Scotland April 2019

[Tap-in Fore Eagle]

I'm planning my Scotland trip for April 2019 and have most of the details nailed down. I try to play as many top courses as possible so I can add to my yardage book collection and determine my own rankings for the courses I've played. I'm flying in/out of Aberdeen and will be touring around for 2 weeks. I plan to play one round most days with a few days open to either rest, sight see or add in another course if weather is decent and I'm feeling up for it.

 

My current "must play" list with date I'm playing in brackets includes: Cruden Bay(7th), The Old Course(8th or 10th), Carnoustie(9th), Muirfield(11th), North Berwick(12th), Royal Troon(15th), Turnberry(16th), Castles Stuart(18th and 20th) and Royal Dornoch(19th).

 

The courses I want to play (date) but may have to sacrifice includes: Royal Aberdeen(6th or 20th), Kingsbarns(10th), Machrihanish Dunes (13th), Machrihanish GC(14th), Prestwick(14th or 17th) and Trump Aberdeen(20th).

 

So far I have Carnoustie, Muirfield, North Berwick, Royal Troon, Castle Stuart and Royal Dornoch booked.

 

If I'm feeling good after the flight over, I'm going to try and play Royal Aberdeen the day I arrive. The first Wednesday (10th) I'm leaving open in case I'm unable to get on the Old Course on Monday, which leaves Kingsbarns as the go to course if I am able to get on The Old Course.

 

Where I'm having trouble deciding starts after my round at North Berwick on Friday. I have three options:

1) Drive to and stay in Glasgow Friday and Saturday and do sight seeing, play Prestwick on Sunday (least amount of driving)

2) Drive towards Machrihanish Friday night, play the Dunes on Saturday, stay in Campbeltown, play Machrihanish Sunday morning before driving to Ayr (most driving).

3) Drive to Manchester for the weekend to catch a United game (don't mind skipping this as Manchester should be done as it's own separate trip)

 

I'm leaning towards option #2, as it adds two more courses at reasonable rates and the driving doesn't bother me.

 

My other dilemma is trying to add in the Isle of Skye. My main goal is to play all the top courses, but everyone I've talked to raves about the Isle of Skye. But I would either have to cut Prestwick or Machrihanish from the trip to get one full day to explore the Isle of Skye, and even then I would be rushing through everything just to say I've been there. Is it even worth including for such limited time?

 

This will be my first trip to Scotland but hopefully not the last. I'm leaning towards doing as much golf as possible while I'm still young and single, but could use some thoughts from some experienced travellers.

 

Thanks,

 

Craig

[Mignuz]

My advice is: if it's a golf holiday, just play golf.

Depends on how much you want/can play, as even in april I've played 2 courses a day (depends on the weather, of course).

On the list you made, if you want to add another top course, play gleneagles ( the PGA century, where they played the ryder cup and/or the king's course).

If you won't be able to play the Old Course, Kingsbarns is just 10 minutes drive from there.

You can decide to visit places/city if the weather is really awful.

Enjoy.

[Hawkeye77]

Nobody can value what any part of your trip is worth to you.

 

The days off, if they are travel, and you have tons of travel if you are ranging from Macrihanish to Dornoch to Aberdeen plus all the rest, are probably a good idea. Don't underestimate travel times while you are there.

 

No matter how big your list, you aren't going to play all the "top" courses. If you want an intense, golf only, play as much as possible, sleep or drive otherwise trip - go for it!

