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Sean_A

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen New
« Reply #50 on: July 04, 2013, 05:16:01 AM »
ROYAL ABERDEEN CONTINUED

#9
 

Murcar's 3rd is at the end of the links.
 

#10
 

Very flat, but with an undulating green, the one-shot 11th continues the change of pace.

#12
 

 

A seemingly wide tee shot narrowed a bit by the general fairway tilt toward the left rough (and out of position), #13 is still a bit of a relief even at 400 yards.


The reader can see this green area  has been recently reworked.  The right bunker needs work as it is not nearly deep enough.


More to follow.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2016, 03:01:38 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Ally Mcintosh

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #51 on: July 04, 2013, 05:19:42 AM »
Sean,

Know you're not at the end yet but Royal Aberdeen - back nine better than the much lauded front nine?

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #52 on: July 04, 2013, 06:07:48 AM »
Sean,

Know you're not at the end yet but Royal Aberdeen - back nine better than the much lauded front nine?

Ally

The back nine is far better than given credit for.  Whether it is better than the front is not something I would say.  I would probably be inclined to say the back is an excellent compliment to the front.  The big issue with the front nine for me is much of the land was used in the same manner; thru dunes, fairway breaks (if downwind) - my biggest beef, and left to right leggers.  But I am not one that thinks dunes are the be all and all of links simply because its difficult for archies go against the grain of the land.  I think TOC is awesome terrain for golf, same for Deal - basically flat terrain (with some areas excepted) with most of the movement essentially being lowish lying.  Totally different stuff to playing through dunes which I always feel is a double edged sword.  Golf needs space, the sort of which most dunes systems don't provide.  Yet, dunes are beautiful and it is always wonderful to have some holes through this sort of terrain if available. 

Ciao
« Last Edit: July 04, 2013, 06:11:49 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Ally Mcintosh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #53 on: July 04, 2013, 06:14:21 AM »
Sean,

Know you're not at the end yet but Royal Aberdeen - back nine better than the much lauded front nine?

Ally

The back nine is far better than given credit for.  Whether it is better than the front is not something I would say.  I would probably be inclined to say the back is an excellent compliment to the front.  The big issue with the front nine for me is much of the land was used in the same manner; thru dunes, fairway breaks (if downwind) - my biggest beef, and left to right leggers.  But I am not one that thinks dunes are the be all and all of links simply because its difficult for archies go against the grain of the land.  I think TOC is awesome terrain for golf, same for Deal - basically flat terrain (with some areas excepted) with most of the movement essentially being lowish lying.  Totally different stuff to playing through dunes which I always feel is a double edged sword.  Golf needs space, the sort of which most dunes systems don't provide.  Yet, dunes are beautiful and it is always wonderful to have some holes through this sort of terrain if available. 

Ciao

I grew up playing at Balgownie so I know it well (although it's been over 20 years since I actually played a round there)... I think I agree with everything you say above...

Niall C

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #54 on: July 04, 2013, 07:34:28 AM »
Didn't suit me at all, never got a chance to hit one of my towering one irons 220 yards into a stiff breeze. Very disappointing !

Niall

You didn't play any of those at Silloth either !!  ;D  :D

Donal,

As Sean Arble will tell you, all you need for your approach shots at Silloth is an 8 iron  ;D

Niall

jeffwarne

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #55 on: July 04, 2013, 08:33:52 PM »
Am I the only one who thinks that windmill behind hole 11 looks really cool?
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Brian_Ewen

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #56 on: July 05, 2013, 02:35:03 AM »
Am I the only one who thinks that windmill behind hole 11 looks really cool?

Some history:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=51877

Sean_A

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Royal Aberdeen Done; Burnside Up New
« Reply #57 on: July 05, 2013, 03:58:51 AM »
Jeff

I couldn't believe how many "windmills" were strewn across Scotland on this trip.  They are bloody everywhere!  I don't mind them so much at Aberdeen because the area is heavily urbanized anyway. 

ROYAL ABERDEEN CONTINUED

#14


As suggested in the opening Aberdeen post, the back nine has been more than merely tweaked.  The shortish two-shotter 15th, has had its green surrounds reworked.     


A tightly guarded drive played into an upslope, the sixteenth plays quite a bit longer than its listed 371 yards.  For many the approach will be blind.  Below is a look at the green after a very good drive. 


