Blairgowrie (Rosemount) - Perth & Kinross - Scotland

After the disappointing finish at The Tassie’s round at Burnside we had the commitment to go and see The Rosemount so a nice lunch at Carnoustie golf Club hosted by local friend Colin McLeod and off to the car to see what Dr Mackenzie did in this Heathland/Parkland piece of land.

The 50mins drive got us to one of the most special Club Houses I had the chance to visit in Scotland with a lot of memories from the Doctor in the old days, history of the club all around and very welcoming Members who when they fund we were visitors showed us some nice details about it. This is one of the things that make Golf in Scotland so special and also a reason to make golfers be aware that it is not only Links Courses and The Open, there is a lot more to discover and The Rosemount Courses was one of those big discoveries during this trip.

Climate was not showing a good premonition but after a little drizzle on the first holes, we had a fantastic afternoon of golf. It is crazy to put your body to walk another course when the following day you have a Competition at The Championship Course in Carnoustie but this is another of the things about golf in Scotland: adrenaline gets really high and intense and you get fire from anywhere to be able to play as much as possible.

The course as said is a Heathland Parkland with firm big greens, fast rolling fairways and with a mix of demanding tee shots with some easy other ones to give you some fresh air but the challenge is really to be able to be precise with the approach shots and as in many Mackenzie courses if you are not close to the hole then the 2 putts job is not easy to be done! And no water hazards which might take some beauty but according to The Dr’s 13 Principles courses should eliminate the annoyance of looking for potential lost balls so with very nice woods and heather the pictures are as good as you can expect.

I want to be clear and fair: not many people will be lucky enough to go to Scotland to golf 9 times (and counting!!!) and that is why they might select only the Open Venues and Links Gems but for those as lucky as me to be able to go back do not bypass other type of courses like this one, Panmure, Ladybank, The Duke’s … you will be very surprised and it is nice to make a blend of course styles during your golf trip.

This is a really enjoyable inland course. I would describe it as Heathland in nature with almost every hole tree lined with Scots Pines, Douglas Firs and a few deciduous trees that were providing lovely autumnal colours.

The positives are great firm turf (in October) that you don't always associate with an inland course. The Greens were in excellent condition and very consistent throughout the course. Huge teeing areas meaning you have a choice of angles and wear and tear is spread out. Just a beautiful surround with mature trees, heather, wildlife and a relatively flat layout meaning a very relaxing walk round the course.

The fairways are generous and when we played it the rough was fairly well cut back so we didn't spend too much time searching for balls.

Any negatives... perhaps the tree lined course and relatively flat terrain gives a number of holes a 'samey' feel and a lot of the par 4s tend to merge into one another. The greenside bunkering is excellent but on a few holes the fairway bunkering seems a bit over zealous. Possibly two points that would evaporate with more play as I got to know my way around.

However this course is deserving of a high ranking in Scotland and is well worth a visit as one of the top inland courses in the country.

I only played the Blairgowrie Rosemount golf course.

The staff is very friendly and it is a charming clubhouse.

I found the golf course to be a bit uninspiring with the par 3's 15, and 17 feeling a bit similar, although the greens are a bit different with 17 more sloped.

The trees are beautiful and you feel at times as though you are walking through a public park, so it can be very relaxing.

The course is fairly well bunkered while the greens are average in terms of interest and difficulty.

I think there are too many short par 4's: #2,, #7, #8, #9, and #12, A long hitter would find this course not worth hitting driver from the tee.

Most would find this to be an above average inland golf course but for me it was a disconnect. However, unlike other courses, I only played this one time. Much like Woking, it is likely deserving of a second look.

Very nice course although front nine felt a little monotonous with holes all very similar through the mature trees. Found the back nine more interesting.

Having visited during an otherwise links trip it felt very long without the extra roll and a couple of holes were long. Worth playing off the whites as one 5/4 is a brutal par 4 off the yellows and is surely an easier par 5 off the whites.

Good condition.

