Captainron
Big Hitting, South African Sweary Person
Environmental issues, land purchases the quest for an Open Championship and the claim that Donald Trump wanted to build the greatest golf course in the world in the dunes of Balmedie just north of Aberdeen. It’s the most talked about course in the world at the moment and has divided opinion since it was conceived a few years ago. Now it seems that Donald Trump is a lot of things. Brash. Confident. Determined. A visionary. A keen golfer. But most of all, pretty damn rich. It’s a good thing too because without all of these, Trump International Golf Links would not have come about.
The whole experience was absolutely magnificent. From the time you turn onto the driveway to the time you leave a few hours later, your every golfing need has been taken care of. The £150 green fee has been a real turn off for many forumers but I hope to convince you to remortgage the house, work an extra job, sell your old CD collection or do whatever it is you need to do to get up here and experience it. If you live locally and have an Aberdeen postcode, you get a 20% local residents discount and this seemed to be paying dividends as most of the players I met were from in and around the Aberdeen area. Many of them were playing for a second or third time because the course was so brilliant and everyone was in agreement that the green fee would only be getting dearer in time.
I am going to start with the clubhouse and the staff. I found the clubhouse was surprisingly small and unostentatious. This served more as a reception and dining area rather than a pro shop. I was then informed that this was only a temporary measure and that the actual, much larger and grander clubhouse was to be constructed over the coming winter on the land adjacent to the driving range. This will have an all singing all dancing pro shop with all the latest gear and pro’s an enthusiast heart could wish for. As for the numerous staff. Well, I lost count of the times I was asked, ‘Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with?’. No request was too small, no question too inane. Even the green staff stopped what they were doing when you approached and greeted you with a ‘Good Morning, sir.’ Before they continued with their work. There seemed to be a small army of staff which ensured that every guest received the sort of service you get at a 5 star hotel. This just added to the occasion.
Next are the practice facilities. The short game area is simply the most comprehensive and well thought out I have seen in all my life. Seven true to course greens complete with tightly mown run off areas, pot bunkers, semi rough and gnarly fescue areas give you a chance to practice every shot imaginable. The 16 slot grass teed driving range where gleaming pyramids of Taylor Made practice balls almost will you to warm up is excellent. The practice putting green is simply sublime and has humps, curves and hollows galore. Indeed a few hours spent on this alone would provide you not only with a stern challenge but am untold amount of fun . All of this is geared to help you take on the stern examination of golf that awaits you.
The first thing that struck me was the sheer size and regularity of the dunes on which the course is built. It seems that you are looking upon huge marram and fescue covered wave after huge marram and fescue covered wave crashing on the shores of the North Sea. The walkways which connect tees to fairways and greens to tees were the best I have come across on any golf course. An often overlooked detail which was given almost anal attention. Indeed these were so good, most courses would sell their souls to have them as fairways. Upon arrival at the first tee we were given a choice of tees to use based on the groups experience, handicaps and general bravado. We sensibly chose to play off the whites as none of us had played the course before. The starter was brilliant and gave us fair warning of the test to come. We were advised not to go off into the wilds to search for balls but merely to reload and try again. This proved to be sound advice as balls which strayed were seldom found. You are also given the opportunity to change tees at any given time depending on the hole you were on and the views available.
The first is billed as a gentle opening par 5 which eases you into the round but appearances are deceiving. The second, a par 4, begs you to be brave and take on the burn with your tee shot. The breathtaking par 3 third where the beach seems to be a bunker clinging to the edge of the green. The brutish stroke 1 par 5 4[SUP]th[/SUP] hole has the Blairton Burn running down the entire right side. Staying on the fairway is no less an ordeal as a veritable shower of pot bunkers appear with 100 yards to go. Trouble, it seems, is a frequent travelling companion on this rollercoaster ride. The par 4 5[SUP]th[/SUP] offers a mild respite but is quickly followed by the par 3 6[SUP]th[/SUP] where nothing less than hitting the green will yield a par. The reachable par 4 7[SUP]th[/SUP] gets mind thinking of rare birdies but a devilishly tricky green with severe run off areas mean anything but the purest shot will be cast aside and yield a bogey. The long par 4 8[SUP]th[/SUP] demands a long accurate drive in order to make your approach to the most receptive green on the course. The par 4 9[SUP]th[/SUP] fools you into believing the fairway is narrower than it is but there is no mistaking the narrowness of the green which requires the most accurate of second shots. This front nine can feel like a 9 round title bout where hanging onto the ropes is your only chance of remaining upright but the back nine is a different matter.
