On a coast with Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry, it is easy to be overlooked.

However Western Gailes is not a course that should be missed and can stand toe to toe with its more celebrated local rivals. This is a classic out and back links course with a slight twist as the clubhouse sits at the centre of the course thus you head north for 4 holes before turning for 9 holes along the coast before turning back for the final 5 holes back to the clubhouse.

The holes along the coast are the standouts with the par five 6^th and par three 7^th being my favourites and amongst the best in Scotland, both offering potential birdies, but disaster also awaits. The 17^th is the best of the holes away from the coast and many a card has been ruined by this hole.

What sets the course apart from me is that while most top courses will have outstanding holes and as highlighted we tick that box but they generally have a couple of holes which are weaker, but at Western this is not the case as there are no weak holes and that is what makes the course more than the equal of its more celebrated neighbours.

The old school clubhouse seems perfect for the setting and even the unassuming drive to the course which makes you question if you have taken a wrong turn simply add to the experience of what for me is one of Scotland finest links course and one that should not be missed on a trip to this part of Scotland.

Short and compact but don’t be deceived, Kilspindie is one of ten courses within a mile of Gullane Bay and while it is the shortest at only 5,492 yards it provides a stern test, especially if the wind blows with pot bunkers and small undulating greens being a feature.

The course has six par 4’s under 300 yards but only smart play will result in birdies as the greens are generally well protected, this is not to say the course is a pushover as holes 15 (436yds) and 16 (411yds) provide a stern test toward the end of the round.

The par threes are excellent but the 8^th is an absolute stand out – a beautiful setting with water right and close behind the green, but from the medal tee you need to play over the water with a mishit shot or a shot leaked to the right likely to find a watery grave and three bunkers and a sloping green awaiting this is an outstanding hole.

Kilspindie is a course many will overlook given the quality in the surrounding area but this would be a mistake as this is a classic link course in excellent condition which teases with the potentially of a good score but with enough bite that only well thought out rounds are rewarded

How appropriate to have played Keney Park on Easter morning, at a course exemplifying how simple misunderstandings in verbiage have undercut the value of the modern concept.

For example, while describing Christ as resurrected on this day is good news unto its own, it’s great news when one understands that the body emerging from the tomb is not simply the same flesh that died three days earlier but rather a more fully realized of the god-in-man concept; the Easter version is technically, if I recall correctly, equally godly to what was there before yet more expressive in its godliness and, for that reason, we are better off for it. Keney is hardly a restoration to some Devereaux Emmet gem of old but lo, we are better for it. (Apologies to Christians for this somewhat crass metaphor.)

The essence is this: Keney Park is not a Devereaux Emmet course any longer. At best, it was half of an Emmet course at its pre-renovation peak (a second nine having been added post-Emmet) and now, post-Dusenberry, it likely sits at its peak of quality. 

Accordingly, making references to the name of the man on the marquee when analyzing the course’s architectural merits is not necessarily helpful. Similarly, taking too much from the names of any given hole doesn’t serve as a strong basis for comment either. Consider that neither “Long” nor “Short” plays in accordance with the expected definitions of the templates that are referenced in the holes’ titles, if not their execution. They are long and short, respectively, and that’s about that. Lord help me (on this most holy of days) if I refer to the natural drop defending the front of “Long”s long approach as a “valley of sin”; I and Dusenberry both realize the dissimilarities in our respective references.  

The modern architect deserves credit in most instances for tweaking our expectations. Although we all expect a Redan based on the view from the tee at No. 13, the hole is no such thing; it plays uphill from the entrance of the green to the back (perhaps he wisely chose not to title this hole “Redan” lest the hordes descend). Interestingly, in a clever twist that I adored, the green of the No. 9 “Road” looks and acts like a proper Road but also plays as a reverse Redan upon approach. Cheers to that in an age where MacRaynorian templates threaten to become a norm rather than a treat (the same with Cadbury eggs, which are now available during more and more holidays, but I digress). 

The tribute concept, and the fun that Dusenberry was clearly having during his time in Hartford, can also tack on a touch. The principal sticks his nose into an odd hole for the matter and “Hog’s Back” widely bucks the minimalist trend that flows throughout (I don’t buy the natural nature of the ridge that splits the green) and the piano bunker to the putting surface’s right seems out of tune. Perhaps such a behemoth could have given golfers “Hell” on a proper “Long” template. 

If one is looking for something reminiscent of Emmet proper, I recommend No. 2, a double-dogleg that offers both a sizable naturalized sand hazard upon the second shot as well as a series of thin, rectangular “zippers” that edge its green. Emmet flirted with both styles at his signature St. Georges design on Long Island, so kudos to Dusenberry for demonstrating the man’s hazardous duality here as well. 

As is often the case, the most playful of architects ultimately thrive or flop based on the land upon which they are afforded to work upon. In this case, Dusenberry’s capabilities are insured by the routing, for which Emmet and Robert Ross deserve credit for. Dusenberry deserves his ultimate credit, however, in the greens. I played alongside several locals with little academic interest in the templates referenced. They praised the playability, however, citing the joy in returning day after day thanks to the eternal possibility of pin placements. They did not need my course architecture science but they grasped the spiritual truth of the matter. 

Value is a topic I avoid broaching as it lets air into the vacuum of course architecture analysis. That said, it is difficult to ignore here. Having completed my round, with several hours before a Boston check-in, I went down the street to a Jamaican restaurant, which might fail muster should an inspector show. It was, however, delicious. Lacking seating, I sat on my trunk in the parking lot and watched numerous natives (Hartford hosts the most dense Caribbean population in the United States) exit the church next door, gather their callaloo and saltfish and move along. Demographic data suggests these individuals are considerably less well off than myself. Their silk and gold, however, celebrating the day’s purpose, put my duds to shame. 

Should they take up golf, they will nearby find a course that shares their spirit.