Golf on Arran

First hole at Brodick

The first course played was Brodick which is just north of the centre of the town and lies between the beach and the main road. The course is a flat, 18 hole, par 64, links course measuring 4540 from the yellow tees.

The first heads off from the low, whitewashed clubhouse and you hit your drive towards the top of Goat Fell which looks down on the course from a distance. If your ball gets to Goat Fell, then you have hit it too far. The first three holes are a gentle introduction to the course but you have to hold your nerve on the 126 yard par 3 fourth in order to make sure that you get your ball over the Rosa Burn. The course then takes a turn inland on the par 5, fifth. This hole requires you to find the gap between trees standing either side of the fairway, just as the hole takes a dog-leg left. The green lies in a corner of the furthest out part of the course with trees screening the course from the main road.

The 6th and 7th bring you back to the main part of the course which heads off along the beach to the turn at the 10th. 11,12,13 and 14 bring you back along the beach before you have to negotiate the Rosa Burn again on the par 3,15th. The burn is more of a river, or it certainly seems that way as you stand on the tee gauging how much club to take to reach the green safely.

The 18th is an interesting hole with gorse bushes obscuring the route to the green from the tee. A burn runs in front of the elevated green which at 220 yards, could be reached with a good drive. The hole is a par 3 and means that you should go for it but, standing on the tee, a layup seems an attractive option.

This is a flat, short course which for me, makes it all the more enjoyable and its location beside the sea makes it a really pleasant golf outing. We didn’t stop in the clubhouse but it looked very comfortable and inviting. This link will take you to the course website.

The course was not very busy when we played but we still had the odd “moment”. The first is a straightforward par 3 but the second introduces you to how things are going to be when you find your route to the green blocked by a substantial tree which you have to find a way of avoiding. The third takes you on the beginning of a serious uphill journey which doesn’t end until you are standing on the seventh tee surveying the whole course from its highest point. The drive from this tee is on to a fairway shared by the third as it makes its way up the hill. It isn’t always possible to see players on the third hole from the seventh tee so a bit of vigilance is necessary to avoid any “moments”.

We had our tea and scones and took a breather before going out to see if knowledge of the course might allow an improvement on the score, but with mixed results.

Looking back towards the clubhouse

The third course is Shiskine and this would be my favourite. It is unusual in being a 12 hole layout but that in itself is part of the attraction. The course measures 2,787 yards from the yellow tees and the par for the course is 42. The course is very well maintained and the holes are very different and each has its own character. There is a modern, attractive clubhouse which serves meals. Most of the shots on Shiskine are blind, whether from tee or approaching the green but the first gives a nice gentle introduction to the course. You drive off in front of the professional’s shop, heading straight along, parallel with the beach on your left.

Two is a blind, uphill, par 4, dog-leg left with, as the name suggests, two burns to be negotiated. The second is just in front of the green and leaves you with the decision of whether or not to layup. The par 3 third is perhaps the most memorable hole. It is named “Crows Nest” and requires a blind tee shot to a green perched on top of a sizeable hill - hence the name. It is an all or nothing hole in extreme although a tee shot failing to make the green will usually hold somewhere on the rough slope up to the green to allow another attempt from a bit closer.

The Shelf

Having made it to the top and eventually holed out you can move on to hole four - “The Shelf”. The 4th tee looks out over the sea to The Mull of Kintyre with a towering rock face to your right and very significant drop down to the green sitting over by the beach. The distance is about 140 yards but the height difference and what the wind might do with the ball make this an exciting shot. You can stand back and admire the wonderful view once you have hit your tee shot, hopefully with the ball nestling somewhere on the green.

Seven of the twelve holes are par 3 with one par 5. Each has its own special character but particularly notable is hole seven which is called “The Himalayas”. This is a par 3 that requires you to hit a blind tee shot over a large sand dune to the green lying about 160 yards away. A flag system lets you know when the green is clear and a rope and pulley system lets you re-set the flag as you leave the green.