1*  2013


CARNOUSTIE BURNSIDE   

For me, the surprise of the week.  Carnoustie Burnside is not close to being a great course, but it is a wonderful balance of challenge and intrigue.  One might say the Burnside is nay on perfect holiday golf.  It didn't hurt that the course was the best conditioned we saw all week, but the variety of greens and shot options is glorious.  Mind you, the Burnside is no pushover.  The links is 6000 yards with a par of 68 and a standard scratch of 70.  There is work to do in earning a good score.  However, one of the best aspects of the course is the wonderful walk. Tees are near greens, thus making it very easy to play in 3.5 hours.  The scene is more laid back as well.  One gets several glimpses of the Championship course as the two are intertwined.  We played the par three 5th, teed off on the 6th and hit our approaches before the gang on the Championship's 11th finished teeing off! 

The origins of the Burnside go back to 1892 when OTM and Robert Simpson laid out nine holes. A rare example of a second course being added prior to the opening of the New at St Andrews. While very much the baby brother of the Championship Course, the Burnside has been an Open qualifying course in the past.  Indeed, in 1953, Ben Hogan qualified for the Open playing over the Burnside.  As the name suggests, the Barry Burn is featured on some holes (most notably on the 17th!), but for the most part it is the fairly tight fairways, clever - hard to hold greens and firm conditions which guard against smash mouth golf.  That said, on most holes the rough was well kept.  Balls could be found quickly, but not necessarily easily played. 

The first is a tame opener, but a surprising green awaits.


The long par 4 second has its green squeezed between OOB down the right and a bunker left.  The green, as it should, moves toward OOB.  Coming in with a long club is a very risky play.


The opening par three is quite difficult downwind.  As is evident in this photo, I suspect the functional aspect of some of the features is less than appealing for some traveling golfers and thus perhaps why this course isn't much more highly respected.


An obvious homage to the 4th on the big course - quite similar holes.


More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: January 31, 2023, 08:42:18 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Niall C

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Royal Aberdeen Done; Burnside Up
« Reply #58 on: July 05, 2013, 07:20:14 AM »
Sean

Put me down as a fan of Burnside also. The flattish holes nearer the town were good and required a good hit while the holes nearer the sea had plenty of good linksy roll on them. Look forward to the rest of the tour.

Niall

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #59 on: July 05, 2013, 01:04:59 PM »
Am I the only one who thinks that windmill behind hole 11 looks really cool?

No you're not alone Jeff. Perhaps a few more sited just a few miles further north up the coast might look quite nice! Chuckle, chuckle!

Another splendid photo tour Sean. Enjoying the Burnside. Never played it. Wish I had.

As to Royal Aberdeen, well there arn't many better courses around than Balgownie. A really, really strong test of golf. IMO it won the Walker Cup, the two teams were just playing for second and third places. It's two courses really, not just because the nines are somewhat different in character - nothing wrong with that I reckon, but because of the wind, more effected by the wind than some of the other courses in the area I always thought, particularly those further south. It's very, very unusual to get a calm day, you might get a 1 club wind perhaps 1 day per week but the rest of the time it'll vary between 2-4 clubs and even 5 a clubber is not unknown. And when that wind comes from the north, which is the opposite to the prevailing direction, the front-9 becomes a total beast, for example not being able to reach near to the par-3 3rd green even with a driver. Indeed I recall on the first day of the British Seniors Open a few years ago, one former US Pro tour player took 51 shots to cover the front 9. Stopping shots on many of the back-nine greens becomes really challenging with a northerly blowing from behind. Another factor with the wind is that whichever direction it blows from, it is a very cold wind, even in summer, and a golfball never seems to flight as well through a cold wind.

As to the angles of the shots, especially the tee shots, the dunes by the coast have varied over the years. Favoured tees that were once up on top of the dunes above the beach have had to be moved, some inland as coastal erosion has been an issue. For example, at one stage there was perhaps 40 yds of land behind the 1st green. No more though. A bunker was once installed over the back of the at the 17th green. The wind blew so hard all the sand came out and the area was soon turfed over once more. It's a reasonable point about the angles of the teeshots though, for example, in the winter the 7th hole used to be played from a tee to the right of the 6th green, which I always reckoned was an improvement on the usual summer tee position.

