Blairgowrie (Lansdowne) - Perth & Kinross - Scotland

Five and a half years after I was last here, I returned to the Lansdowne this morning, courtesy of an invite from Golf Perthshire, which is doing a fine job these days of actively promoting golf in the Scottish Heartlands. The course was in terrific shape so early in the season - the wonderful springy turf of the fairways was an absolute joy to behold - so no complaints whatsoever on its presentation.

Checking my notes from today against what I wrote in August of 2009 and the three main points are very similar: three clusters of parallel fairways during the round isn’t the most imaginative way to route the holes (but no big deal with that slight criticism); the beautifully refurbished clubhouse is a fabulous top notch facility (in keeping with the national status of the club, of course); and the opening and closing holes are by far the best of the eighteen (somebody told me two of the Lansdowne holes used to be part of the Rosemount course and I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if it was them).

And because my group began at the 3rd hole on a shotgun start, we got to play the best two holes back to back near the very end of our round, which was a rather nice way to conclude proceedings.

Jim McCann.

This a long course which was built in addition to the Rosemount course. It is inevitable that comparisons will be drawn but this cousre stands on its own merits. It wends mainly through trees-conifers and birch, so it is tight. In my experience always in good condition. In fitter days I played this in the morning and Rosemount in the afternoon-a great experience. A lovely setting with a good clubhouse.

I only really have 2 negatives about Lansdowne. 1 This is a long tight course off the back tees and really doesn't need bushes in the thick mature trees. 2nd the greens were dissapointing considering the mild winter. they did run true but were very sandy and thus pace was unpredictable.Apart from that it was an enjoyable place to play and a really good difficult course. The course as others have mentioned is a bit bland in terms of contours and natural features but is a very good test of golf. Again I cannot stress enough that you don't need to fill trees with broom.

I didn't have long to admire the surroundings as I rushed to the starter's hut and then on to the first tee, only just making my tee time....probably not ideal preparation for a tough opening hole which required a decent drive just to reach the fairway sitting at the brow of the hill before having to aim the approach down the otherside of the hill then up towards the slightly elevated green. Trees frame the entire length of the hole, a constant theme at Blairgowrie, and it certainly makes for some lovely scenery to accompany the golfer during their round. Despite the bunkering being well thought out on the course the trees actually pose a greater threat to the golfer if they have the misfortune of hitting a stray shot at any point - not only will the next shot have to be hit from a bed of pine shavings it is virtually impossible to play out and forward without hitting another tree trunk and remaining deep in the woods so to speak!

Holes 2, 3 and 4 run parallel to one another and all three have at least one front greenside bunker perfectly positioned to gobble up short approach shots. These opening holes, barring the first, are pretty tight and accuracy off the tee is important to leave a reasonable approach into the green and to avoid those troublesome bunkers. Next up is the 155 yard par 3 5th hole and again with its lighbulb shaped green and twin bunkers at the front the smart shot on this hole is to be long as all the trouble is at the front of the putting surface. The 6th sees a departure from the trees, partially at least, and precise bunkering around the green means that the drive should be on the left hand side of the fairway to offer the best possible angle into the small green - I found this to my cost when I blocked my tee shot right and had no sight of the green due to the trees at the back of the second green. Number seven is a slight right to left hole of 440 yards followed by a 501 yard par 5 making the approach to the turn particularly challenging. The 8th hole is made even longer due to a dip in the fairway and the threat of OB all the way up the right side preys on the golfer's mind during the hole. The last hole on the front nine is a slightly shorter version of the 5th hole although the green on the ninth is protected by fall off areas sloping around either side of the green, again placing an emphasis on accuracy.

The back nine opens with a generous, wide open hole - it's pretty straight so the golfer is able to reach for driver and open up their arms from the tee on this hole. The next hole is again quite straight but it's certainly no pushover and plays longer than the listed 370 yards off the yellows. Hole twelve runs parallel to the eleventh and is straight and bunker-free around the green. The sequence of straight holes ends at the dog leg 13th which is a nice hole - the green is narrow and with bunkers short of and at the green the approach must be hit with precision and length to avoid these hazards. I enjoyed the par three 14th which required a 160+ yard carry to the raised undulating green and had a couple of deep bunkers and a slope awaiting any tee shot not hitting the putting surface. The next two par fours (15th and 16th) are similar in length but whilst the 15th is a tight hole with danger in the form of trees to the right, the 16th is more open with a larger green so a birdie should be the aim here as the golfer gets a brief breather as they approach the end of their round. The respite of the 16th should be gratefully received as the par 5 17th is the longest hole on the course and in my opinion the toughest too! A sweeping dog leg left, this was definitely a three-shot par five for me and is a potential scorecard-wrecker.