 

Personal opinion, I couldn't imagine traveling to a country I've never been to and not taking time for things besides golf. Windshield time while you are the driver won't give you anywhere near the appreciation for the scenery, which you can get yourself in trouble fast stealing too many glances at in some areas, lol, as getting out and hiking around, etc. Isle of Arran is a pretty cool place (you may consider that, but I'm not sure it's as stunning as Skye for sure) and we'll spend a day there when we go back next summer (and maybe work in 12 at Shiskine), but I'd love to work in the Isle of Skye, just won't work. We wanted to figure a way to enjoy Macrihanish, but even in our planning for next year's trip split between Ayr and East Lothian, just couldn't make it work, but we are minimizing time in the car and focusing just on the areas we'll be in. Now that's easy for me to say because we were north in Dornoch and in St. Andrews last summer so we've done that - but it was a family trip and we had a good mix of golf/sightseeing. And things get in the way - had to cancel a trip to Moray Old I was dying to make because something came up, and leaving a little more open time allows some weather flexibility (although we had great weather for all be parts of two days when we were there). We had to jettison North Berwick because the oldest daughter wanted to go to Isle of May and see puffins with the other daughter and my wife, so to the Isle of May we all went, had a great time, and two of us worked in Crail that evening! Of course, North Berwick is at the top of the list for the next trip (and honestly, I didn't think we'd go back this soon, but there you go).

 

It's all about what would be fun for you and some like it more intense than others.

 

Just my little plug for taking time to smell the thistles or get some midge bites!

[scott_Donald]

Interesting trip you have planned.

 

you are going to be tired playing straight off the plane!

 

You are arriving at what could be a great time to golf, the courses will just be back on to full tees and depending on the heat and weather can be in great condition.

[davep043]

Nobody can value what any part of your trip is worth to you.

 

The days off, if they are travel, and you have tons of travel if you are ranging from Macrihanish to Dornoch to Aberdeen plus all the rest, are probably a good idea. Don't underestimate travel times while you are there.

 

I agree with most Hawkeye, my preference is to minimize drive times, even if that means making some compromises in the golf courses I choose. My attitude has generally been that I always have a change to go back and play some of the courses I missed, and I've been fortunate enough to have done just that. Different people will have different choices, and its up to you to plan what you want to do.

 

I'll specifically echo Hawkeye's caution about travel times. It takes much longer to cover a few miles in Scotland than it does in the States, so be prepared. The best way to estimate travel times is using the Route Planner at the Auto Association's website:

https://www.theaa.com/

[scott_Donald]

I'll specifically echo Hawkeye's caution about travel times. It takes much longer to cover a few miles in Scotland than it does in the States, so be prepared. The best way to estimate travel times is using the Route Planner at the Auto Association's website:

https://www.theaa.com/

 

Dunno there, spending lots of time in Houston and Aberdeen the jams can be very similar.

 

Yes Scotland has no so many bigger roads but timing the drives well and driving can be done easily. Colleague today left Edinburgh at 1.49pm and was back at work at 4.00pm in Aberdeen.

[Tap-in Fore Eagle]

Nobody can value what any part of your trip is worth to you.

 

The days off, if they are travel, and you have tons of travel if you are ranging from Macrihanish to Dornoch to Aberdeen plus all the rest, are probably a good idea. Don't underestimate travel times while you are there.

 

No matter how big your list, you aren't going to play all the "top" courses. If you want an intense, golf only, play as much as possible, sleep or drive otherwise trip - go for it!

 

Personal opinion, I couldn't imagine traveling to a country I've never been to and not taking time for things besides golf. Windshield time while you are the driver won't give you anywhere near the appreciation for the scenery, which you can get yourself in trouble fast stealing too many glances at in some areas, lol, as getting out and hiking around, etc. Isle of Arran is a pretty cool place (you may consider that, but I'm not sure it's as stunning as Skye for sure) and we'll spend a day there when we go back next summer (and maybe work in 12 at Shiskine), but I'd love to work in the Isle of Skye, just won't work. We wanted to figure a way to enjoy Macrihanish, but even in our planning for next year's trip split between Ayr and East Lothian, just couldn't make it work, but we are minimizing time in the car and focusing just on the areas we'll be in. Now that's easy for me to say because we were north in Dornoch and in St. Andrews last summer so we've done that - but it was a family trip and we had a good mix of golf/sightseeing. And things get in the way - had to cancel a trip to Moray Old I was dying to make because something came up, and leaving a little more open time allows some weather flexibility (although we had great weather for all be parts of two days when we were there). We had to jettison North Berwick because the oldest daughter wanted to go to Isle of May and see puffins with the other daughter and my wife, so to the Isle of May we all went, had a great time, and two of us worked in Crail that evening! Of course, North Berwick is at the top of the list for the next trip (and honestly, I didn't think we'd go back this soon, but there you go).