66th Scottish course played and 435th worldwide

Absolutely love Blairgowrie. Has a lovely atmosphere as soon as you drive towards the course. If it was in Surrey, I think it would be much higher up the rankings, but I don’t care as I like it as a secret gem. I love tight tree lined fairways and there an abundance of beautiful trees at Blairgowrie. The greens roll fast and true. There are some simple 340 yard holes that are only a 4 iron and a flick with a wedge but these help the scorecard ticking over and offer birdie opportunities, who doesn’t like making birdies? The finishing stretch is incredible, the 16th from the tips is a beautiful monster of a par 4. I made double but still loved it. We kept walking down the fairway saying to ourselves ‘this is mint’ and it really is. Under the tree canopies there are ferns and moss, felt like being in a mystical forest at times.

We loved it so much we went out for 9 on the Lansdown which is tighter and longer than the rosemount in some holes and others you can really open the shoulders up and let rip. I’d play this over the dukes St. Andrews anyway of the week.

It’s generally a case of slim pickings when it comes to high quality golf away from the sea in Scotland, however, at Blairgowrie the old adage about buses rings true because two come along at once.

The Rosemount and Lansdowne play over the same fantastic heathland terrain and bring a touch of the Surrey sandbelt to the Perthshire countryside. Neither quite matches the very high benchmark of their southern counterparts but there is still much to enjoy on this idyllic 45-hole, 300-acre property adorned with spectacular pine, birch and heather.

This highly regarded golf club was founded in 1889 and also boasts a 9-hole ‘Wee’ course which was part of the original layout. Alister MacKenzie was the original architect of the current Rosemount before James Braid made significant revisions in 1930.

The start and finish on the Rosemount, venue of Greg Normans first European tour victory, is exceptional. The S-shaped opener is a tough start but introduces us nicely to everything that is good about Blairgowrie and whilst the second is not a long hole the wonderful green complex could see you run into all kinds of trouble.

The final four holes must be considered as one of my favourite finishing stretches. The delicate 130-yard 15th plays into a secluded corner of the property, the green is a small undulating target to find and is well defended by sand whilst the 16th opens up a bit more and from the seldom used ‘Martini Tee’ plays 498-yards over a loch and with a fiendish green ranks as the best hole on the course. I even encountered a family of deer crossing the fairway on this glorious part of the estate.

The 17th is a dramatic short hole played over a valley to a two-tiered green whilst the sweeping last is a fitting finish to a wonderful round of golf. After a narrowing drive the fairway plunges down towards a back-to-front sloping green sitting proudly in front of the impressive clubhouse.

The main weakness of the course is undoubtedly the 5th, 6th and 7th. The latter two have been redesigned slightly in recent times (they used to be part of the Lansdowne until the mid-1970s) but they still fail to impress as much as the remainder of the course – ultimately the terrain on this section is poorer with a more parkland feel. The 5th is also a confused affair with scattergun bunkering and even a young tree in the middle of the fairway!

The scoring stretch of the course comes next. Between the 9th and 12th we play two par-fives and a couple of par-fours measuring just over the 300-yard mark. The first of the long holes - “Roon the Ben” - is the best of the quartet with an early dog-leg and a brace of bunkers to really make you think on the tee.

The 13th is a solid two-shotter but just when the course is crying out for a short hole we get another par-five at the 14th! Fortunately we don’t have to wait long for the much needed par-three as it arrives at the aforementioned 15th which is the start of a thrilling finale.

Also, a word if I may for the excellent putting surfaces (re-laid in the 1960s). They had that lovely tight, firmness to them which produced a quick pace and a trueness I wasn’t expecting at this time of year.

The bunkering throughout doesn’t quite catch the eye as some of the real top drawer heathland courses but the strategy of them makes sense nonetheless. Personally they could just do with a bit of life and this would elevate the course even further.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

Im giving this club top marks as its how a golf club should be run, relaxed and very friendly staff and people and the course every hole is differant and beautiful with plants wildlife and the holes being a whole mix of differant type holes honestly is so much fun to play and one favorite courses in scotland. The clubhouse is beautiful too and has showers and everything so on hot day perfect.

This is a must play for anyone in area in my view only thing i guess i could say is greens were 8/10 v good but could been faster althou no slow by all means but still giving it top marks plus the club is not stuffy and does a lot for families and juniors so well done to the club and management i say.

From the first contact this was a good experience. That continued on the warm greeting in the pro shop and bar. We were a varied group of pro, me, good lady player and good junior. We were very well looked after at every turn. The course itself is lovely, reminiscent of a Surrey heathland or similar. Great variety and some memorable holes with beautiful springy turf. We all agreed that we would travel up just to play this course.