Balgownie, a great course, one that will test every club in your bag, and a course that IMO definitely deserves an Open, and pretty soon too.

All the best
« Last Edit: July 05, 2013, 04:25:35 PM by Thomas Dai »

Ally Mcintosh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Royal Aberdeen Done; Burnside Up
« Reply #60 on: July 05, 2013, 05:27:52 PM »
Will certainly be interesting to see how it gets on with The Scottish Open next year...

Brian Freeman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: 3rd Course - Royal Aberdeen
« Reply #61 on: July 05, 2013, 10:57:52 PM »
Sean,

Know you're not at the end yet but Royal Aberdeen - back nine better than the much lauded front nine?

The back nine is far better than given credit for.  


Agree completely.  Played the course on a day that had a 3-4 club prevailing wind and thought the back nine was a great test into that wind.  Tough? Yes.  But fair and fun.  12, 17, and 18 are world class holes.  Surprised to see some changes have been made.

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside New
« Reply #62 on: July 07, 2013, 05:09:40 AM »
BURNSIDE CONTINUED

The unusual 5th is a peninsula hole with the open end on the left.  The large tree on the left "encourages" golfers to play more toward the centre of the green and the danger.


A very nifty hole, #6 begs the golfer to carry the right bunkers when in fact these are red herrings.  Due to the right to left tilt of the green it is best to approach from the outside of the leg.




From the rear of the green the tilt is quite pronounced.


The 7th slides gracefully left over humpty bumpty ground.


The long two-shot 8th also requires the player to stay on the outside of the leg.  The green is a tough and blind target from the left of the fairway.  Even from the best position the approach is demanding.


The side ends with a great par 3.  Playing uphill and into the wind, the plateau 9th is a severe target. Its a shame about the astroturf  ::) Plus, the visuals would be enhanced if the bunker could be properly seen from the tee.






More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: July 30, 2018, 05:41:15 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside New
« Reply #63 on: July 08, 2013, 03:42:01 AM »
BURNSIDE CONTINUED

The back nine continues the excellent golf.  A narrow, blind drive turning left reminds me quite a bit of some tee shots at Portrush.  It is very easy to be caught much further right than is ideal.


Not only does the rough cause problems, but the green is well defended from this angle.


The 11th too is very good without being exceptional.  #12 offers a centreline bunker, but the place to be is on the right side of the fairway. Given the unusual shape of the green and bunkering further up, left of the bunker is in play, but very awkward.




Notice the front left of the green - balls naturally move to the lower right side of the green.


While the 13th is not a full on punchbowl, it seems most links have some version of this classic design.


It is rare for a course to have the wonderful diversity of par 3s the Burnside enjoys.  To have a hole the quality of #14 is even more unusual. Long & demanding, long & demanding....Considering the hole is 228 yards, uphill and often into the wind, well, nuff said.




More to follow.
 
Ciao
« Last Edit: July 30, 2018, 05:51:47 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Ally Mcintosh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside
« Reply #64 on: July 08, 2013, 05:30:54 AM »
Burnside looks really good...

I thought I'd played it when I was 13 years old along with the main course but nothing rings a bell... Maybe I played the 3rd course - The Buddon, I think?

Colin Macqueen

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside
« Reply #65 on: July 08, 2013, 05:41:22 AM »
Sean,
Once again thoroughly enjoying your Angus and Grampian Tour but of course wee Burnside is very dear to my heart. It was on Burnside that I hit my first shot on an actual golf course. Onto the railway line which you never mentioned as a hazard in your description of the first hole.

But what set my wee heart racing was the photo you took at the turn and there was the wee double storey hoose, white washed and glinting in the Carnoustie sun with its bay window on the second floor. The home was (is?) called Lismore and from that very window I espied Ben Hogan as he putted out on the eighteenth to win in 1953!!!



Great stuff and thanks.

Cheers Colin
"Golf, thou art a gentle sprite, I owe thee much"
The Hielander

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside New
« Reply #66 on: July 10, 2013, 04:06:56 AM »
Col

Burnside would be a great course to learn the game.  There are plenty of times when one has to decide to bang away or throttle back. 

Ally

Burnside is very good - a huge surprise for me.

