slugger
Tour Rookie
The first thing you notice about Drumoig is how quiet it is. The last thing you notice about Drumoig is how quiet it is.
Seriously, when we arrived at the hotel there were two people there (both staff) and this was mid Saturday morning. The clubhouse was a bit tired looking (considering how new it is!) and the whole place just had an air of foostiness about it.
The hotel/clubhouse commands impressive views out across the 18th, 9th and 10th holes and over to the rolling Fife countryside beyond. From there, the course looks very impressive and extremely well maintained.
So after getting ready in the very scruffy, messy, unwashed locker room, we headed over to the starters hut and the 1st tee. The practice putting green was very true and well looked after, as was the first, and all other, tee boxes.
The first hole is a nice par 4 opener with trees up the right and a bunker guarding anywayward drives up the left. It's downhill onto the fairway and then back up again to the very nice, well sized and true running green. Not much of a test but a nice hole to introduce you into the course.
The second is a par 3 of easily over 200 yards that was playing into a stiff prevailing wind. Rough guards the left and it's very punishing rough.
This seemed to be a feature of the course. Stray even 1/2 a foot from the first cut at most points on the course and it's a lost ball. No chance of recovery so it was better to err on the side of caution.
The 3rd is a lovely par 5 with a nice wide fairway, and some nice wide houses to the right of the fairway, to aim for. That stiff breeze allowed the green to be reached in no more than 2 shots with a well struck 2nd shot. Another very nice, well protected green.
The 4th is a testing par 4 with a monstrous bunker guarding the dogleg and this takes you to the 5th. This is a demanding par 5. The fairway is extremely wide for the drive, but after that it continually gets more restricted then you're 3rd (cough... 4th) shot is a very difficult test into a small green tucked right up against an old quarry wall. I think the course designer had fun here, shame i didn't after my ball came up to rest against the quarry wall. An impossible shot from there and a ruined card.
From there you have a few nice holes before getting to the signature hole for the course. The par 4 9th which is protected up both sides by water and the shot onto the green is again over the water on the left.
Fortunately, my drive (yep, i went for it) travelled around 260yds right up the middle and i went on to par the hole from a well struck iron into the heart of the green and two solid putts. The drive was intimidating, but i reckon if you don't go for it off the tee, then you're second shot from short of the water is going to be even more difficult than the tee shot!
The 10th plays back up the other side of the water and the green is reachable from the tee if you're willing to risk it! I wasn't and sensibly played a hybrid to the middle of the fairway and went on to par the hole.
Then we have the 11th. A lovely par 3 over water to a well bukered green. I regrettably put two balls into the water here and gave up on the hole. We were playing match play, so that didn't matter too much, but it was one of 3 no returns for me on the day.
Following that, i think we have the weakest hole on the course. It's a par 5 with a blind drive up a hill and round a corner with trees on one side and the still very severe rough up the right. A well struck tee shot had me in trouble and so did the recovery hybrid shot. Two NR's in a row and my card was now well and truly wrecked.
The course continues from there with a mix of all the pars and it was on the par 3 16th that i eventually found my 2nd bunker of the day. The first time was way back on the front nine, and i had forgotten how poor the sand in the bunkers was. It was like builders sand, with stones and stone chips everywhere. They hadn't been raked for a while and so after the rain had fallen, they were baked into a very firm (read as solid) concrete like surface. There was no way to play a decent shot. Even if there was, you had no idea that your club was just going to bounce of the sand and thin your ball across the green! This was unacceptable on a course where everything else was of top quality - apart from that rough!
The last hole is a straightforward par 3 which, after some of the delightful holes before it, is a bit of a let down, anti-climax!
So, all in all, a very very nice course, but badly let down by the most punishing rough i have come across and the most shoddily presented and looked after bunkers i've had the misfortune to play out of. They never even had proper bunker sand in them!
Back into the clubhouse/hotel and there were twice as many people there as before (4)!
Drumoig is in a difficult position. It has a lot of other courses (you know, in that famous golfing town, just down the road) to contend with. It's a lovely course with few weak holes and in very nice condition (apart from those things mentioned earlier). I'd recommend playing the course, but not spending much of your time in the club as you'll just end up sitting there wondering where everyone else is!
