Home
Scottish Links Golf
a different game
The Basics
Detailed Information
AFSD - how to determine
the real length of a golf course
Helpful Websites
Platinum Page
Upscale places, products & services
Aberdeen &
Grampian Highlands
Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay...
Ayrshire
Kilmarnock "Barassie"
Glasgow Gailes
Irvine Bogside
Prestwick
Royal Troon,
Turnberry
Western Gailes
Just east of Edinburgh
Scotland's Golf Coast
North Berwick, Muirfield, Gullane...
Northern Highlands
Royal Dornoch, Brora, Nairn...
St. Andrews area
Other golf courses
Machrihanish, Pitlochry...
Links Lite...
Great links golf
for the not-so-great golfer
Donate
What others say
|
Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club
©
Barassie had the misfortune of being born close to
two famous Open Championship golf courses
-- the renowned Scottish links of Royal Troon and Turnberry. And so like those great golfers who plied
their skills in the shadow of Arnold
Palmer
and Jack Nicklaus or those who are
now playing
in the shadow of Tiger Woods, Kilmarnock Golf Club suffers in comparison. Not as physically
beautiful as the classic Scottish links golf
course, it is nonetheless a fine traditional
links golf course, beautifully maintained
with undulating fairways, fierce rough, punishing
bunkers and true greens. And because it has
been used as a final qualifying golf course
when the Open Championship is played at Royal Troon and Turnberry, the Royal and ancient Golf Club of St.
Andrews (governing body ot the Briitish Open
Championship) obviously consider it to be
a first class golf course. I agree. It's
definitely worth a play.
 |
| Barassie Links 1st tee |
Barassie is a final qualifying course for
the Open Championship
Barassie is a relatively long golf course by Scottish
golfing standards. It is 6,817 yards off
the medal tees and 6,484 off the visitor's
tees. With the almost constant wind that
blows in Scotland, this can be a real problem
if that wind is in your face (which it always
seems to be!). Anyone who has played Barassie years ago will be pleased to know there
have been nine new holes added, but they
haven't made the course any easier. In fact
the par 72, SS rating of 74, proves that.
Barassie is not for the faint of heart
Barassie has rather large greens with the usual undulations
that make putting on Scottish links so challenging.
The greens, however, are kept in great shape.
There are deep bunkers not only surrounding
the greens but in the fairways as well. In
the States fairway bunkers seldom cost more
than half a stroke. Not so in Scotland, where
bunkers mean business. You won't go hitting
a fairway wood out of any of these. Quite
a few doglegs, too, which I feel always add
interest to the game. Especially noteworthy
is the new double dogleg #8, a 519 yard par
5 just about unreachable in two.
The first hole is the kind I appreciate.
At 501 yards and a par 5 it is a gentle introduction
to a day of golf. Hit the ball straight--not
necessarily long--and you'll get your par.
Number 2, though, quickly brings you to your
senses. It doesn't look like much at only
376 yards, but it's rated the 5th most difficult.
That should tell you something, Fierce bunkers
guard both sides of the fairway and 4 more
guard the green. Any mistake is costly. Number
3 will not give you any mercy either. As
I mentioned above, it was the most difficult hole on the golf
course before the new holes were added
and
it hasn't gotten any easier. It's a 365 yard par 4 (430 yards off the
medal tees!) and you will need a great drive
to get you into position for any kind of
chance at par. This hole can wreck your score
(and your confidence) early. The green slopes
toward 2 bunkers on the right, so be warned.
Four holes later you are faced with what
many think is the most difficult hole on
the golf course--number 7. This 427 yard
par 4 has undulations in the fairway as if
a pod of whales has been planted there, so
even a good drive can give you a sidehill
lie. The green is guarded by mounds and bunkers.
This hole is definitely a challenge, and
you can be satisfied with a par or even a
bogie.
Kilmarnock Golf Club's "Barassie Links"
has it allPlentiful, strategically placed fairway bunkers,
humpback green fronts, mounds, gorse, whins,
rippled fairways, tiered greens -- Barassie has it all. It's a golf course you'd do
well to think your way around. Hitting
the
ball hard and long is not always the
play
if your driving is not always accurate.
A
judicious use of your 3 wood for a
more accurate
tee shot will serve you well. It will
keep
you short of some of the fairway bunkers
and will put you in position to go
for the
green with the greenside bunkers taken
out
of play.
|
| Barassie 18th green and clubhouse |
So what's the verdict? I think Barassie is
a wonderfrul golf course and would rate it
higher IF it were in a different neighborhood.
But the fact is, it's so close to Royal Troon,
Turnberry and Prestwick makes me hedge my
opinion because it would have to be your
4th choice of play if you were in the area.
However, if you have the time or if you're
on a budget (the cost of playing Barassie
is less than half of the more famous others
in the area and it's a lot more than half
the fun) I'd urge you to give it a play.
Once again you win as an independent golfer
because you save lots of money and get to
play a fine golf course never seen by the
usual group tours.
Golf Nook Scotland rating = PAR.
www.kbgc.co.uk
For What to Do All Day, please visit the Ayrshire page.
|