BURNSIDE CONTINUED

Not by any means bad holes, but the final four are not the strength of the course.  That is with one exception and it is a rather large exception both in length and difficulty.  In fact, the 17th is very close to the design concepts of the heralded 17th on the Championship Course. Barry Burn harries (blind from the tee!) the golfer throughout the entire 473 yards of the hole.  The trouble doesn't end there.  The green is terribly small with gorse and other such medieval-like Scottish growth protecting the right and rear.   When one finishes the hole climb the berm and take a look at the other 17th - it has nothing on Sinkies.   




How many truly "second" courses provide such an array of great golf holes?  #s 6, 9, 12, 14 & 17 are no less than superb and would add dignity to any links.  The backing chorus too is of high standard.  In short, the Burnside is a special course.  Golfers make a pilgrimage to follow in the footsteps of Hogan, but Braid's (recently found out he was responsible for the design - who else?) Burnside is not to be missed.  The only possible drawback of the Burnside is the lack of facilities near the 1st or 18th.  One can get a drink at one of the clubs down Links Parade (Carnoustie Ladies GC has by far the most kerb-side appeal), but there is a sense of isolation.  Depending on one's sensibilities and after witnessing the monstrosity that is the hotel and visitor centre, this may be no bad thing.   2013

Ciao
« Last Edit: July 30, 2018, 05:54:09 AM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside
« Reply #67 on: July 10, 2013, 07:59:58 AM »
This Burnside photo tour indicates how good the quality of golf is at 'lessor' courses often found adjacent to main Championship courses. Thank for highlighting the Burnside Sean.

Where would be other there similar locations in other parts of the globe where there is a good quality lessor course immediately adjacent to a main Championship course and where the lessor is very much worth playing? Perhaps the Valley course at Portrush? One of the other courses at Bethpage? Suggestions please, although perhaps best as a separate thread?

All the best

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Carnoustie Burnside
« Reply #68 on: July 10, 2013, 08:32:42 AM »
Thomas

I never thought much about the second course at Co Down.  Someone did a photo tour of the place and it looked very good. 

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Burnside Finished; Onto Cruden Bay New
« Reply #69 on: July 11, 2013, 04:17:26 AM »


On to the final leg of the tour and the course which impressed me the most.  It would seem the design history of Cruden Bay is a mess.  We know certain key characters were involved, but because of the ongoing changes over time it is hard to know what Old Tom Morris, Archie Simpson, Tom Simpson, Herbert Fowler and even a few minor characters such as Mr Weir contributed.  The general consensus seems to be that the course is roughly a 50-50 split between OTM/A Simpson (1897ish) and T Simpson (1926).

Tom Simpson had a long association with Cruden Bay so it could be that he worked on the course without his long-standing partner, Herbert Fowler, but certainties cannot be counted.  Simpson thought so highly of Cruden Bay that he included three holes among his 18 best in GB&I.  Given Simpson's penchant for self-promotion one is wise to take this three hole proclamation with a pinch of salt.  For instance, the first is included and it isn't a bad hole at all, but in the cold light of honesty it shouldn't even be mentioned for such honours.  The 8th, however, is a special hole indeed and the 18th may not reach the heights of best 18, but it is a very fine hole regardless.

In any case, what is in the ground today is magical.  T Doak claims the routing is near perfection because it follows a pattern the walker would take if out for a stroll.  I am not sure this is the case, but the routing is quite interesting because the path runs through a bottleneck (#s 14 & 15) where the width allows for one hole.  To get to this point we must climb the large meadowy hill on which the 9th plays over.  Without a doubt, this is the weakness of the walk.  Many have suggested that if the the land utilized for the 9 hole St Olaf course could be incorporated into the design #s 9-15 could be taken out of the equation.  This may be true, but I am not in the least convinced the course would be nearly as fun nor as scenic.  There are too many exhilarating shots such as at #s 11, 12, 13, 14 and dare I say 15 which if did not exist would in all likelyhood be land explored for possible changes to the course.  The land is always greener on the other side of the hill.  Suffice it to say, what Cruden Bay currently offers is something special. 

#s 1 & 2 are too restricted to be what I would call good holes, but they make a decent enough start to the game if one doesn't mind playing conservatively.  Below is the approach to #1 and a long look at #2.


The first of a marvelous set (isn't it wonderful to refer to a set of short 4s?) of short 4s, it is at third that Cruden Bay awakes - as much as a blind hole can.  The fairway funnels to the green, but it can be a difficult two-putt.






