KEEN golfer Paul is supplying his top five of each of the 18 holes that make up a golf course. He will conclude with the 19th, arguably the most important hole of the lot. Today, he reaches the seventh hole.
Paul's series will run through Recommends over the coming weeks, as we head into the big golfing season. He welcomes comments on his selections, which, he notes, are entirely personal and unlikely to be shared by anyone.
ROYAL ABERDEEN, 147yds, Par 3, Ridge This is a lovely wee hole if you are accurate enough and manage to find the putting surface with your tee shot. On the other hand, your clubwork from the sand is likely to improve as you practise in any of the ten bunkers which surround the green!
ROYAL TROON , 123yds, Par 3, Postage Stamp Some holes are classics and have to be included in any golf course selections. The fact that I managed a "magic two" during my only round of Royal Troon adds to the attraction of this hole for me.
MELDRUM HOUSE, 334yds, Par 4 A short, but tricky, par 4. The tee shot needs to avoid the water down the right and the two bunkers on the left hand of the fairway. The hole then dog-legs to the right towards a two-tier green.
KILMARNOCK (BARASSIE) 539yds, Par 5, Dundonald The original 18-hole course layout at Barassie offered a testing and enjoyable round of golf. The addition of nine new holes has resulted in a magnificent championship course and one of the best nine-holers in the country. The 8th is a double-dog-leg that really tests course management skills.
KILSPINDIE, 162yds, Par 3 At just under 5,500 yards, Kilspindie is not a long course, but in breezy conditions offers a challenging and fun test of golf. Some of the short par 4s are reachable from the tee while the ones into the wind will require a couple of well-struck shots. The short 8th hole flirts with Gosforth Bay and, with the wind against, can be a bit of a handful.
The full article contains 357 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
