Castle Stuart no.25????? GM explain!

[thecraw]

I am the first to admit that Castle Stuart is a great golf course, however 25th best course in the British Isles, come on not ever!

I appreciate that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and your definitive list will cause debate and much discussion in clubhouses up and down the length of Britain. I guess that's what its designed to do in a way.

Is Castle Stuart better than Gleneagles Kings (27) for instance? Not even close, not in a million years and this is coming from me, one of links golfs biggest fans. Gleneagles has everything and more that Castle Stuart has, great welcome, lovely clubhouse, a superb challenging course, beautiful vistas, but Gleneagles also boasts history and better greens. Castle Stuart's greens will improve (not that they were bad, but you can tell they are new) over time, may even become better but as a course it lacks aura, history and that magical tingle that you feel inside on an iconic course.

I also question why Castle Stuart is considered a better golf course than both Western Gailes (51) and Machrihanish (37), did anyone go and sample Gailes this year? Gailes is an amazing golf course, how many other golf courses boast a club house that is situated in the centre of the golf course, the true links, sandwiched between the railway line and the sea. Western is tough, usually in amazing condition and certainly a stronger all round golf course (in my humble opinion) than Castle Stuart.

I will concede that Western is too "stuffy" and not as tolerant of the visitor.

Machrihanish, well I may be biased due to my love of the course, natural, raw, beautiful, remote, peaceful, just brilliant.

Cruden Bay, sitting at (89). Machrihanish Dunes (91), might be more remote, but easily an equal of Castle Stuart, easily in every respect. From the wonderful welcome complete the complimentary tea and coffee, welcome pack, knowledgeable starter offering a history of the course, giving helpful hints and lines. The course design, with much less earth being moved,holes naturally constructed through the dunes using only the natural topography with only tees and greens being constructed. Is Castle Stuart justified in being ranked 66 places above it? Absolutely not in my opinion.

This is not a crusade or a rant against Castle Stuart, I really enjoyed Castle Stuart, great course with some amazing holes but I cant quite work out how it jumped into number 25 in the top 100 courses in the British Isles.

 

[brendy]

Shadddap, its a great course. Bet it doesnt suffer as badly as gleneagles etc in the winter.

 

[patricks148]

Good reason fot that, its shut November to April.

 

[thecraw]

Shadddap, its a great course. Bet it doesnt suffer as badly as gleneagles etc in the winter.

Well get your Irish ass over to Machrihanish in March and sample some more wonderful offerings from Scotchland!

 

[Toad]

Can't believe Loch Lomond is ahead of either of them overhyped and overpriced in my opinion, at least you can play CS whenever you like.

Gleneagles is not the place it used to be Craw and the Kings whilst nice to look at can be too punishing for some higher handicaped golfers to play.

 

[thecraw]

And Castle Stuart cant be? Water down the right of the opening holes, punishing bunkers???

Nope, Kings is miles ahead of CS for me.

 

[stevek1969]

Haven't played Catle Stuart so can't comment but no Porstewart Strand in the Top 100

 

[brendy]

It's all gone fubar!
I'd say the top 100 should be in no certain order, saying one top class course is better than another is criminal. Very few will have played all 100 too so can be based of a very small sample of opinion.

 

[clubchamp07]

Royal Portrush 15th, aye right! Co Down 2nd, no thanks. Portstewart not even in the top 100, someone's having a laugh...........
Who put this together?
Did they play all the courses?
Was there any other factors that made one course better than the other?
I'm sure there are other big guns not in the top 100, but as Brendy said there should be no numbers in it...........

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I wouldn't worry too much. There are probably more courses easily accesible and a great challenge to all levels in Scotland than the rest of the UK combined anyway. So what if some of the elite are higher than others. As Mike says in the editorial its all about opinion anyway

 

[golfcitydweller]

i`m with `craw` here ..played castle stuart last summer and it`s a good course but not a top 25 course and at £150 a round it`s not gonna be inundated with people booking it ...the day we played it was very quite..which tells u everything as far as i`m concerned

gcd

 

[HRC99]

The cost of some of the courses on the Top 100 list is ridiculous and you can't get into more than a few of them anyway.