 

It's all about what would be fun for you and some like it more intense than others.

 

Just my little plug for taking time to smell the thistles or get some midge bites!

 

For sure! I would have to stay for two months to take it all in.

 

I'm travelling solo and I'm not much for night life, so I'll have plenty of time in between golf and sleep to take in some sites. I did two weeks in Ireland last April, played 12 rounds and took in a lot of the top attractions. So I'm planning something similar with this trip. I won't have to travel far to find good golf and a castle. Only 5 of the days planned so far require driving more than 2 hours, and I've left plenty of time to stop along the way.

 

I guess I'm mainly looking for recommendations from other people who've done similar trips. If Machrihanish was a favourite course on some peoples trip, I'd make an extra effort to add it. If I get the feeling it would be a let down compared to the others on my list, I'd probably save the 6 extra hours of driving. Same with Isle of Skye, if I can only rush through and see 1/4 of the sites it might be best to leave it for another trip. But if one day is enough to take it in, I won't mind spending a few extra hours in the car.

 

It really seems like I can't go wrong with anywhere I choose in Scotland. And I'd hate to rush my way through such a beautiful country.

[Hawkeye77]

Aha! You've done this before, so you know what works to a large extent. I wouldn't underrate Macrihanish, I've read lots of accounts that have it at the top of the list of all courses in Scotland. For us, whether drive or drive/ferry combo we'd have a lot of eggs in the basket of one round at Macrihanish, lodging was a bit steep. There were a couple other courses that looked interesting but we decided to go to Troon from Glasgow and stay put for a week before traveling to East Lothian. Just me and my better half this time (lol, she has her heart set on horseback riding on the beach near North Berwick, so of course that will get done - I'm a dog person not a horse person, actually she isn't either, but it apparently looks romantic - ugh).

 

Will miss the kids this time (they'll join us some other time) but will selfishly enjoy being able to rent a smaller vehicle.

 

I think I argued (knowing nothing) last winter that our family could get by with a smaller car. Ended up upgrading to a Range Rover Discovery (2 golf bags made the trip) and it was packed to the gills for the 4 of us.

 

So I learned my lesson early on heeding advice on here about car size and travel times.

[Shrinkwr4p]

Machrihanish is a devil to get to . You'll spend a lot of time on the road for what I think proves to be relatively scant reward. I find the Machrihanish course underwhelming and thought the Dunes really over-hyped. It's a long, long way to go for "Ho hum!". Others will enthuse, but there are many better tracks which are much more accessible.

[Zigzog]

Trump Aberdeen is an amazing course, my advice would be to do what you can to fit that in - Royal Aberdeen is nice, but not in the same league for me.

 

Similar to Turnberry, the changes made there are fantastic - is not ranked number 1 course in the UK by mistake :)

 

St Andrews can be good, but often overused and can be in poor condition greens wise etc due to unrepaired pitchmarks etc. Kingsbarns is a better shout for me.

 

It is not a big country, so any concerns about drive times are probably not required - especially if you re used to driving in Canada/US.

[imakaveli]

I played Royal Aberdeen and Murcar on the same day, overall I enjoyed Murcar more even if the 1st at RA is one of the greatest openings in golf and the 2nd is fantastic!

[scott_Donald]

I played Royal Aberdeen and Murcar on the same day, overall I enjoyed Murcar more even if the 1st at RA is one of the greatest openings in golf and the 2nd is fantastic!

 

wow never normally hear that being said.

 

Best story about Murcar is when it was foggy some visitors without caddies played the 9th at Royal Aberdeen then continued on to Murcar thinking it was the same course.