The par 5[SUP]th[/SUP] 10[SUP]th[/SUP] is for my money the hole which would probably cost this course its chance at hosting a marquee tournament. Whilst fun and quirky for an amateur, I doubt very much that a professional would relish a 240 yard blind second shot over the shoulder of a large dune to reach the green in two. Many would argue that this adds to the thrill and drama of the game but it just didn’t sit right with me as a ‘championship’ hole. The 11[SUP]th[/SUP] and 12[SUP]th[/SUP] are for me the easiest holes on the course offering both generous fairways and receptive greens. The par 3 13[SUP]th[/SUP] is the only hole on the course with plays towards the sea. It’s the longest of the short holes and being short is not an option. The par 4 14[SUP]th[/SUP] is the tightest hole on the back nine but the views from the tee act as a mild anaesthetic and time should be taken to drink in the sheer beauty of it all. The par 4 15[SUP]th[/SUP] is another hole where a bold strategy can yield birdies. 2 sets of ‘parsons’ nose’ style bunkers catch the eye from the tee and appear more menacing than they actually are. The last of the par 3’s awaits you at 16 as do 7 devilish pot bunkers in front of the green. As with all the par 3’s, you must take enough club to avoid the majority of the trouble. The par 4 17[SUP]th[/SUP] is a beauty. Playing uphill with a valley all down the left to another green which sheds balls like a duck sheds water. The par 5 18[SUP]th[/SUP] is a superb finishing hole. Views running al the way down the coast from a tee set high in the dunes. Water on the left and a swathe of bunkers on the right gets your pulse racing. In all there are 18 bunkers on the hole which means that you have to plat your way along towards the left to give yourself a full view of the green for your 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]. Even the biggest hitters would struggle to get home in 2 on this beast. This nine really gives you the chance to score and I think this was done in preparation of tournament play where someone who earned their dues on the front nine, remained patient and protected their score could jump out of the pack, much like the set up at Augusta.
On the day there was very little wind and I managed to play extremely well on a difficult course. I somehow managed to go round in 4 over par and lost only 4 balls which is surprising for me and my usually errant ways. I might have been concentrating for a change? I loved every single minute of the experience and this course must be played to be believed. Get going!!!
The whole experience was absolutely magnificent. From the time you turn onto the driveway to the time you leave a few hours later, your every golfing need has been taken care of. The £150 green fee has been a real turn off for many forumers but I hope to convince you to remortgage the house, work an extra job, sell your old CD collection or do whatever it is you need to do to get up here and experience it. If you live locally and have an Aberdeen postcode, you get a 20% local residents discount and this seemed to be paying dividends as most of the players I met were from in and around the Aberdeen area. Many of them were playing for a second or third time because the course was so brilliant and everyone was in agreement that the green fee would only be getting dearer in time.
I am going to start with the clubhouse and the staff. I found the clubhouse was surprisingly small and unostentatious. This served more as a reception and dining area rather than a pro shop. I was then informed that this was only a temporary measure and that the actual, much larger and grander clubhouse was to be constructed over the coming winter on the land adjacent to the driving range. This will have an all singing all dancing pro shop with all the latest gear and pro’s an enthusiast heart could wish for. As for the numerous staff. Well, I lost count of the times I was asked, ‘Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with?’. No request was too small, no question too inane. Even the green staff stopped what they were doing when you approached and greeted you with a ‘Good Morning, sir.’ Before they continued with their work. There seemed to be a small army of staff which ensured that every guest received the sort of service you get at a 5 star hotel. This just added to the occasion.
Next are the practice facilities. The short game area is simply the most comprehensive and well thought out I have seen in all my life. Seven true to course greens complete with tightly mown run off areas, pot bunkers, semi rough and gnarly fescue areas give you a chance to practice every shot imaginable. The 16 slot grass teed driving range where gleaming pyramids of Taylor Made practice balls almost will you to warm up is excellent. The practice putting green is simply sublime and has humps, curves and hollows galore. Indeed a few hours spent on this alone would provide you not only with a stern challenge but am untold amount of fun . All of this is geared to help you take on the stern examination of golf that awaits you.
