Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Golspie


At the par three 6th, the landforms surrounding the green almost perfectly match those in the far distance

The heathland 9th is a thrilling two-shotter that wouldn't look out of place 500 miles south in Surrey

The brilliant par three 16th is one of the best holes in the Highlands

Course name: Golspie
Location: Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland
Four Word Course Review: Remarkably cohesive considering variety

It amazes me that of all the people who've told me that I must make sure I get to the Scottish Highlands to play Dornoch and Brora, no one ever mentioned Golspie.

Bookended by the two more famous courses, Golspie is north of Dornoch and south of Brora, with the town boasting the only traffic light in all of Sutherland.

Turning down a quiet back street, you soon see the very humble clubhouse. The course begins in a similarly understated vein, with a short par five to a nondescript green over meadowland, but from there it rapidly shifts through the gears.

The par three 2nd has a brilliant wavy green that sets a high standard that the other one-shotters maintain. If there is one lasting impression of Golspie, it's just how consistently impressive and varied the short holes are. They're arguably on par with the set down the A9 at Dornoch.

From there the course turns 180 degrees and moves onto the genuine linksland, with the next three holes - a mid-length par four, par five and driveable par four - heading south along the sea shore, each featuring broken ground that impacts on either the drive or approach.

The second par three comes at the 6th, the green set at the foot of a mammoth dune that houses the wonderful 16th green, before the dramatic green of the 280-yard 7th ends the stretch of linksland holes.

The 8th and 9th transition smoothly from open heathland to a pine forest, the latter hole worthy of comparison with the very best of the London heathland.

The par three 10th has a green to rival the 2nd, it's just a shame about the man-made pond that fronts it, the only truly regrettable thing about the course - and it's an absolute wonder why the club uses it on its promotional material. Were that the one thing I was shown before deciding whether to include Golspie on my itinerary I wouldn't even consider stopping there.

The 11th is a gorgeous natural par four through the thinning forest, taking you back to the open heath of the short par four 12th and 13th, each with quality greensites and some movement in the fairways.

If there was ever a story that sums up the passion for golf in this area, it comes here.

A friend playing this stretch - I forget which hole exactly - hooked a drive onto the road that flanks the course just as a police car appeared around the corner. Predictably, it hit the car straight on, the rozzers screeching to a swift stop and jumping from the car.

As the guilty golfer and his playing partners walked up towards the scene of the crime, they saw the two officers scurrying around in the bushes and assumed they must have been keen to collect the ball as evidence of the cause of the damage to their car.

Getting close enough that he was preparing to begin his grovelling apology, the golfer and his mates saw the enthusiastic Constable turn and shout: "I found it. It's sitting alright and you've got a shot to the green!"

The course moves back onto the meadow grass for the par five 14th and par four 15th, both boasting interesting greens, before the final transition to links for the final three holes.

The aforementioned 16th is one of the finest links par threes I am ever likely to see. The green sits high, two tiers of terror a good mid to long iron from the tee. The view is also first rate: playing south east you have the blue of the ocean and golden sands stretching out before you.

The 17th is the final par three, the green 200 yards away over bold dunes that render it blind. It reminded me a great deal of the 16th at Trevose in Cornwall. An even bolder dune dominates the last hole, with the second shot to the long par four forced to fly a towering rise.

Aside from the great one-shotters and general variety of holes, what's great about Golspie is how smoothly and naturally it transitions from meadow to links, through open heath into a forest, back out to meadow via open heath and then into the linksland again.

I couldn't imagine before playing Golspie how the four distinct environments could possibly be woven into a cohesive whole, but there is no doubt Golspie achieves that.

If you are planning a Highlands fling, be sure to include a round at Golspie. If you've been there before and snubbed the little course that could, give yourself an uppercut: you missed one of the great hidden gems of British golf.

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