I think they should do a Top 100 that Joe Public can get into and have an upper price limit of £75. That would be interesting reading.

 

[USER1999]

Although the price of many is silly, and I do have an issue with pricing, I also have an issue with accessibility. Many of these you can't get on, full stop. Many are hideously expensive. Some just shouldn't be there, some in their next 100 wouldn't be in my next 1000. It is an opinion, it just doesn't agree with mine.

 

[Dodger]

Craw you could pick holes in many of that listing.

I'll start with Queens 61??!!

No Jubilee??

Ladybank 96 only 5 behind The Island,it shouldn't be in top 100 and only 5 betweeen that and The Island?? Give me a break!

Silloth 55?? Again,give me a break.

Western Gailes as Craw says.

Alwoodley as high as it is??

Might be biased but my own place is better than many in that list,not saying it should be a stick on top 100 but it is without doubt better than many on it that I have played.A hidden beauty it shall remain it appears

One big suprise is that with a list that has some strange offerings in it the goat track hasn't made top 100!!

 

[Screwback]

Might be biased but my own place is better than many in that list,not saying it should be a stick on top 100 but it is without doubt better than many on it that I have played.A hidden beauty it shall remain it appears

I have to agree i was surprised not to see it in if you can put machrihanish that high up our place deserves a spot as IMO it is as good if not better as Machrihanish.

 

[stevek1969]

Don't see my place in there and its better than Ladybank thats for sure.Played both Screwback although yours is a cracking course i think Machrihanish is a touch better,IMO.

 

[Screwback]

The only reason i say my place is as good as machrihanish is i think we have 18 solid golf holes. machrihanish for me has a poor last couple of holes and dont get me wrong its well in my personal top 5 but if you can place it so highlyin the list i think my place deserves a slot.

I have never played scotscraig but have heard great things about it. another one i thought might have sneaked in was monifieth...

 

[stevek1969]

The only reason i say my place is as good as machrihanish is i think we have 18 solid golf holes. machrihanish for me has a poor last couple of holes and dont get me wrong its well in my personal top 5 but if you can place it so highlyin the list i think my place deserves a slot.

I have never played scotscraig but have heard great things about it. another one i thought might have sneaked in was monifieth...

Your right there mate the 18th is anti climax and looks out of place compared to the rest,Monifieth is a cracking course but sadly not in great nick just now played there a few times in the summer.

 

[Screwback]

The only reason i say my place is as good as machrihanish is i think we have 18 solid golf holes. machrihanish for me has a poor last couple of holes and dont get me wrong its well in my personal top 5 but if you can place it so highlyin the list i think my place deserves a slot.

I have never played scotscraig but have heard great things about it. another one i thought might have sneaked in was monifieth...

Your right there mate the 18th is anti climax and looks out of place compared to the rest,Monifieth is a cracking course but sadly not in great nick just now played there a few times in the summer.

I played Monifieth for the first time a couple of months ago. I thought the course lay out was very good and quite old school it was in alright nick when i played it too but i hear the greens have been lost a bit towards the end.

I dare say the top 100 is always going to upset somemone somewhere along the line.

 

[stevek1969]

The only reason i say my place is as good as machrihanish is i think we have 18 solid golf holes. machrihanish for me has a poor last couple of holes and dont get me wrong its well in my personal top 5 but if you can place it so highlyin the list i think my place deserves a slot.

I have never played scotscraig but have heard great things about it. another one i thought might have sneaked in was monifieth...

Your right there mate the 18th is anti climax and looks out of place compared to the rest,Monifieth is a cracking course but sadly not in great nick just now played there a few times in the summer.

I played Monifieth for the first time a couple of months ago. I thought the course lay out was very good and quite old school it was in alright nick when i played it too but i hear the greens have been lost a bit towards the end.

I dare say the top 100 is always going to upset somemone somewhere along the line.

You could debate about it for ages thats for sure,they've cored the greens at Monifieth and made an arse of it.