great social side too. We can't afford to pay too much and we want somewhere we can play together so Lundin Links is out.

raycastleunited wrote:Wow this place in Elie is so cheap. Bordering the golf course, pitching wedge distance from the club house and beach. 3 wood distance from the primary school. Maybe it's time to retire?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46487686.html

You reckon that's cheap?

Ladyputt

I think the purpose of Rays comment was to convey to the rest of us how well off he is. It is clearly an expensive house for most people.

OK LP, just wanted to make you aware, there are some nice areas at Leven, alongside the 16th Fairway being one.

Which club are you going to join? If I was going to play Leven I'd be Leven GS, nicer than Leven Thistle and a great view down the 18th Fairway, one of the best closing holes in golf.

Hope you don't get too much stick from Mac Corbyn in regards to your white minority comment.

Super

I hope we are not at the stage where only those on the left are troubled by racist sentiments? Surely everyone left of UKIP would wince at " being the white minority!"?

No, I didn't say that, more that it would be predictable for you to jump on it with your fake offence.

Super

I wouldn't live in an Irish neighborhood so I guess I sort of understand the issue.

super_realist wrote:OK LP, just wanted to make you aware, there are some nice areas at Leven, alongside the 16th Fairway being one.

Which club are you going to join? If I was going to play Leven I'd be Leven GS, nicer than Leven Thistle and a great view down the 18th Fairway, one of the best closing holes in golf.

Hope you don't get too much stick from Mac Corbyn in regards to your white minority comment.

Definitely Leven GS - they're the ones we've contacted and are going to meet the captain when he visit in 3 weeks' time. We popped in to Leven Thistle clubhouse last time we visited and it was a lovely building but devoid of any atmosphere and the steward behind the bar, although a pleasant chap, had no idea whether there were any lady members or not!

When you come down to it, it's all a matter of degrees - and the Leven area is degrees better than Lewisham! We're looking at property in the area in the vicinity of the golf course (so we don't have too far to travel - and could even walk at a push, given the "zero tolerance" on drink-driving) so I think we're OK. We'll bear your comments in mind and won't jump straight in, even if it means going into temporary accommodation for a few weeks.

Lady

I am not suggesting you change your mind on where to move, but just interested if you considered any other areas in Scotland that you would have retired to?

Well, Lewisham is certainly a dump.

I have friends who have retired (quite young) to Dunblane. They claim it's very nice, in that manner which has the subtext of "..so please come visit, we're so terribly terribly lonely"

Is this Leven on the Easy Coast LP? Or Vale of Leven near Dumbarton?

South Fife Dave, opposite Edinburgh

McLaren wrote:Lady

I am not suggesting you change your mind on where to move, but just interested if you considered any other areas in Scotland that you would have retired to?

We wanted to be near civilisation (Edinburgh - but can't afford to live there), near golf courses, near-ish to motorsport (Knockhill), close to the sea and not too far north! Fife seemed to fit the bill and we had done quite a bit of touring around and just liked the area. Friends live in Ballater which is lovely but far too remote (and they've just been flooded out when the River Dee burst its banks!). We also have friends in Dunfermline but that's too far from the golf.