Cardrona - Borders - Scotland

Cardrona GC, attached to a hotel and spa the course is only 25 years old and has a very modern feel to it. Dave Thomas has definately done a lovely job of making the most of a fantastic setting at the foot of the river tweed. The scenary is simply stunning, and despite some long confusing walks from green to tees the course flows well and is a good layout, with a few really stand out holes. That said unfortunately is were all the positives end for this place, the pace of play at 5.5 hrs was painfully slow, the fairways terrible, covered with thick clumps of daisy's that made even the straightest of shots difficult to find, rough untidy with a lot of hay type cuttings left to rot, then there was the greens or browns, covered in sand and extremely uneven. Spoils what could be an impressive course.

played 7/9. overall impression is of a very good course in a beautiful setting badly let down by the terrible drainage - greens were good except one temporary. But so many boggy areas on fairways, worst of all were the paths which is unforgiveable as rectifiable with gravel so easily, presume shortage of money. so cardrona will henceforth be primarily memorable for puddle after puddle after muddy puddle. prices in the bar are steep and the comments on the rough are accurate.O areas of marsh\water hazard the ball could be visible but unreachable as no scoops provided. one water hazard was neither a ditch nor water but just a ridge of mud staked out! very disappointing. recommendable after a drought only.

played here today in an open,very very wet needs drainage big time, one par 5 on temp green, and at £2.70 for a bottle of coke, that providing you can get served, not a place I will be returning too!!!

Once the tough pair of opening holes at Cardrona have been played, you can then enjoy the rest of your round as it’s a decent layout, albeit with one or two other blemishes. The 1st leaves you in absolutely no doubt that you’re playing a Dave Thomas track because there’s a desert full of penal bunkers sited in large clusters on the fairway - little chance here I’m afraid for the average golfer to ease into a round with a par five against the prevailing wind. The short par four 2nd doglegs right to the highest point on the course but it surely doesn’t need to feature such an unsightly artificial mound to the right of its elevated green, hiding the pin position for (most) golfers who don’t make the kink in the fairway. Holes 5 to 7 lie on the other side of the river and they form a lovely little triangle among the wetlands on this part of the property. You’ll also play the first - and easily the best - of the four par threes on the card at the 199-yard 5th as the other short holes (9 and 11, in particular) are rather dull.

On the back nine, the 12th is a fine par five but the returning 3-shotter at the 14th is something of an eyesore, played to a green that sits in front of an upmarket housing estate where the boundary between course and rural suburbia lacks any semblance of vegetation to soften the intrusion of brick and mortar. The subsequent run of three par fours before the home hole is good with each of the fairways a little tight at some point or other so accurate play off the tee is essential. I started and finished my round with the same ball but my playing partner lost a few during our game - fairways at Cardrona are generally wide and forgiving but if you do stray wide of the mark, you have next to no chance of finding your ball in the dense rough or watery wetlands.

Some might ask if that degree of difficulty should be in evidence at a resort course. Others might also question whether regular tees really need to measure over 6,500 yards when casual golfers seem to make up most of the groups playing here. Conditioning was very good from tee to green and large putting surfaces were impressively presented - even if the hole on many had been cut in obscure corners, a factor that became a little tedious after a while. Worth a visit if in the area (and they accept Top 100 Golf Club cards) but don’t expect an easy stroll along the banks of the River Tweed - as borne out by a SSS of 73 against a par of 72 from the yellow tees. Jim McCann

Paid a return visit after 7 years. The weather was beautiful and the views delightful. Unfortunately, the course (again) failed to impress. There are some excellent holes : the 3rd from its elevated tee and the loop of 5, 6 & 7. The 8th is a fine short par 4 as is 15. Sadly these holes are counter- balanced by some shockers. 1 & 2 are poor for different reasons - the 1st is the ultimate 'long slog' with Dave Thomas' signature bunkers everywhere, and the 2nd is ruined by the blind second shot. The 9th is a very nondescript par 3,as is 11. And there are few words for the 14th - surely the most boring golf hole in the land. A couple of other flaws : very long walks from some greens to the next tee; unbelievably thick rough just a few inches off the fairways meaning lots of searching for balls - usually in vain; and - yesterday at any rate - pin positions verging on the ludicrous. I was hopeful that Cardrona would have developed nicely but I'm afraid I was disappointed. In common with some other new courses it lacks character. Beautiful location yes but it ain't got no soul. In the afternoon I played Lanark and my faith in Scottish golf was instantly restored!!!

