Links from the Road, Hoylake (2026)

11/07/2022

Intro to my Spirit of St Andrews film

Better watched on YouTube in widescreen and 4K - but I’ll post it on here it sections just to spam you all.

21/03/2022

064/225 - Castle Stuart Golf Links

Draped over the banks of the Moray Firth, Castle Stuart is undoubtedly one of the greatest modern courses built in Scotland - and its triumph lies in its attention to detail.

Shortly after completing the enormously successful Kingsbarns with architect Kyle Phillips, developer Mark Parsinen was ready for his next project.

This time he partnered with Gil Hanse. Today, Hanse is one of the most in demand architects globally. At the time, he was relatively fresh.

The course starts on the water's edge - the highlight of the early holes surely the drivable par 4 Third. With the Firth stretching down the right and beyond - a drive that runs off the left edge of the green yields the most devilish pitch.

Four plays directly to the 'Castle Stuart' that gives the course its name, and Five embraces another design hallmark. The bunker left is half the size of the two right, but it's also half the distance away. A visual trick that the designers employ numerous times - your eyes telling you there's no space to hit to while your brain knows there is.

The 'compress and release' technique is another they use. Having played by the water's edge before moving in land, we return for the next run - a pattern that continues throughout the round.

Another feature that has stuck with me is the bunkering. There are other courses that have tried to move to 'naturalised' fairway bunkering but must have missed the memo on what it actually means. Cookie cutter bunkers that don't fit the landscape they sit in. Castle Stuart gets it spot on - and variety is the key. No two are the same - shape, depth, size, orientation - some are reveted, some with marram edges. In fact some are a mix of both. Exceptional.

And so I've chosen a photo for the course that has no beautiful backdrop and no world class bunkering. Well this is the other thing that impressed me most: restraint.

You can achieve a lot by making people think about the golf. Not shoving it down their throats - just serving interesting golf they have to think their way round. That's when courses get more enjoyable with each round played. This is certainly thought provoking.

06/03/2022

057/225 - Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Sorry to ruin the book, but Dornoch is my favourite. Apologies to the Old, Hoylake, Muirfield and many others - but let me explain why.

The town of Dornoch is utterly beautiful. Golden sandstone buildings and a few bustling streets of some of the most charming and welcoming people you'll find. There are some golf towns that have a special vibe - North Berwick & St Andrews of course, but this is another.

I've had the good fortune of playing the world's most northerly 'Royal' golf course many, many times now - and I honestly love it a little more every time.

Those who have followed for a while will know my love of strategic golf - courses that ask interesting questions, rather than simply demanding you to execute difficult shots. For me, Dornoch is the epitome of this.

Tom Simpson used to say Hoylake and St Andrews were the two definitive strategic tests, but both are now firmly in the 'championship' bracket. Thick rough and narrowing fairways mean the test is more of ex*****on rather than imagination.

But fortunately, Dornoch hasn't suffered the same iniquity.

Of its many strengths, it is the world class green complexes that set it apart. They are large and generally sit proud - but there are times you can be sat on a green in regulation and struggle to make par. Rarely do links greens offer such a challenge, and the fact you have to be so precise means you have to think where you should approach from.

And so, the mental challenge begins on the tee. In summer, when the tight turf is firm and running - it's as much a mental examination as a ball striking one.

Pictured here is the green of the famous bunkerless Fourteenth - Foxy - with the shortish Fifteenth - complete with centre line rough covered hill beyond.

Almost every hole requires you to engage your brain. Yes, the setting is stunning. Yes, the presentation is immaculate - but it is that cerebral challenge that for me sets it apart.

It's not quite perfect, and I'll admit to being disappointed with the recent changes, but it's damn close - and IMHO, any modern links that retains strategic challenges should be studied and, hopefully, emulated.

11/02/2022

054/225 - Reay Golf Club

On the North Coast of Scotland, just a few miles West of John o' Groats, is Reay GC.

Founded in 1893, it was originally a 12 hole course laid out by the local Pilkington family. The course was extended to 18 after James Braid's visit in the 1930s. The first few are quite benign, but from the 4th onwards, you are in the 'true' linksland.

The 6th hole, aptly named Braid's Choice, is probably the pick of this stretch. A par 5 through the dunes, skirting the dunes and the Reay Burn on the inside line.

The 9th is another lovely par 3. Looking back across Sandside Bay.

From here, we venture up the hill and away from the beach. The views we receive in return are beautiful. The golf had a different feel on the back. Slightly less linksy, but with greater elevation changes.

The 11th was probably the pick on the back. Long and tight, the approach to the green is blind - going for it in two requiring a confident second. Otherwise it's an anxious walk over the hill to see if you can spot it!

