Carnwath - Lanarkshire - Scotland

I’d attended Carnwath in order to be fitted for some new Taylor Made irons. The Professional at the club is regarded as one of the finest in the field. It’s a shame the clubhouse is not upto much in terms of stature but their was no faulting the friendliness and hospitality offered to an Englishman on his travels.

We played from the back tees today in what was described as a gentle breeze for these parts. As starts go the course offers just about as tough of a start as you’ll find anywhere. Par 3, Par 3, Par 4 and a Par 3. Most noticeably is the 2nd that stands well over 200 yards. The 4th too, whilst only an 8 iron was into a blind green.

From there though the course certainly isn’t so difficult. It provides a couple of drivable Par 4s and a Par 5 that was reachable. I came across a couple of holes that crossed over each other, over the road, where land is a miss.

However I have to say I came away loving the course. The bunkers were fantastic and the greens rolled as true as I’ve seen. I could miss a fairway and find my ball but realise I had to then play a shot and take the lie into consideration when aiming for some small well shaped targets. Carnwath is friendly but therefore ultimately fair.

I’d definitely recommend a visit to play here. I’ll be up again, for sure.

Carnwath was another course that would not have been on my radar if it wasn’t for its inclusion in the recently updated Top 10 chart for Lanarkshire. There’s a really unusual start with three par threes in the first four holes which, on paper, is really weird but they fit the contours really well and it doesn’t feel that awkward setting out on a round in such an unorthodox manner.

The 161-yard downhill 4th is a particularly good short hole, making excellent use of a bunker that’s built into a ridge in front of the green, forcing a tee shot carry all the way to the putting surface. The 8th is another terrific hole on the front nine, played uphill to a blind green that’s set out on top of a hill.

The course routing goes off the rails a bit when holes 9 and 11 cross over but it gets back on track at the 12th, at the start of a nice little series of short par fours.

The closing three holes, like the opening three holes, are played out on the clubhouse side of the main road that runs through the course and they present a tidy finish to the round, especially the penultimate hole, which is a strong 455-yard par four.

A cryptic note in my scorecard mentions “grass-faced bunkers” and I’m glad for that memory aid as it’s worth mentioning Carnwath’s sand traps were truly constructed to a very high standard. It may never make a national Top 100 chart but, to my mind, the course well deserves a place in the regional listings, effectively giving it an entry into the “next 100” chart for Scotland.

Jim McCann