Toughest - Carnoustie. The last few holes are so hard. 17 is a "joke", and totally unfair. I was 3 over at the turn but dropped 10 strokes in the last 5 holes.
Best greens - Gifford Golf Club. A super 9 hole course in East Lothian.
Most enjoyable - St Andrews Old Course. Played last week for the first time. Magical. Close second would be Grantown-on-Spey.
Overall condition - Old Course. Amazing condition especially given the number of people playing it. Hardly a divot to be found except those recently filled.
Most disappointing - too polite to say plus I have enjoyed all my golf this year.
For me 17 is a frustrating hole, certainly from the red tees, and a bit of a waste of what should be a great hole. At an absolute push, if I nailed it, I could maybe carry the burn but I'd be daft to try that in a comp so need to lay up short of the burn, which leaves something like 230+ to the green and virtually no chance of getting there. IMO it'd be better with either the tee moved up 20 yards to make it worth taking on the burn or further back and make it a par 5. As it stands very few amateur females, only the very longest hitters, have any chance of hitting that green in 2. Into the wind? Nobody is getting anywhere near.
Tough course - I shot 86 playing off 4 and was in my buffer - CSS was 81!!!!
Driving the burn is the key, maybe I'll take it on next year! But the very impressive, big hitting, swede I played with went for it and didn't make the carry this year.
Oh, was actually CSS 80 when I played. I had a stableford adjustment as well.
first time i played it was the day after the Scottish Ladies Amateur and the starter said the course was playing tough, but found it not too bad, unless you were really wayward. we played right off the very back tee's as well as when the started asked our handicaps. the guy who booking it was was off +1 and the other two guys were 3 and 1.... he didn't bother asking me:rofl: so said play off where you like.
Only hole ive had trouble with both times was 15, hit poor drive both times.