Kilspindie, SCOTLAND 

Kilspindie Golf Club, tucked away in that golfing corner known as East Lothian, offers another example of why 'par' is meaningless.

The concept of 'par' is a fairly recent innovation whose sole purpose is to provide a convenient method of keeping score (easier on one's mind than keeping track of 'level fours'). In both match play and stroke play the key to success is the number of strokes taken, regardless of whatever the relationship to par is. In match play a four beats a five and in stroke play 284 defeats 285. With the latter, does it matter if the 284 represents a score of even par, four under par or four over par? Of course not. The result is the same. Some might argue that a player might play a 475 yard hole differently if it were rated a par four or par five. Such a player is either foolish or weak if a number on a card can dictate his play.

The 2nd hole bending around the Firth, with Gullane
Hill in the background.

Those who value and respect par are unlikely even to play Kilspindie, as an examination of the score card in the professional's shop reveals that the course is a mere 5500 yards long against a par of 69. Furthermore, they will confirm their suspicions by noting that the course features seven par fours measuring under 300 yards. This cannot be proper golf, they snuff as they turn their car round and go in search of another round at Gullane.

More is the pity, as they have missed a real treat. The course occupies a small, narrow, barren piece of land hard by the Firth of Forth. In fact, the authors know of no other course in the British Isles where it is readily possible on so many holes (2, 3, 4 and 8) for a player's ball to splash down into saltwater - not the beach or rocks but the actual water. Save for the 9^th tee, there is no place to hide from the wind. The course, then, is windswept with the Firth a dominant feature (if not strategically then visually) on every hole - not a bad combination.

What, then, about the seven painfully short par fours? Five of those (5, 9, 11, 12, 18) play predominantly west to east, with the prevailing wind helping, while the other two (6 and 17) play into the wind. Those defenders of par, who have set aside their prejudices to enjoy at least the setting, will maintain that such a plan is the height of folly as those short holes will now play that much shorter (indeed, in a particularly strong wind one author found his three-wood to be too much on several of those holes and a 4-iron (!) too much on another (the 18^th).

The authors, however, will argue the opposite. Into the wind, such holes would play like a rather routine drive-and-pitch 330 yard holes. Downwind, though, the player faces the task of finding the green from some 290 yards - a novel challenge he relishes. When (or if) one discards par, these holes become great fun and of tremendous interest. The 18^th, for example, is some 250 yards long with the wind helping, but the tee shot across the corner of the wall to the green smack in front of the clubhouse is a demanding yet appealing stroke. How silly that, if the club were to change the '4' on the card to a '3,' the hole would be regarded as one of the strongest and unique finishing holes in Scotland (instead of being dismissed as a 'weak' par four).

The two short two-shotters that play into the breeze were designed for such a purpose. The 6^th green is fronted by the deepest bunker on the course while the pitch to the 17^th is played across bits of an old stone wall. Both require lofted approaches, and the headwind makes such more feasible. The downwind holes are appropriately open in front but tightly protected at the sides, making for difficult and interesting second shots.

Holes to Note:

1^st hole, 165 yards: The hole itself is a pleasing opener but even better is the purpose it serves: to get the player to the Firth as quickly as possible.

The short 1st makes a beeline for the water.

2^nd hole, 515 yards: One of the strongest par fives in the country, the second bends to the right around the Firth, leaving a most demanding tee shot.

3^rd hole, 415 yards and 4^th hole, 365 yards: Two first-rate hole hard along the Firth. Both are narrower than one would like as a player, especially around the greens, where the slender targets are protected by cunning undulations at their sides. After the 4^th (or even after the 2^nd or 3^rd) the player will feel foolish believing Kilspindie would be just and enjoyable drive-and-pitch course. With any wind, a player heading to the 5^th tee only two over par is most pleased.

8^th hole, 160 yards: A Scottish version of the 17^th at Mexico's Cabo del Sol (or perhaps it's the other way round), this short hole plays across the water to a green perched some ten feet above it and protected by massive sleepers. Plenty of rough and, as at the 3^rd and 4^th, clever contouring left of the green make a three after a safe shot to the left improbable. With the typical right-to-left wind requiring the player to throw his shot out over the water, the exhilarating 8^th makes any list of Scotland's top short holes.

In fairness, the authors must caution the reader against believing that Kilspindie is the next Cruden Bay or Machrihanish, an all-world course waiting for the throngs to 'discover' it. The first eight holes are outstanding and belong in that class, but the last ten are a bit prosaic as they occupy the less interesting land. Still, there is much to be gleaned from a round at Kilspindie. Just leave 'par' in the boot of your car.

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