[imakaveli]

I played Royal Aberdeen and Murcar on the same day, overall I enjoyed Murcar more even if the 1st at RA is one of the greatest openings in golf and the 2nd is fantastic!

 

wow never normally hear that being said.

 

Best story about Murcar is when it was foggy some visitors without caddies played the 9th at Royal Aberdeen then continued on to Murcar thinking it was the same course.

 

Murcar is fantastic, one of the most fun i had on a golf course! I am also able to remember nearly all the holes, which i can’t say about RA, expecially for the back 9 which are plain boring and pretty uninteresting (but the 17)

[scott_Donald]

I played Royal Aberdeen and Murcar on the same day, overall I enjoyed Murcar more even if the 1st at RA is one of the greatest openings in golf and the 2nd is fantastic!

 

wow never normally hear that being said.

 

Best story about Murcar is when it was foggy some visitors without caddies played the 9th at Royal Aberdeen then continued on to Murcar thinking it was the same course.

 

Murcar is fantastic, one of the most fun i had on a golf course! I am also able to remember nearly all the holes, which i can't say about RA, expecially for the back 9 which are plain boring and pretty uninteresting (but the 17)

 

fair enough.

[Chanceman]

Askernish is a course worth looking at. In the outer hebrides though. Well rated by Tom doak.

[munichop]

Guys I need some advice on a may trip next year In Edinburgh. My wife is teaching study abroad and I will have maybe a week. I did a trip in '99 that was just golf- played TOC, and Carnoustie on this side of Scotland. This will be just me as a single. From what I have read Dunbar looks promising. Anything similar that I should try? What I'd like is to play fewer courses but maybe play some twice. I am currently around +2 handicap and will bring my HC card with me. Any advice or suggestions. Also- should I ship my sticks or pay the fee and put them on the plane? We fly into Heathrow. Thx.

[babyfade]

Guys I need some advice on a may trip next year In Edinburgh. My wife is teaching study abroad and I will have maybe a week. I did a trip in '99 that was just golf- played TOC, and Carnoustie on this side of Scotland. This will be just me as a single. From what I have read Dunbar looks promising. Anything similar that I should try? What I'd like is to play fewer courses but maybe play some twice. I am currently around +2 handicap and will bring my HC card with me. Any advice or suggestions. Also- should I ship my sticks or pay the fee and put them on the plane? We fly into Heathrow. Thx.

 

We will be there in July and play North Berwick, The Glen, Gullane 1&2 & Dunbar.

 

Longniddry and Kilspindie must be good too.

[thecraw]

Machrihanish is a devil to get to . You'll spend a lot of time on the road for what I think proves to be relatively scant reward. I find the Machrihanish course underwhelming and thought the Dunes really over-hyped. It's a long, long way to go for "Ho hum!". Others will enthuse, but there are many better tracks which are much more accessible.

 

Idiotic post.

 

Dunes is not overhyped at all, its a tremendous course and potentially a lot stronger than Machrihanish plus its in far better condition. Its also not a long long way to go, I can do it in 2.5 hours from 10 miles west of Glasgow Airport, can take 3 hours but its a fabulous drive, one of the most scenic drives in Scotland through amazing terrain and coastal scenery as well as Loch Lomond and the glens.

 

Someone obviously played poorly and blamed the course, :fie:

[Shrinkwr4p]

Machrihanish is a devil to get to . You'll spend a lot of time on the road for what I think proves to be relatively scant reward. I find the Machrihanish course underwhelming and thought the Dunes really over-hyped. It's a long, long way to go for "Ho hum!". Others will enthuse, but there are many better tracks which are much more accessible.

 

Idiotic post.

 

Dunes is not overhyped at all, its a tremendous course and potentially a lot stronger than Machrihanish plus its in far better condition. Its also not a long long way to go, I can do it in 2.5 hours from 10 miles west of Glasgow Airport, can take 3 hours but its a fabulous drive, one of the most scenic drives in Scotland through amazing terrain and coastal scenery as well as Loch Lomond and the glens.