From the slightly lusher turf as we closed out the round, I kept looking back over to the hills by the Bay. This was undoubtedly the best bit of land, it was a slight shame we weren't able to spend a little longer there.

Overall, a worthy stop if you are driving the NC500 route - but, for me, not one I’d make a large detour for.

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05/02/2022

048/225 - Carradale Golf Club

Does anyone else find golf is often an exercise in expectation management?

Halfway down Kintyre, there's a 9 hole course often overlooked by those heading onwards to Machrihanish...

Once the £15 green fee has been posted into the honesty box, a par 3 up a steep hill gets you underway. The view from the green well worth the hike.

The second is exceptional. Played from one dune ridge to another, the fairway falls down the hill and meanders across the flat towards an old stone wall. The green is cut into the far ridge - small and well protected, while the fairway is wide and open. Brilliant fun

The sixth is another hole of note. From a tee on the edge of the water, the green is about 300 yards away - cut into the opposite side of the valley - with a lot of water and rubbish on the direct line to it. There's fairway to the right if you don't fancy the carry, or it's 250 yards over the rubbish if you take it straight at the green. Another brilliant small green, only marginally larger than a good sized beach towel.

All played under the backdrop of the Isle of Arran.

After interesting par 3s - one down the hill & another back up - the last is a utilitarian par 4, straight along a boundary wall.

But who can begrudge the relative insipidness of the first and last? They take you from an ordinary clubhouse to an extraordinary golfing playground. Bravo Carradale - what a bargain.

You don’t come to Kintyre for Carradale, but if you decide to visit en route, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s more than worth the slight detour.

04/02/2022

047/225 - Mach Dunes Golf Club

As I write up my thoughts on the courses played thus far, I feel I must be as honest as possible - it would be a waste of everyone’s time to say how everywhere was equally wonderful.

So for me, Mach Dunes was a little underwhelming.

Let me preface this by saying Mach Dunes does have many admirable qualities. It has some of the very best links land in Scotland. It has some of the most enjoyable golf holes in Scotland (the short Fourth a case in point), and it is a modern golf course that has been built on SSSI (read: heavily environmentally protected) land with non-invasive and traditional methods.

But it’s also one I struggled to warm to. For me, the routing felt cumbersome and contrived at times - and I wonder how much was influenced by client demands and how much by environmental obligation. Undoubtedly both have had a major impact.

From the clubhouse, it takes three very long and very straight holes (plus enormous walks between green and tees, I might add) to get to the exquisite Fourth.

The run of holes immediately thereafter is exceptional. The land is magnificent and the holes fit in them beautifully. The bunkers are natural and this section of the course is a triumph.

However, rather than continuing in this vain (and land) for as long as possible, out we come in the direction of the clubhouse for an arbitrary 9 hole loop.

On to the back 9, and we enter the good land immediately. But as we continue, there are long walks between holes that felt avoidable, and a few too many fillers dotted amongst some true beauties.

This is a course that is loved by many dear friends and maybe I’m being too critical. It has many great aspects and without doubt I’ll head back to see it again and, quite possibly, have it grow on me.

But given the choice between playing Mach Dunes or a round at Dunaverty or the original Machrihanish course - I’d go for the latter pair.

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047/225

30/01/2022

Delighted to announce I’ve joined as an Associate - helping primarily with client liaison and learning as much as I can.

When I jumped in the van in 2020, it was to embrace my passion for Golf Course Architecture and study my favourite form of the game. I’m very excited to work with the partners over the coming years.

Alongside my hugely enjoyable position , I couldn’t have imagined a better pair of roles.

30/01/2022

042/225 - Glasgow Gailes Golf Clubs

Gailes is the seaside home of Glasgow Golf Club - one of the oldest in Scotland. It was formed in 1787 - officially making it the tenth oldest golfing club in the world.

It still has another course on the outskirts of Glasgow, but I am, of course, only interested in the links. It's another Ayrshire links of beguiling and unrelenting quality - rarely blowing you away but keeping you engaged.

It's not a long course - 6535 from the longer members tees - but it's certainly challenging. There's plenty of gorse and, something that I always enjoy seeing on a links, plenty of heather. The landscape was awash with colour when I played it in late September - and it can certainly add another dimension to the experience.

From the far end of the property, the drivable Ninth was particularly memorable. On flat land, a reminder of how interesting a hole can be made with a great green complex.

Another principle of Gailes that sticks in my mind is how they manage their rough (and heather). I've come across plenty of different techniques around the country. From salt water at Westward Ho!, burning it at Sandwich and simply cutting and collecting at Skibo (and many others, it must be said). At GG they bury under a generous helping of sand. It seems to do the trick - and the grasses are sparse, wispy and long. It's a relatively compact site so I'm sure it wouldn't be practical everywhere - but in the immortal words of Old Tom Morris: "sond, sond and mair sond!". As true a solution for links courses now as it was in centuries past.