The 4th is a good par 3 in a great setting, but I would suggest that it is the least interesting of the lot.  I think the source for my lack of enthusiasm for the hole stems in the 40 yard gap between the daily and medal tees.  It isn't possible to build a mid-tee, but I think at 165-170 this would be a far better hole.


Climbing to a high tee, the very long two-shot 5th cloistered between dunes is fully revealed.  The hidden two tier green is most interesting because the back section seems to fallaway.  The golfers are making time because there was a horrendous forecast for the day and we all knew it was just a matter of time.  We did get a bit wet, but 20 minutes after coming in it rained holy hell. 


More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: January 01, 2020, 02:25:38 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Tony_Muldoon

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Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Burnside Finished; Onto Cruden Bay
« Reply #70 on: July 11, 2013, 05:45:32 PM »
Just to say thanks for the thread; outstanding golf to be had in that area.


Royal Aberdeen. Magnificent.   You haven't seen all there is to be had in Links golf, until you've seen this one.   There is a tendency for the received views on courses to be repeated ad nausea.  I was surprised to see that there is a different set of holes on the back nine rather than just a lesser set.  This is no RCD and I hope that this cliché  dies.

Carnoustie Burnside.   Great.  All that a ‘small’ course might be.  The famous turf is there and something to marvel at.  There is a danger than it is going to be further marginalised.  I stopped off on my way back and had a chat with the Starter on the main course who alerted me to the current partial redesign of the Budden course.  This shares it’s facilities with the main hotel and he said the aim was to make it recognised as the true second course.  It was his favourite with  trees and now lakes coming!!!

http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/Carnousties-Buddon-is-redesigned/2106/Default.aspx

If they’ve changed 6 greens on the Burnside the work was brilliantly done.  If the course becomes more marginalised, then as long as they keep the maintenance standards up, it will become the epitome of a hidden, in plain sight, gem.
Let's make GCA grate again!

Tony_Muldoon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Burnside Finished; Onto Cruden Bay
« Reply #71 on: July 13, 2013, 12:42:45 PM »
Where's Sean gone now?  ;)

Pics suddenly not working.

Wanted to share some commments form a lurker who is a fine golfer and a member of Royal Aberdeen. lucky chap.

"You are right about changes to some of the holes on the back nine, or more precisely to some of the greens. 12 & 13 were redone by Steele about 7-8 years ago, I wasn't sure about them when they were first done, but they have matured well and now putt as well as any other and I think pose good challenges. They altered the direction that you play into the greens, previously you were hitting inland into the greens, so they changed their positions so that you now hit towards the sea. They are both very undulating though, and it can be very hard to get the approach shot close to the pins.

Last winter (2011/2) they rebuilt the 15th green and approach entirely after it took a lot of stick in the walker cup, apparently there was a bit of a drainage problem and the green was normally much softer than most others. It has been raised about 6' and the bunkering improved dramatically, to me it now fits in much better with the rest of the course and looks very natural. The 16th tee used to sit 8-10' above the putting surface so you can see there was a lot of earth moving involved in changing it.

Then in October 2012, the 18th green was completely dug up and an impermeable layer about 4-6' down removed, the green reshaped and rebuilt, with the bunker positions altered slightly too.

The original turf from the 15th and 18th greens was carefully removed and maintained while the groundwork was done and then replaced to preserve the original putting surfaces. I think they did an excellent job, I'd be surprised if you noticed much difference between the 18th and any of the others, which just goes to show what a good job the guys did.

In general I find the back 9 plays much harder than the from 9, but that is entirely down to the prevailing wind, of late the wind has been in the opposite direction quite often and I can say the outward 9 plays really hard into a 2-3 club wind, and the back 9 is a doddle downwind!"





Come on board, Col.
Let's make GCA grate again!

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Burnside Finished; Onto Cruden Bay New
« Reply #72 on: July 16, 2013, 04:19:37 AM »
CRUDEN BAY CONTINUED

The 6th or Bluidy Burn is a remarkable par 5.  Not overly long at just over 500 yards, but hitting the green in two requires a miracle.  The hole seems to run straight out for 500 yards then abruptly turn left.  If one can get his second pin high in the fairway to the right he is in great shape.  Mind you, there is the Bluidy Burn to deal with for this strategy, but then the burn must be dealt with for any strategy.




