SCOTTISH GOLF NEWSLETTER
May 2015
Denver CO
Hello Independent Golf Travelers!
I'm back with news from a three-week April trip. Weather "brilliant" most of the time with a few "unsettled" days—in
general, a good advertisement for April in Scotland or
Ireland.
Ground covered: about 1000 miles up the East coast
(Fife/Angus), Aberdeenshire, the Moray coast (north), and
Sutherland (Dornoch)
Courses played: Elie, St. Andrews Eden, Fairmont
Torrance, Stonehaven, Cruden Bay, Newburgh-on-Ythan,
Hopeman, Golspie, and Royal Dornoch. The big
surprise: Hopeman GC - have always heard good things;
it's even better than I expected—the most gorse I've ever
seen on a course, and that's saying a lot.
Readers often ask where I stay on my trips to Scotland.
Here's the list on this trip: Montague House on Murray Park in St. Andrews; Cruden
Bay Bed & Breakfast in Cruden Bay; Sandown House in Nairn; The Bank House in
Dornoch.
Some Trip Highlights
• First time around the St. Andrews Eden course with
hotelier Stan Hastie of Aslar House, #1 rated St.
Andrews guest house on TripAdvisor
• Senior Gents Open at Newburgh-on-Ythan - I paid
£12 to participate in Stableford competition with playing
partners from Oldmeldrum GC, Roy Duncan and Bob
Aitken (photo at left; I'm the old guy on the right).
• Four nights with Ian and Lorraine Devenish at the
resurrected Cruden Bay Bed & Breakfast (formerly the
Red House Hotel)
• A round with secretary Les Durno at Cruden Bay GC,
with first-hand accounting of some design changes at that great course
• A walking tour of Trump International north of Aberdeen
• First time play at gorse-lined Hopeman GC on the Moray coast near Lossiemouth
In Time for 2016 (and what's left of 2015). . . An
Updated Edition of Golf in Scotland: A TravelPlanning Guide
After working on a revision of my guidebook all winter I
have enough news for a whole passel of newsletters. I
guess that's why they call it a book. The book will be
available in paper and electronic formats as soon as we
can get it into the pipelines at www.amazon.com, and
www.barnesandnoble.com,This tends to take 4-6 weeks
(mid-June) It will be available in electronic format only at
www.apple.com. If you want a book NOW, send a check
for $25 per book made to WF Enterprises, Inc., at 1743
South Marion St., Denver CO 80210. We no longer take
credit cards. A FREE book goes to the first person who
can identify the distinctive location and hole # on the front
cover. Send me an email at [email protected].
Focus on St. Andrews
Next up: The Open Championship July 17-20.  Tom Watson and Nick Faldo will
play their last competitive rounds at the Old Course. Watch for that Swilcan Bridge
moment. Should be a tear-jerker, especially for Ol' Tom, a favorite of the Scots.
 Renovation of the British Golf Museum languishes behind schedule. Maybe it will
be open before the Open.  Empty store fronts and "For Let" signs have sprouted in
St. Andrews like spring flowers. Town real estate is getting too expensive for many
retailers.  Popular Bella Italia in St. Andrews has closed its doors . . . parent
company in bankruptcy.  In anticipation of adverse publicity around the Open this
year, Royal & Ancient members have approved membership for women. First on the
tee, notably Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam.
 A 65-room Premier Inn is coming to St. Andrews along with a Marks & Spencer
supermarket in a £7 million development on Largo Rd south of town center. The UK's
largest chain, Premier Inn will provide a much needed mid-market alternative to the
pricey hotels in town center. And they price by room rate rather than the infuriating (and
unfair) tradition of pricing "per person per night."  Fairmont St. Andrews has
changed hands once again—this time purchased for a reported £32 million by the
Beverly-Hills based Kennedy Wilson European Real Estate Group. Good luck KennedyWilson.
Green Fees Through the Proverbial Roof
Read it and weep (for Scottish golf). High season 2015 visitor rates: Turnberry - £250,
Kingsbarns - £226, Trump Int'l - £215, Muirfield - £210, Royal Troon - £205; Castle
Stuart - £180. I don't know a single, sensible Scot who would pay these kinds of rates
for a round of golf. My hope is that visitors will vote with their feet and remember Nancy
Reagan's anti-drug slogan, "Just say NO"—and send them an email telling them why
you aren't playing their overpriced courses.