The first thing that struck me was the sheer size and regularity of the dunes on which the course is built. It seems that you are looking upon huge marram and fescue covered wave after huge marram and fescue covered wave crashing on the shores of the North Sea. The walkways which connect tees to fairways and greens to tees were the best I have come across on any golf course. An often overlooked detail which was given almost anal attention. Indeed these were so good, most courses would sell their souls to have them as fairways. Upon arrival at the first tee we were given a choice of tees to use based on the groups experience, handicaps and general bravado. We sensibly chose to play off the whites as none of us had played the course before. The starter was brilliant and gave us fair warning of the test to come. We were advised not to go off into the wilds to search for balls but merely to reload and try again. This proved to be sound advice as balls which strayed were seldom found. You are also given the opportunity to change tees at any given time depending on the hole you were on and the views available.
The first is billed as a gentle opening par 5 which eases you into the round but appearances are deceiving. The second, a par 4, begs you to be brave and take on the burn with your tee shot. The breathtaking par 3 third where the beach seems to be a bunker clinging to the edge of the green. The brutish stroke 1 par 5 4[SUP]th[/SUP] hole has the Blairton Burn running down the entire right side. Staying on the fairway is no less an ordeal as a veritable shower of pot bunkers appear with 100 yards to go. Trouble, it seems, is a frequent travelling companion on this rollercoaster ride. The par 4 5[SUP]th[/SUP] offers a mild respite but is quickly followed by the par 3 6[SUP]th[/SUP] where nothing less than hitting the green will yield a par. The reachable par 4 7[SUP]th[/SUP] gets mind thinking of rare birdies but a devilishly tricky green with severe run off areas mean anything but the purest shot will be cast aside and yield a bogey. The long par 4 8[SUP]th[/SUP] demands a long accurate drive in order to make your approach to the most receptive green on the course. The par 4 9[SUP]th[/SUP] fools you into believing the fairway is narrower than it is but there is no mistaking the narrowness of the green which requires the most accurate of second shots. This front nine can feel like a 9 round title bout where hanging onto the ropes is your only chance of remaining upright but the back nine is a different matter.
The par 5[SUP]th[/SUP] 10[SUP]th[/SUP] is for my money the hole which would probably cost this course its chance at hosting a marquee tournament. Whilst fun and quirky for an amateur, I doubt very much that a professional would relish a 240 yard blind second shot over the shoulder of a large dune to reach the green in two. Many would argue that this adds to the thrill and drama of the game but it just didn’t sit right with me as a ‘championship’ hole. The 11[SUP]th[/SUP] and 12[SUP]th[/SUP] are for me the easiest holes on the course offering both generous fairways and receptive greens. The par 3 13[SUP]th[/SUP] is the only hole on the course with plays towards the sea. It’s the longest of the short holes and being short is not an option. The par 4 14[SUP]th[/SUP] is the tightest hole on the back nine but the views from the tee act as a mild anaesthetic and time should be taken to drink in the sheer beauty of it all. The par 4 15[SUP]th[/SUP] is another hole where a bold strategy can yield birdies. 2 sets of ‘parsons’ nose’ style bunkers catch the eye from the tee and appear more menacing than they actually are. The last of the par 3’s awaits you at 16 as do 7 devilish pot bunkers in front of the green. As with all the par 3’s, you must take enough club to avoid the majority of the trouble. The par 4 17[SUP]th[/SUP] is a beauty. Playing uphill with a valley all down the left to another green which sheds balls like a duck sheds water. The par 5 18[SUP]th[/SUP] is a superb finishing hole. Views running al the way down the coast from a tee set high in the dunes. Water on the left and a swathe of bunkers on the right gets your pulse racing. In all there are 18 bunkers on the hole which means that you have to plat your way along towards the left to give yourself a full view of the green for your 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]. Even the biggest hitters would struggle to get home in 2 on this beast. This nine really gives you the chance to score and I think this was done in preparation of tournament play where someone who earned their dues on the front nine, remained patient and protected their score could jump out of the pack, much like the set up at Augusta.
On the day there was very little wind and I managed to play extremely well on a difficult course. I somehow managed to go round in 4 over par and lost only 4 balls which is surprising for me and my usually errant ways. I might have been concentrating for a change? I loved every single minute of the experience and this course must be played to be believed. Get going!!!
