Crieff (Ferntower) - Perth & Kinross - Scotland

A good course which was in excellent condition on July 15 despite a lot of rain over the previous few days. It's not in the same class as the likes of Blairgowrie and Ladybank but it's still an enjoyable place for a game. The greens were good, although difficult to read, and beware of anything downhill unless you're confident on those five-footers coming back! Unfortunately the 1st, an uninspiring uphill par 3, gets the round off to a weak start. Things improve at the short par 4 2nd - a mirror in a tree next to the tee box shows when it's ok to hit! It's quite tricky to hold the left to right sloping fairway on the longer 3rd but if you can avoid tree trouble there's not to much to worry about. The 4th is another weak one, an uphill par 3 which was only a flick with a wedge. Back to back par 5s follow in opposite directions, the second of which is a definite two-shotter. The 7th is stroke 1 and it's easy to see why when played back into the wind. Hole 8 is a nice little short par 4, only 270 yards so reachable for longer hitters. There are plenty of bunkers about to catch the errant drive though. The downhill par 5 9th is straight forward enough but a severely sloping green makes things tricky. Hole 10 is a so-so par 4. The 11th is arguably the best on the course, an uphill right to left doglegging par 4. It's only 330 yards but there's trouble left and right. Avoid that and there's a flick left to a 2-tier green. The 12th is a tough hole, stroke 2, with an awkward drive on to another sloping fairway. Leave your approach below the hole at all costs. Anything on the wrong side is likely to lead to 3 putts. The 13th is a hard uphill par 3, trouble right and a tough chip if you miss it left. The short par 4 14th is a nice hole and offers a birdie chance and the 15th is another good hole, a dog leg par 4 played from an elevated tee offering great views of the Perthshire countryside. You can take off a bit of the corner here. The 16th is a cracker, a long par 4 needing a good drive and a longish iron into an inviting green. The downhill par 3 17th looks innocuous enough but take care not to go long. The 18th is a driveable par 4 but with out of bounds on both sides it's an intimidating shot to take on. So, all in all, there are maybe half a dozen weak holes which prevent Crieff from getting into the top ranks of Scotland's inland courses but it is still a lovely place to play. There's a decent clubhouse with first floor lounge/bar overlooking the 18th too.

Crieff obviously engenders strong opinions! Mine is somewhere in the middle. I am old enough to remember the original 18 hole course here. When they decided to create a longer, tougher track they took some of the nicest holes from the original layout and put them into the 9 hole Dornock - well worth playing, incidentally. Some of the new holes on the Ferntower lack charm, e.g. the long 5th and 6th. What was the original 17th on the old course has been emasculated - it used to be a great hole but is now the rather anodyne 9th. But there are some fine holes on the Ferntower : NOT the 1st -a very uninspiring uphill par 3. The drive at the good 2nd requires you to look in a mirror up a tree before playing - makes a nice change from climbing a ladder! The par 3 4th is beautiful. 10 and 11 are dull but the 12th is excellent as are 14 and 15. I absolutely love the wee 17th and the final hole is one of my favourite finishing holes. It is driveable but there is trouble everywhere. Last time I played here, incidentally, we were treated to the sight of Carly Booth hitting a succession of pitch shots stone dead at this green! Overall Crieff is an enjoyable golfing experience and the setting in beautiful Perthshire is idyllic.

This is one of the best golf courses there is about if you have not played here you will not know what you are missing so get your self a long here there is some good holes and some very good holes the first is a good start for any player for a par 3 if you make par you should be happy and some tough par 4s 7-12-and 16 just to name a few so get a long for a game the quicker you get there the better it will be for you.

I set off for Crieff with great expectations as one of my trusted tomes, Golf World’s “Best Golf Courses in Scotland” ranked the course no less than 5 stars – ‘Exceptional. The Best’ – alongside other great inland courses like Gleneagles Kings and Ladybank.

Well, I’m sorry to report that Crieff does not even deserve to be in the four stars category – ‘Excellent. An outstanding day’s golf’ – and might only just get into the three stars slot – ‘Very good’ – so it shows you should not always believe what you read!

Don’t get me wrong, it is a decent course measuring just over 6,000 yards from the yellow tees which gets better as the round progresses, especially the holes from the 11th to the 15th at the top end of the course. But it takes over half the round to get going, by which time you may have switched off mentally as the course that you may have been anticipating has just not materialised!

The 11th “Jenny’s Wood” plays to a nice two tiered green, the 13th “Witches Crag” is a great par three played uphill to a pulpit green and the 15th “Heather Bank” is a fine downhill hole with a dog leg right. Crieff has some lovely views of the surrounding Perthshire hills but the course itself was a tad on the tired side, especially around many green fringes where, if I may be so bold, green keeping staff could do with erecting some temporary barriers to direct buggies and trolleys away from worn areas which need attention.

Jim McCann