Judging by some of the comments below, maybe the writers should take a nanny, not a caddy the next time they go on a golf course. I played Cardrona last week and, although I thought I had made a mistake in booking when I read these reviews, it was a wonderful afternoon out. Sure, the greens were slow and not in great condition, but even the hallowed 'dancefloors' of Loch Lomond suffered at the hands of the worst winter weather for years. The fairways, though, were in great shape. The holes were generally pretty forgiving - it is a resort course, after all - and some were admittedly a bit bland. But what an inspiring location! And with a hotel guest green fee of just £25, it was great value.

My work golf society had an outing at Cardrona yesterday, most of of had real high expectations before we arrived.The course is set in a fantastic area and the layout is excellent however the greens were in a terrible condition.We had booked the high tea option, when we asked for the food options we were told its Steak Pie, nothing else. This was a first for us and we had not been informed of this when we booked the outing.One more thing was it was the first time we have ever played a course where no one was working on it??If more time and effort can be spent on the course condition it would be a fantastic course.As for the food, for a MacDonald hotel they really do need to pay a visit to other golf clubs and compare what others offer in comparison.We would not recommend this course and will not be going back.

The setting is fantastic. That is the only good thing about this course. The course was far too open - didn't need to plot or think your way round - driver off most tee's and a mid to high iron in from there. All par 5's were reached in two, with not long clubs either. The greens were very very slow - and didn't run true either. I played the course a couple of weeks ago, in a dry spell in glorious sunshine. It is true about the time to play this course - players jump in on the 9th tee from the car park over the way and interfer with play. Not able to take a wood off the practice range - too short. Beaware of miss hits on the 18th from the range. I wouldn't play Cardrona again. Shame, as the hotel and facilities are good.

This course should be rated as 4-5 stars but for one reason has been marked down. The rough. First indiciation was when the Pro stated I should expect a 5 hour round (2 ball, quiet day, with buggy?) Any course which has you taking driver off most tees should be a little forgiving and first indications were great i.e. 30 yard fairways, however you are only one bad kick away from a lost ball. Playing off 4, it has been a long time since I lost 9 balls in one round, only one of which did not initially bounce on fairway, green edge, etc... 21 lost balls between the two of us, knee high, parkland rough. The incredible part is that we didn't find ONE ball that bounced off the fairway (and I'm takling obout 4 feet off the short grass). Absolutely crazy & a crying shame on what was an otherwise a great layout. If in area visit the Roxburgh which offers a more realstic, tough but fair, version of championship parkland golf

Our 4-ball played Cardrona in a monsoon on the 29th of September at the end of the summer from hell. Only 22 handicapper Kev left with a shred of golfing credibility. Nevertheless, the post-match review (post-mortem?) was peppered with superlatives. The only criticism we four well-travelled golfing geniuses could muster was a lack of signage directing golfers from some greens to the next tee. Cardona is an absorbing test but the fairways are actually relatively generous – I hit a few and I’m no Faldo. The real challenge comes from the imaginatively constructed, generally raised and invariably well-protected greens which call for a sweetly struck, high flying and soft landing approach (and not the punchy hooks, grass-cutters or dribblers that make up my extensive repertoire). The greens are undulating without ever appearing unnatural and the surfaces were quite slick and very true. For me there are a couple of holes that could contend for my all-time top 18, six or seven other very good ones, lots of very decent ones and only one filler (the 2nd, if you are interested). Cardrona is a tad better than some courses I have recently reviewed as “very good” but not quite up to the “excellent” Loch Lomond, so I’ll stick with “very good”. However you rank it, whatever label you stick on it, however many “balls” you award it – you WILL enjoy Cardrona. Derek, Edinburgh, September 2008.