Golf in the Scottish Borders (2/4)
Golf in the Scottish Borders – (Part 2 of 4)
Welcome back to part 2 of ‘Golf in the Scottish Borders’ blog. Having not played golf in the region for a while, I decided a couple of weeks ago to head down and re-aquaint myself with Scottish Borders Golf. I couldn’t get around them all but I managed to fit in as many courses as I could in a 3-4 day trip.
Today I am featuring The Roxburghe Championship Course near Kelso and I’ll also be highlighting 3 other courses that I visited. I’ve still got 2 more similar blogs on ‘Golf in the Scottish Borders’ which will be coming out over the next week or so, featuring different courses. You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook to keep up to date.
There is a huge amount to do in the Scottish Borders apart from golf and I’ll touch upon some of the other activities and places of interest in the area, at the end of the blog.
Today’s Featured Course
The Roxburghe Championship Golf Course
The Roxburghe is certainly one of my favourite courses in the Scottish Borders – possibly because of its generous fairways. It’s an undulating parkland course, designed by golf architect, Dave Thomas and runs down to and along the River Teviot.
There is a lot happening at The Roxburghe at the moment. The Duke of Roxburghe has recently sold the hotel and golf course to a German Investment Management company 12.18.
Whilst the golf course remains open, the new buyers hope to reopen the hotel in 2019, following a £30 million refurbishment program. They plan to rebrand and operate as SCHLOSS Roxburghe.
Despite the upheaval and sale of the main hotel, the golf course remains intact and was in great condition when I visited last week. As I understand, the new owners, 12.18., have no plans to alter the course in any way which I was glad to hear!
Despite being in the Scottish Borders, this course always gives me a feeling of both the Kings Course and the PGA Centenary course at Gleneagles, together with a smattering of Rosemount at Blairgowrie. Probably something to do with the scenic countryside, fir trees and the tranquility.
THE COURSE
There is no doubt that the fairways are wide here but the rough is penal, so it’s essential to keep it on the short stuff. The rolling fairways and elevation changes mean that you will rarely have a flat lie, so be sure to take this into account when choosing your next club.
There are many well placed, deep bunkers on most holes, which will influence your tee short and also your approach shots to the greens. For what it’s worth, all the green side bunkers are generally at front of the greens with the exception of the Par 4 17th and the three Par 3s at the 4th, 8th & 13th – don’t be short, as they say!
The greens are large and undulating and if you miss a green the chances are that your ball will be down a slope, with a tricky shot back up.
STAND OUT HOLE
The stand out hole and the most photographed on the course is the par 5 14th ‘Viaduct’ – from the elevated tee you have views of this hole running along the banks of the River Teviot to a green that has the Roxburghe Viaduct as a back drop! This is such a great visual hole.
The Roxburghe is beautifully maintained, has great views and is without doubt one of the top courses in the Scottish Borders. I would get along there sooner rather than later, as the new owners will be increasing the hotel rooms from 22 to 57 and will also be adding 60 lodges to the grounds. That simply means the course will get busier and prices will probably start to increase.
Minto Golf Club
Minto Golf Club is located between Hawick and Jedburgh. It is a lovely parkland course on the lower slopes of Minto Hill.
The driveway to the clubhouse splits the first 10 holes from the last 8 and whilst the last 8 holes may look a bit more open at first, there are plenty trees out there.
The course is not long but don’t be fooled by its length because your game will be fully tested.
As the course is on a gentle slope, you’re unlikely to get too many flat lies here, so understanding what your ball will do when struck on a down-slope, up-slope or side-slope is key to hitting the greens. The greens are of reasonable size and I was surprised that there were not too many bunkers around them.
The sloping fairways are the main thing that you have to plan for when playing Minto golf course, particularly when they are dry and running fast, as they are at the moment. Your ball will easily run away from your intended target and there are plenty of trees to block out your next shot.
All the holes have well thought out names – they even have their own ‘Road Hole’. The twelfth hole has a steep incline up to the green, so no prizes for guessing why it’s called ‘Everest’!
Minto Golf Club is very much worth a visit for both the golf and the scenery.
Having had a chat with Minto Golf Club’s captain, Gary McDonagh, it was clear that he was understandably proud and enthusiastic about the course.
He said the club was very flexible and accommodating to visitors. They operate various packages depending on when you want to play and how many of you are playing – special offers on Thursdays. Further details on their website above.
They have a Ladies Senior Open on 18 July (£8), Gents Senior Open on 7 Aug (£12) and a Gents Open on 22 Sept (£12). All great value.
Kelso Golf Club
Kelso Golf Course shares the course with Kelso Race Course. However, there is no horse racing during the prime golfing season, from around the end of May to mid-September.
Sharing the land with a racecourse means that the course is relatively flat. On flat parkland courses you would normally expect to see a lot of well established tall trees but, not so at Kelso Golf Club. The reason for this is that trees can’t be grown too high because the horse racing stewards need to monitor races without visual obstructions!
The grass on the racetrack is the length of the rough and obviously cuts across a number of holes. This just adds another dimension to the course – no bump and run shots to the 18th green, as the racetrack runs right across the fairway 40 yards short of the green!
Ben Sayers laid out the original 9 holes and James Braid redesigned it in 1930. The course was further extended in 1980 to the current 18 holes. It measure just over 6000 yards from the white tees and has a par of 71.
It will definitely suit those of you who prefer easy walking courses…..without too many tall trees!
Kelso Golf Club has a Gents Open on 14th July (£10) and a Mixed Foursomes on 12th Aug (£12 per couple).
Jedburgh Golf Club
The course at Jedburgh opened in 1893 with the clubhouse being built a year later. The course stayed the same for over 100 years until the original 9 holes were extended to an 18 holes layout in 2006.
This is a picturesque course particularly when the gorse is in full bloom. The original clubhouse still stands from 1894 albeit with one or two extensions understandably.
I walked part of the course and whilst undulating, it appeared flatter than I first thought it was going to be. There were some tight looking holes and the gorse will cost you dearly if you are over zealous.
I had left it too late in the day to play the course but I will return to play it next time, without a doubt.
Other non-golfing activities in the Scottish Borders
There is so much to do for both golfers and non-golfers in the Scottish Borders, plenty places to stay and many places to eat and drink in all the main towns.
- Fishing on the River Tweed and the River Teviot.
- Mountain biking at Glentress
- Plenty Hill walking, canoeing/kayaking & cycling to name a few.
Places to Visit (click the links for websites details):
Castles:
- Thirlestane Castle, Lauder
- Hume Castle, Kelso
- Hermitage Castle, Newcastleton
- Floors Castle
- Jedburgh Castle Jail & Museum
Abbeys:
Museums:
- Hawick Museum & Scott Art Gallery
- Eyemouth Museum
- Jim Clark Room (currently closed until Spring 2019)
- Coldstream Museum
- Museum at Gungreen House
- The John Buchan Story
Exhibitions/Visitor Centres/Gardens:
Historic Buildings:
- Paxton House
- Mellerstain House & Gardens
- Borders Textile Towerhouse
- Smailholm Tower
- Old Gala House
- Bowhill House & Country Estate
- Traquair House
- Abbotsford House
Part 1 of ‘Golf in the Scottish Borders’ can be read here – Golf in the Scottish Borders Part 1
NEXT BLOG will be out in a few days – why not follow me on Instagram, Twitter &/or Facebook to keep up to date.