Here's a Better Idea—Mix It Up
OK, play a couple of the "trophy" courses on your trip to Scotland. But then mix it up
with a handful of the so-called "hidden gems." That's where you'll meet the Scots and
where you'll experience traditional club golf. Try any one of these priced between £30
and £60 (in alpha order): Belleisle, Blairgowrie, Boat of Garten, Brora, Crieff, Duff
House Royal, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Golspie, Irvine Bogside, Leven Links,
Longniddry, Lundin Links, Nairn Dunbar, Pitlochry, Tain . . . and many more (see
my guidebook for ideas).
In every region of Scotland you can mix it up. For example, up north just about
everyone wants to play Royal Dornoch (£120), Nairn (£110) and maybe Castle Stuart
(£180). Now check out www.highlandgolfescapes.co.uk to fill out your dance card with
reduced rates at Boat of Garten, Brora, Fortrose, Golspie, Nairn Dunbar, and Tain.
Voila!—you have a more reasonably-priced and better trip than one that's focused only
on the high-priced spread.
Here are a few other promotional packages to balance an itinerary featuring a couple
of trophy courses: www.linkswithhistory.com (Crail, Lundin Links, Ladybank,
Scotscraig); www.gailesgolfexperience.com (Dundonald, Glasgow Gailes, Western
Gailes); www.carnoustiecountry.com (Carnoustie, Monifieth, Montrose, Panmure).
Five Principles of Smart Golf Travel
In a newsletter last year I listed five ways to cut the cost of golf travel in Scotland and
Ireland. A quick review:
1. Book yourself
2. Drive yourself
3. Rent a flat
4. Stay put
5. Play 3 or 4 "hidden gems"
Given the increasing cost of playing the "name" courses, here are . . . .
Five More Ways to Save on Green Fees
• Travel in April or October. Many courses discount green fees during those months.
• Play late afternoon and evening. Many courses have twilight rates after 3 or 4 p.m.
From May through July it's light in Scotland and Ireland until 10:00 p.m. or thereabouts.
• Look for combo tickets (e.g., St. Andrews 3-day and 7-day passes; St. Andrews Dukes
and Castle course; Nairn/Nairn Dunbar).
• Look for "open" events at clubs during your travel dates - Search by region and type of
event at www.scottishgolf.org (Scottish Golf Union). This is the biggest saver if you're in
the right place at the right time . . .or build an itinerary around several open events.
• Check on discounts through your lodging hosts - many have private "arrangements"
with the courses for discounted play.
Trump International
On this trip I walked the new Trump International
Golf Links north of Aberdeen. The design is by
Martin Hawtree. Built in and around Scotland's
most extensive duneland (against the wishes of
many), the course has more in common with the
Irish courses at Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee,
and Doonbeg than with anything in Scotland. No
"faux dunes" here like at St. Andrews Castle
Course. These are the real thing! Whether Trump
Int'l is "the greatest course in the world" I'll let
others debate. No doubt it's a great golf course.
Whether it should have been built is another matter. I can tell you that a lot of sand was
moved to carve out the bright green (i.e., heavily fertilized) tees and walkways that lie in
stark contrast against a backdrop of brown, gnarly rough and beach grasses. In the long
run (100 years or 10?) it will be interesting to see what Mother Nature does with Trump
International. Those shifting sands may play havoc with Mr. Trump's course.
Here's a short-hand review of the course features: • Located midway between
Aberdeen and Cruden Bay. • Overall, a wonder of modern golf course construction
techniques. • Each hole exists in splendid isolation • Sea views - almost none,
obscured by the dunes • Length - 5200 to 7400 • Tees - most are elevated in the
dunes; a record-setting six to suit all levels of play • Fairways - generous, visually
subtle from the tees • Carries - substantial, especially from the back three tees • Turf lots of growing in yet to do; check back in a few years • Bunkers - sharp-edged,
revetted, deep (and lots of them) • Greens - big and undulating but not McLay Kidd
crazy; well grown in • Surrounds - generous and well-designed • Walkability - taxing
but manageable • Price - outta sight for most people at £215 high season. What I'm
describing here is an intelligently-designed, scenic golf course. Play it if you can afford
it. Then go find a nice, little "wee village course."
Club News
 After a stop at Gullane GC this year, the Scottish Open returns to Castle Stuart in
2016. Aberdeen Asset Management and EventScotland are reportedly working out a
regular rotation of courses to move the event around the country (some guesses: Castle
Stuart, Royal Aberdeen, Western Gailes, Gullane, Gleneagles).  In case any
doubters of climate change remain, they might want to check with the folks at Golspie
GC 15 miles north of Dornoch. With several opening holes lying dead against the North
Sea, the course has been brutalized by two severe "once-in-a-century" winter storms in
2012 and 2014. Only the yeoman work of green staff and volunteer workers have
maintained high-season playability at Golspie.