Seriously, when we arrived at the hotel there were two people there (both staff) and this was mid Saturday morning. The clubhouse was a bit tired looking (considering how new it is!) and the whole place just had an air of foostiness about it.
The hotel/clubhouse commands impressive views out across the 18th, 9th and 10th holes and over to the rolling Fife countryside beyond. From there, the course looks very impressive and extremely well maintained.
So after getting ready in the very scruffy, messy, unwashed locker room, we headed over to the starters hut and the 1st tee. The practice putting green was very true and well looked after, as was the first, and all other, tee boxes.
The first hole is a nice par 4 opener with trees up the right and a bunker guarding anywayward drives up the left. It's downhill onto the fairway and then back up again to the very nice, well sized and true running green. Not much of a test but a nice hole to introduce you into the course.
The second is a par 3 of easily over 200 yards that was playing into a stiff prevailing wind. Rough guards the left and it's very punishing rough.
This seemed to be a feature of the course. Stray even 1/2 a foot from the first cut at most points on the course and it's a lost ball. No chance of recovery so it was better to err on the side of caution.
The 3rd is a lovely par 5 with a nice wide fairway, and some nice wide houses to the right of the fairway, to aim for. That stiff breeze allowed the green to be reached in no more than 2 shots with a well struck 2nd shot. Another very nice, well protected green.
The 4th is a testing par 4 with a monstrous bunker guarding the dogleg and this takes you to the 5th. This is a demanding par 5. The fairway is extremely wide for the drive, but after that it continually gets more restricted then you're 3rd (cough... 4th) shot is a very difficult test into a small green tucked right up against an old quarry wall. I think the course designer had fun here, shame i didn't after my ball came up to rest against the quarry wall. An impossible shot from there and a ruined card.
From there you have a few nice holes before getting to the signature hole for the course. The par 4 9th which is protected up both sides by water and the shot onto the green is again over the water on the left.
Fortunately, my drive (yep, i went for it) travelled around 260yds right up the middle and i went on to par the hole from a well struck iron into the heart of the green and two solid putts. The drive was intimidating, but i reckon if you don't go for it off the tee, then you're second shot from short of the water is going to be even more difficult than the tee shot!
The 10th plays back up the other side of the water and the green is reachable from the tee if you're willing to risk it! I wasn't and sensibly played a hybrid to the middle of the fairway and went on to par the hole.
Then we have the 11th. A lovely par 3 over water to a well bukered green. I regrettably put two balls into the water here and gave up on the hole. We were playing match play, so that didn't matter too much, but it was one of 3 no returns for me on the day.
Following that, i think we have the weakest hole on the course. It's a par 5 with a blind drive up a hill and round a corner with trees on one side and the still very severe rough up the right. A well struck tee shot had me in trouble and so did the recovery hybrid shot. Two NR's in a row and my card was now well and truly wrecked.
The course continues from there with a mix of all the pars and it was on the par 3 16th that i eventually found my 2nd bunker of the day. The first time was way back on the front nine, and i had forgotten how poor the sand in the bunkers was. It was like builders sand, with stones and stone chips everywhere. They hadn't been raked for a while and so after the rain had fallen, they were baked into a very firm (read as solid) concrete like surface. There was no way to play a decent shot. Even if there was, you had no idea that your club was just going to bounce of the sand and thin your ball across the green! This was unacceptable on a course where everything else was of top quality - apart from that rough!
The last hole is a straightforward par 3 which, after some of the delightful holes before it, is a bit of a let down, anti-climax!
So, all in all, a very very nice course, but badly let down by the most punishing rough i have come across and the most shoddily presented and looked after bunkers i've had the misfortune to play out of. They never even had proper bunker sand in them!
Back into the clubhouse/hotel and there were twice as many people there as before (4)!
Drumoig is in a difficult position. It has a lot of other courses (you know, in that famous golfing town, just down the road) to contend with. It's a lovely course with few weak holes and in very nice condition (apart from those things mentioned earlier). I'd recommend playing the course, but not spending much of your time in the club as you'll just end up sitting there wondering where everyone else is!