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29/01/2022

041/225 - Western Gailes Golf Club

Going out on a limb, Western could be my favourite course in Ayrshire. I love the quirk of Prestwick, challenge of Troon and beauty of Turnberry - but for me, Western Gailes is the classiest links of the lot.

In terms of a club, it's one that has successfully defended the traditions of the game. Until covid forced the rules to be relaxed, everyone arrived and left the club in Jacket and Tie. The clubhouse is a true escape from the modern world (and for those who are interested in these kinds of things, has some of the best showers!).

The links itself has embraced naturalised fairway bunkers over recent years, overseen by Mackenzie & Ebert. Personally, I am a fan of natural bunkering when it is done well. I think we'll see more courses moving to this style over the the coming years. Reveted bunkers are not wholly traditional, coming into style after the second world war - but never before. They limit variety and aesthetic style, and most pertinently, the cost of revetting turf has tripled in recent years, and the labour cost is enormous. It's now almost unaffordable to maintain, and I think clubs will move to artificial turf or more natural bunkers instead.

I think there are a few shapers who can really produce a great bunker, buy you also need some land movement too. I'm not entirely sold on WG's, but I think they'll mature over time.

The course itself is generally out and back - playing on the strip of spectacular linksland between the beach and the railway line.

As you will know, I'm a fan of courses that are a little more subtle. Make you think your way round and dazzle with quality of golf rather than just the setting. This all applies to Western, and it's a steady procession of great golf. You can't just hit it and find it again, - brain must be engaged.

I hope the quirky dress code returns after covid - I'll certainly have my jacket and tie on next time I visit. For me, it's an occasion worth dressing up for.

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041/225

25/01/2022

037/225 - Troon Municipal (Darley)

There are several municipal courses in Troon - all operated by Golf South Ayrshire. On the Darley course, the maximum price the greenfee gets to in peak season in £35.

The Darley, Fullarton and Lochgreen courses all start in the town centre - and there is a clubhouse that serves all three courses and acts as a hub for many in this golf mad town.

Although Darley doesn't venture to the sea, it's undoubtedly links turf. Covered in gorse (far too much of it, really) and heather, the land on Darley is far more interesting than early inspections would suggest. The first few are typical municipal golf, flat and rather dull.

As it carries on, the loop from Five to Nine is the most enjoyable golf. The land develops character and there is some proper land movement to play over.

The remainder is again plain - but these courses are booked out almost constantly. The resurgence in golf we are all enjoying is clear. It's great South Ayrshire has such an offering of reasonable quality links courses at such an affordable rate.

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24/01/2022

036/225 - Royal Troon Golf Club

Less than 2.5 miles separate the clubhouses of Prestwick and Troon. Troon lived the early years of its life in the shadow of its near neighbour but now stands proudly alongside it.

The links is largely out and back. The first half dozen play out with the sea to the right. Some of the tee shots feel like they're played from the very edge of the beach. The land is flatter but ruffled links land, well bunkered and a true test.

The middle section of the round is the undoubted highlight.

The Seventh, Tel-El-Kebir, is possibly my favourite on the course. A dogleg right to the green cut into a dune. The hole that follows it, The Postage Stamp, one of the most famous one shotters in the world.

The hole is fearsome, despite its short yardage - but remains entirely fair. Rather than relying on luck, it is still entirely possible to plot your way through.

Nine and Ten make use of exceptional ground movement rather than too many bunkers to challenge the players, and Eleven is the famed Railway hole - running, like many in Ayrshire, along the track. Unfortunately, the left edge of the hole is now covered in thick gorse to create a penal test - rather than allowing the greenside bunkering to provide a strategic test.

From Thirteen, the holes run directly back to the clubhouse - and again many of the fairways ripple with character. The run in is brutally long. Hole after hole of long approaches to thoroughly bunkered greens.

The role call of Champions is interesting. Watson, Palmer, Locke and Weiskopf triumphed here, while more recent Champions have included Leonard, Calcavecchia and Todd Hamilton. It's interesting how the course has changed over time. Yes, it's been lengthened and tightened, but there are still holes here that retain the strategic merits from an era that produced a run of Champions as dominant as anywhere.

It's great links land and I will be fascinated to see that type of golf it promotes in 2024.

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036/225

Links from the Road

11/07/2022

21/03/2022

06/03/2022

11/02/2022

05/02/2022

04/02/2022

30/01/2022

30/01/2022

29/01/2022

25/01/2022

24/01/2022

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