The tee shot at #7 is much like the uncertainty one faces for the second on #6.  The only indication of a fairway is the dunes. Against the visual clues, one wants to hit his tee shot on the outside of the right dune if a clear view of the green is to be had.


And a tough target the green is!


The second very reachable par 4, # 8th.  There is very little room for maneuver once missing the fairway.




As the Beatles wrote, #9, #9, #9...and the ninth is just about as maddening.  In truth, the hole isn't that bad because the green at least runs away from play.  But why the club has built an extra par 3 rather than sorting out the aesthetics of this hole is a strange decision.  Because we made the climb for #9, the knock-on effect is the 10th; another hole which doesn't do much for me.  In an imperfect world, it seems to me this terrain is begging for a par 3 over the burn.

More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: January 01, 2020, 02:20:38 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Cruden Bay New
« Reply #73 on: July 17, 2013, 05:14:52 AM »
CRUDEN BAY CONTINUED

Similar to North Berwick, Cruden Bay has some forgettable holes.  With #s 9 & 10 behind us, we come to the very good 11th - a tough par 3 if there is any wind about.  The green is raised with bunkers down the left and nasty fall-away to harsh rough right.  One may think they caught a lucky break if they plowed one into the 13th fairway, but that recovery is blind to a narrow green; most likely outcome is nil point. 

An often forgotten hole in the set of short 4s is #12.  There isn't a ton of room and perhaps this is why so many find it such a temptation to bang away.  We now turn for home.  I gather these holes often play into the wind and they must be fierce in winter.  The thirteenth is the second par 5 and it too is of high quality.  The second crosses a burn and the approach is to a pulpit green.  It is best to stay left for the approach!


In truth, the 14th isn't a great hole.  In essence, it is one large funnel, but because it is so unique one has to get behind it.  While one wouldn't play to the high dune right off the beach, this angle does provide for an easier approach!


The green is straight forward.




The very controversial 15th seemed to warm on me a bit.  I have been a harsh critic of this hole in the past, but I can now tolerate it.  I am still not sure it makes sense given the previous two holes, but there you have it.

More to follow.

Ciao
« Last Edit: January 01, 2020, 02:23:45 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: THE BRIEF A&G TOUR: Cruden Bay New
« Reply #74 on: July 18, 2013, 03:41:37 AM »
CRUDEN BAY CONTINUED

The final holes strike me as an unsung trio; two par 4s and the par 3 sixteenth.  Many complain about the front to back nature of the 16th green, but it doesn't seem any where near as loopy as the previous hole!  I like it and am most impressed by the recovery putt which is much more uphill than it appears. 


The penultimate may be my favourite on the course!  The huge elephant's graveyard while unique is completely in keeping with Cruden Bay.  My playing parter hit a wonderful drive (quartering wind off the left) which drifted behind the large grave.  He then promptly used the wind which bewitched him on the drive and whacked a 50 yard slicing 5 wood to about 25 feet!  Quite simply one of the best shots I have ever seen.


The home hole isn't as grand as the previous two holes, but with the wind off the left, finding the A position on the left top shelf of the fairway is no easy task.  For the successful gambler off the tee, the approach is a doddle.  If one spins it out right off the tee it could well result in a kiss. 


Cruden Bay impressed me mightily and if I had to compare it to any course it would be North Berwick.  Both courses have outrageously awesome holes and both have holes which aren't worth the walk. Their total package, however, is sheer delight.  Sure, I was lucky to catch the course in very good nick (the fairways anyway) and not experience the horrendous rain which was promised and came 20 minutes after finishing.  Cruden Bay may not offer the test which Royal Aberdeen does, but Cruden's collection of short par 4s is very attractive.  Add in the cast of #s 6, 7, 13 & 17 and Cruden Bay is all anybody could wish for.  1*  2013

My favourites from the trip in order

1A. Cruden Bay 1*
1B. Carnoustie Burnside r
3. Montrose  Not Recommended
4. Royal Aberdeen 1*
5. Trump Aberdeen  Play it in 3-5 years

Best in order:

1A. Royal Aberdeen
1B. Cruden Bay
3. Trump Aberdeen
4. Carnoustie Burnside
5. Montrose

Ciao
« Last Edit: October 24, 2017, 06:52:37 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

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