The last was my favourite hole on the Lansdowne and was made all the more memorable for me when I managed to sink the winning put for par on the tiered green. The green cannot be seen from the tee and the drive must be launched over the edge of the hill and a deep gully right in front of the green must be flown to reach the putting surface - an excellent hole. Then after the round there was plenty of time to reminisce about our round in the impressive clubhouse where the facilities are first class. The bar area offered a great view of the sister Rosemount course and I am looking forward to returning to Blairgowrie to play the more highly rated of the two championship courses. The Lansdowne is a nice course and it has a few outstanding holes to compliment the remaining good ones. It certainly is a secluded area and the views of the Perthshire hills only add to the enjoyment of the round however I felt not enough of the holes were memorable enought to propel the Lansdowne to a five ball rating. Having said that, it easily achieves a solid four ball rating and I'd encourage anyone to make the trip to Blairgowrie to play here - I'm sure you'll find it's well worth it. DM

I liked the Lansdowne eight years ago when I last visited Blairgowrie and I enjoyed it just as much this time, despite losing my “friendly” match play grudge game 1 UP to my opponent. Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss didn’t have as good terrain as the Rosemount’s to work with when they laid out the Lansdowne course to the east and the south of the other layout but they made a decent job of the routing nonetheless, even if holes 2-4, 6-8 and 11-14 run back and forth on fairways in close proximity to each other.

The challenge here is unrelenting, with good hole following good hole and, although there are no really outstanding holes of note (apart from the 1st and 18th due mainly to the relatively flat lie of the land), the course is of a sufficiently high quality to sustain a serious level of interest from start to finish. Not as tight as I was expecting so the driver came out of the bag on most tees (though it did cost me an inglorious 9 at the 3rd when I clattered into trees left off the tee then fluffed a few shots in my state of shock before getting anywhere near the green).

Presentation both on and off the course was first class and with the club offering very attractive tee time deals these days (which the likes of way over-priced Gleneagles could pay attention to) I’d say Blairgowrie now offers the best value top end inland 36-holes of golf in Scotland. Jim McCann

If you are playing Lansdowne and you find a dark grey, round necked sweater with a “St.Andrews Scotland” badge then it is mine. I think it fell off my trolley in the trees to the left of the first, or possibly in the trees to the right of the second, or possibly the in the trees behind the third, or possibly…I’M NOT JOKING!! -this course is tough. Or to be more precise, this course is tough if you can’t hit it straight. I can’t. Some of the fairways here are very narrow. From the medal tees the course is about a seven iron short of 7000yards – but in effect you can add on twenty to forty yards on to many of the holes given the (virtual) necessity to keep the driver firmly in its woolly warmer. I amassed a whopping 28 stableford points – and enjoyed every second in the process. I’ve read comments to the effect that the holes here are a bit “samey”. In so far as the course is generally very flat and almost all the holes beautifully defined, tree-lined and with a visually alluring green at the end that is perfectly true. Admittedly, it is difficult to single out a “signature” hole but that reflects the almost unerring quality of the holes. Despite Biblical amounts of rain in recent days the course was in exquisite condition and the greens were Clooney-esque (that’s George not Rosemary) in their smoothness. For me Lansdowne is just a fraction short of excellent. If I can wangle another 216 salary increments I am going to build myself a small mansion on the border of Blairgowrie GC, beg my way into the club and spend irresponsible amounts of time enjoying one of the finest golf venues Scotland has to offer. Derek, Edinburgh, Aug. 08.

I played this course on a drizzly Sunday morning in September 2001 as the first half of a “double dunt” over the Lansdowne and Rosemount courses at Blairgowrie. Despite the fact that I’m not a great lover of parkland golf, I was impressed by the layout and presentation of the course and the feeling of isolation on each tree-lined hole.

With a decent Stableford score, I managed to scoop the pool from the other five members of our two three ball party (not that the sum of money involved in any way threatened my amateur status!) so maybe the fact that I played well helped to form a favourable opinion of the Lansdowne?

The clubhouse has since been refurbished at considerable cost and I note from the club’s website that they have substantially modified their prices (with some great special offers) so a day ticket for both 18-hole courses at Blairgowrie is actually cheaper now than it was seven years ago (when it was overpriced) so it might just be time to venture into the Perthshire hills again.

Jim McCann

The Lansdowne has hosted a number of notable amateur championships and for very good reasons. That’s because it’s a tough, perhaps rigorous track, especially if you’re driving game is wayward. This part of Perthshire is simply gorgeous country and the course wends its way seamlessly through avenues of mature trees. It’s a good course in my opinion but not a great one. It could and should be so much better but it’s hard to put my finger on what’s wrong with the layout. The scenery is great, the land is full of interesting elevation change and the mature trees provide a great feeling of intimacy. All I can say is that I feel the holes are too samey and blend into one another. Granted I’ve only played the course once but no holes stand out in my mind’s eye, which is a shame as I think Blairgowrie is an excellent golf club. Would like to return one sunny day and play the course again… perhaps I’ve done it an injustice in my words which I'll make up for in my rating. Would like to give Lansdowne 3.5 balls so I'll give it 4 and the benefit of my doubt.

Golf in Scotland is all about seaside golf, but Blairgowrie is one of the country's premier inland venues. The Rosemount is the better of the two layouts but the Landsdowne is perhaps the sterner test with a series of long but somewhat monotonous holes which cut through avenues of trees. The condition is always superb and the location is fabulous but this is not the most exciting course in Scotland by any means but it's a good back up track for the Rosemount.