The Home of Golf Getaways #1
The Home of Golf Getaways
Today sees the start of The Home of Golf Getaways. Recommendations will initially be links/coastal courses, due to better course conditions over the next few months.
First trip is to the Angus Region on the East coast of Scotland – easy to get there by train but I would recommend hiring a car. This region is easily accessible from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee & Aberdeen, where there are ample car hire companies available. Check our car hire & travel details here.
The Home of Golf Getaways #1
My first Golf Getaway takes us to Monifieth, Panmure & Carnoustie. All 3 courses that I am suggesting are within a 5-10 minute drive of each other and lie about a 20-25 minute drive to the east of Dundee.
Course 1 – The Burnside Course
Carnoustie will be the venue for the 2018 Open Championship, however, it is the Burnside Course, the second of three courses managed by Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, that I am recommending this week. The course is a links course and sits adjacent to the Championship course. It’s a well maintained track and offers exceptional value at £23 for it’s winter rate.
The course would normally be considered a top rated course if it was situated on its own, anywhere else! However, sitting right next to the Championship Course, I personally think it is underrated and is a hidden gem right under our noses!
With the Open Championship approaching, there maybe additional works going on, so it would be advisable to check that the course is fully open when you want to play it. You are likely to be on mats from Dec – Feb 2018.
Course 2 – Panmure Golf Club
The links course at Panmure Golf Club is definitely a course worth playing – it is an Open qualifier course and has held numerous regional and national amateur events over the years. It is a fair course but bunkers lurk at most holes to catch over zealous drives. The odd burn and out of bounds will also grab your attention, so accuracy off the tee is key.
Mats will be in use until the end of February 2018 but this is reflected in a very reasonable fee of £30. Fees in March rise to £45 and then up further as the season progresses.
Course 3 – Monifieth Links (Medal Course)
A close neighbour to Panmure is the Medal Course at Monifieth Links. A plaque at the first tee informs you that this is where Tom Watson played his first ever round of links golf. A week later he won his first Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1975 – prize money for winning The Open back then was £7,500!
Monifieth Links, like many links courses, has a railway running along side it. As I was teeing it up on the first, the London–Aberdeen train came thundering passed……just a little reminder, before I teed off, that there’s out of bounds up the right!!!
The course is undulating and once again accuracy is always better than length on these classic links courses. There’s plenty of gorse but not on the fairways, as I was told beforehand!
A round on this course will cost £25 and will be played on mats until the end of February 2018. It rises to £35 in March and will increase further as we get into the golfing season.
Accommodation
Top Pick – Carnoustie Golf Hotel
The Home of Golf Getaways Top Pick for staying in this area would be the Carnoustie Golf Hotel.
It has 81 en-suite bedrooms and ten suites with great views over the Championship Course, the sea and the local town of Carnoustie. The Spa and health facilities include a large heated swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, steam room and for the more energetic a fully equipped gymnasium.
You’re only 350 yards to the 1st tee of the Burnside Course, 7-8 minutes drive to Panmure and only 10-12 minute drive to Monifieth. Easy life!
Prices will vary depending on when you stay and whether you stay midweek or at the weekend. However, as a rough guide, prices at the moment indicate apx. £80/night for a twin/double.
Other Places to Stay
There are plenty other places to stay nearby:
Carnoustie
Station Hotel
23 Station Rd, Carnoustie, DD7 6AR
Telephone: 01241 852447
Corner Hotel
103-105 Dundee Street, Carnoustie, DD7 7EW
Telephone: 01241 856291
19th Hole Hotel
8 Ferrier St, Carnoustie, DD7 7HT
01241 852108
Broughty Ferry
Woodlands Hotel
13 Panmure Terrace, Dundee DD5 2QL
Telephone: 01382 480033
The Hotel Broughty Ferry
16 West Queen Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 1AR
Telephone: 01382 480027
Dundee
Doubletree by Hilton Dundee
Kingsway West, Dundee, DD2 5JT
Telephone 01382 641122
Invercarse Hotel
371 Perth Rd, Dundee DD2 1PG
Telephone: 01382 669231
So there you have it, if you go before the end of March 2018, it will roughly cost £320 per couple or £160 per person, depending on when and where you stay – not bad for a couple of nights away with 3 rounds of golf!
And finally……
Whenever, playing any Scottish course over the winter, here’s The Home of Golf Getaways checklist that you may want to address before booking – it’ll help manage expectations:
- Are fairway mats required?
- Are there any winter tees or winter greens in play?
- What condition are the greens in?
- Is there any major winter course work being carried out?
- Can we play at weekends? (many clubs restrict visitors on Saturdays to allow members to play)
- What’s the earliest/latest times for teeing off? (restricted daylight hours in winter)
- Are handicap certificates required?
- Will the clubhouse be open when we arrive or when we get back in? (restricted hours in winter)
- When does the kitchen close/last orders?
- You may want to consider teeing of a bit later, as frost can hit many courses early in the morning, resulting in the use of winter greens for the first few hours.
- Take some extra layers, it can get cold out there, particularly if the wind gets up!
Green fees are substantially reduced at this time of year, so if there are restricted tee times or mats required and winter greens in play, then these are the reasons for the discounted rate.
If you want to get notified about any other of The Home of Golf Getaways or when the next blog post is out, just drop your email address into our Blog Sign Up box on the right hand side bar or give our Facebook Page a wee ‘Like’ for updates.
Thanks for reading!