 

Someone obviously played poorly and blamed the course, :fie:

 

 

Is it simply your habit to be gratuitously offensive?

 

The OP is looking for advice. It's his first trip to Scotland. I think it's appropriate to warn that it will take him 5 hours to get to Machrihanish from North Berwick and that it's 4 and1/4 hours from there to Ayr. (Not every North American realises that 200 Scottish miles represent more than an easy 3 hours on the freeway.)

 

He should also know that if he chooses to make the journey he will get to play Machrinanish rated 56th in the UK by Golf Monthly last month (https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/courses/top-100-courses/machrihanish-golf-club-championship-course-review-60584) and Machrihanish Dunes which didn't make the Top 100.

 

It seems appropriate too to advise that Machrihanish doesn't set everyone's kilt on fire and that Machrihanish Dunes is not universally admired. (https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/machrihanish-dunes)

 

For what it's worth I wouldn't go 2 hours out of my way to play either course again. I know the OP could find better golf with less effort during his short time in Scotland. YMMV.

[thecraw]

Machrihanish is a devil to get to . You'll spend a lot of time on the road for what I think proves to be relatively scant reward. I find the Machrihanish course underwhelming and thought the Dunes really over-hyped. It's a long, long way to go for "Ho hum!". Others will enthuse, but there are many better tracks which are much more accessible.

 

Idiotic post.

 

Dunes is not overhyped at all, its a tremendous course and potentially a lot stronger than Machrihanish plus its in far better condition. Its also not a long long way to go, I can do it in 2.5 hours from 10 miles west of Glasgow Airport, can take 3 hours but its a fabulous drive, one of the most scenic drives in Scotland through amazing terrain and coastal scenery as well as Loch Lomond and the glens.

 

Someone obviously played poorly and blamed the course, :fie:

 

 

Is it simply your habit to be gratuitously offensive?

 

The OP is looking for advice. It's his first trip to Scotland. I think it's appropriate to warn that it will take him 5 hours to get to Machrihanish from North Berwick and that it's 4 and1/4 hours from there to Ayr. (Not every North American realises that 200 Scottish miles represent more than an easy 3 hours on the freeway.)

 

He should also know that if he chooses to make the journey he will get to play Machrinanish rated 56th in the UK by Golf Monthly last month (https://www.golf-mon...se-review-60584) and Machrihanish Dunes which didn't make the Top 100.

 

It seems appropriate too to advise that Machrihanish doesn't set everyone's kilt on fire and that Machrihanish Dunes is not universally admired. (https://www.top100go...hrihanish-dunes)

 

For what it's worth I wouldn't go 2 hours out of my way to play either course again. I know the OP could find better golf with less effort during his short time in Scotland. YMMV.

 

Hardly offensive at all, still standby my view that its an idiotic post so stop being a flower about it. GM, I wouldn't even use that to wipe my backside never mind as a reference to golf in Scotland. Its easy to find literature to support any argument and I could also quite easily ask the OP to look at the review by Today's Golfer Magazine which states Machrihanish Dunes is destined for a top 50 appearance next ranking. However I won't as I realise that ALL magazine reviews are influenced by paid for column inches and advertising revenue/potential.

 

Also 4 hours 15 minutes from Ayr, possibly in a tractor. However instead of all the negativity why not point out that you could get a ferry from Ardrossan or you can split up the drive by going via Arran and take in a course like Shiskine, Or you can take the Argyll ferries to Tarbert. All of which seem to negate your main moan about the drive.

 

I can appreciate differing views as I do not particularly like Nairn yet others rave about it however I can still point out the beauty of its location and good greens. There are always positives as well as negatives however human nature seems to err on the side of negativity like your opening gambit.

 

Please don't take offense to this post either as replying to your post isn't about being "offensive" its about offering a different view and perspective.

 

Also I would love to know when you last played Mach Dunes as the amount of work/changes and money spent over the last three years has been huge.