"Anybody could play there and have a good time."
John Huggan played Castle Stuart--the new Gil Hanse creation for developer Mark Parsinen in Northern Scotland--and offers a glowing review along with comments from others and a nice mention about the efforts of shaper Jim Wagner.
"Castle Stuart is unbelievable," says European Tour pro Stephen Gallacher. "I think it is the best new course I have ever played. The layout is fantastic, as are the facilities. It looks as though it has been there for ever, completely natural.
"The fairways may be wide at first glance, but you have to attack the greens from the right sides. Plus, there aren't many holes where the high-handicapper couldn't get away with a 'skitter' off the tee. Anybody could play there and have a good time.
"I especially enjoyed the short par-4s, classic risk-and-reward holes where you can take a chance off the tee. That's a nice change from many courses these days where 250-yard par-3s and stupid rough seem to be the norm. In contrast, Castle Stuart is proper golf."
Gallacher speaks the truth, of course. The outwardly generous fairways – 60-80 yards wide in places – at Castle Stuart are a feature increasingly less common in an age where great spaces to drive into are far from the convention at the professional level. There, one-dimensional thinking of officials defines the point of golf as asking players to drive down narrow and constricting corridors of fairway bordered by long grass.
Happily, that sad and depressing scenario is the antithesis of golf at Castle Stuart. With width comes a multitude of options from the tee, affording the player the chance to decide where best to play. This does not make driving easy; as it is at all seaside courses the skill is to drive the ball through the winds to the correct spot on the fairway. So it is that there are many different shots to be had from different sides of the fairways. But one thing is constant: the thoughtful, accurate player can always open the ideal angles that provide for significantly less demanding approach shots.
I've previously posted images of the course here, here, here, here, and here.
Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 09:51 PM
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Reader Comments (9)
Despite being wealthy businessmen they also stated that they wouldnt pay the high green fee when Nairn and Dornoch were just round the corner for less than half price.
I'm there next month-cant wait.It looks absolutely fantastic to me.
It must be nice to be them and have the game come so easy!
Ask them which one is the course record holder and how many times they broke par!
I take it those guys just like to go out and rip it, no real thought about where they would prefer to approach flags and the like!!
I played CS not long ago and I am a mid single figure h/cap and loved it, i can be a bit erratic of the tee and you may still be on the fairway far to the left or right and have a very difficult approach in. Just as hard of a shot as you would of had if you were to play it out of the rough!! But i guess those guys would rather have lost a ball in heavy shit!!
And as for the other idiot, if you get the chance to play it, even if its only once you can not complain about the price until you have had the 'experience' of Castle Stuart!!
Scott
Bet they didnt play to their handicaps though.
Get real sir real
First hand accounts are far more valuable than hearsay
cheers
Mjn, I have walked the ground there champ...if you think tearing up huge acreage, creating
vast, "infinity view"golf courses is responsible golf development and all that comes with it ...in one of the nicest places on earth...pay that bloated fee and enjoy yourself.
Chuck, Dornoch's fee need not be what it is...they have made a few regrettable decisions that cost them funds that shouldn't have been wasted. The reason for the "debt service" include significant costs that could have been avoided and a small dose of simple greed.
I'm not going to chastise folks.Those pompous few on here, that assume others don't have knowledge, only look foolish when they try to belittle others.
Carry on gentlemen, pay extortionate fees if you like...and enjoy your golf!!!