 Elie's Head greenkeeper Brian Lawrie has retired after 51
years of tending the turf at that fine club. His wife, Moira
Lawrie, continues as booking secretary to secretary Gordon
Fleming. Elie's old starter shack is now history . . . replaced
by a spiffy new one, but "Excalibur," the periscope at the first
tee, remains (photo at left).  After a distress sale to new
owners in 2014, Fairmont St. Andrews has reduced green
fees on their Torrance and Kittocks courses. They're £80 all
week—in step with St. Andrews' New and Jubilee courses
and not much more than one-third the cost of Kingsbarns.
These are excellent courses with views from high ground
over St. Andrews Bay. Their twilight rate of £40 is one of the
best values, not only in Fife but in all of Scotland.  The
Ladies Scottish Open will be held July 24-26, at Dundonald Links at Gailes.
 Fortrose & Rosemarkie has added another set of tees to lengthen the course to
6085 fun-filled yards.
A Few Lodging Notes of Note
Northeast:  Ian Devenish of Cruden Bay, one of the
great characters among golf-centric hoteliers, has come
out of health-imposed retirement to revive his old Red
House Hotel as the Cruden Bay Bed and Breakfast.
Ian's guests always leave with good memories and a
raft of good golf stories (ask him about his hosting of
Pete Dye and Herb Kohler). Seven rooms will be
augmented by two new self-catering units on the back
side. For an unforgettable view over magnificent Cruden
Bay duneland, ask for rooms 1, 2, or 5 at the front of building.  The Udny Arms, the
longtime "golf hotel" in Newburgh, has closed its doors for good. Newburgh makes a
great base for golf from Royal Aberdeen up to Fraserburgh above Cruden Bay. The
vacuum left by the closing of the Udny has been filled with boutique flair by the
Newburgh Inn (formerly the shabby Ythan Inn).
Perthshire:  In the wake of the successful Ryder Cup, Diageo has once again
expressed a willingness to "entertain" offers of something like £200 million for the
Gleneagles Resort. Diageo has owned the property since 1984. Every ten years they
troll for a buyer—no takers to date.
Ayrshire:  Trump Turnberry, the hotel and golf courses, will be closed from
Sunday 27 Sept 2015 to June 2016 for renovations.  The decrepit Belleisle House
Hotel overlooking the golf course has received a £5 million makeover and been rechristened Belleisle Mansion by buyers John and Senger Campbell. Set to open in the
spring 2016, this gives Ayr a 5-star resort hotel with spa, swimming pool, and 90 rooms.
In the meantime, professional Richard Gordon is thrilled to have a new clubhouse and
pro shop at the golf course.  Costley Hotels (Lochgreen and Highfield House in
Troon) have expanded their empire with country house holdings in Irvine, Kilmarnock,
and other Ayrshire locations.
Fife:  A proposal to demolish the half-timbered landmark
Lundin Links Hotel in the middle of the village is being
resisted by local residents. The hotel remains open until
the issue is settled or the owner decides to close the
doors.  I've described the Craws Nest Hotel on the
south coast of Fife as "popular"—apparently not popular
enough; they went belly up last October.
Odds and Ends
Golf - A Walking Game:  For the American golfer who
values the traditions of Scotland and Ireland, here's a
useful website:www.thewalkinggolfer.com. Here, most courses in the USA are
organized by state and rated on a scale of "walkability." Those courses that discourage
or don't allow walking are flagged in bold red.
BOOKS -  Just received in the mail - Machrihanish, a debut novel from Dan
Miller of "Ham 'n' Egg" radio and blog fame. Beautifully produced, well-written,
highlighted with some astonishing watercolors.  Golf on the Rocks by Gary
Sutherland, a Scottish journalist - a good yarn, well-told, focused on Scotland's island
courses; unfortunately marred by some fractured syntax and errors of grammar. Still,
worth a read for Scotland way off the beaten path.
Credit Cards -  If you are planning a trip soon and don't already have a "chip and
pin" card, it's a good idea to get one. Just request one from your card service. Swiping
is still an option, but who knows for how long? Seems all of Europe, including the UK,
has moved ahead on the security front. Not sure what USA banks are waiting for.
Capitol One and Chase are options for a no-fee card for foreign transactions. Others
that I don't know about may have come on board.
Well, this is getting pretty long . . .
'til next time . . . when I'll report on our escorted trip to the "Wild Side" of Scotland (the
Hebrides and far north),
ALLAN McALLISTER FERGUSON
President, Ferguson Golf
author of Golf in Scotland: A Travel-Planning Guide with Profiles of 74 Great
Courses