Kilmacolm - Renfrewshire - Scotland

I had a great day playing the course, joining two members in a three ball. The course played a little soft, despite the dry summer, so it lived up to every yard on the scorecard. The wind picked up as we made out way around and the back nine proved a real challenge. One of the best lines I heard came on the 17th as I ballooned an 8-iron into the wind. It came down half way to the hole, my companion said, 'she'll be another 8 from there'. The hole is only 137 yards, downhill. The course makes great use of the natural elevations and there are great views. The layout and practice facilities are great. The club has kept a great feel of days gone by and I mean that as a compliment.

I can’t believe it’s almost four years since I last played this lovely track as it’s a real favourite of mine. Participating in the club’s Gents Open competition this morning, I was able to reacquaint myself with the wonderful array of terrific holes that make Kilmacolm such a delight: from short par fours on the front nine at holes 3, 5 and 8 to the punishing 472-yard 7th, which we played into a stiff 25 mph+ wind today - not many (if any) “4s” marked on scorecards at that hole, I’ll bet!

The back nine doesn’t disappoint either, with “Kirkton,” “Quarry” and “Barlogan,” in particular, forming a formidable trio of demanding par fours, beginning at the 13th. The run for home into the wind, from the 15th onwards, was a real test because, when it’s blowing a hoolie as it was today, there are few hiding places up on the moorland of Renfrewshire to seek respite.

Anything wide of all eighteen fairways was being gobbled up by really heavy rough so, in such demanding conditions, I’d be surprised if many golfers managed to match, far less beat, the par of 69 on this wee beauty - starting and finishing with the same ball was quite a feat today!

Jim McCann.

Kilmacolm has been on my hit-list for several years now as I found its tag of “Mini Gleneagles” both intriguing and appealing and after playing (badly), in their Gents Open several weeks back, I am delighted to confirm that Kilmacolm lived up to its billing, and more.

A delightful throw back in time when Wodehouse wrote on golf and Henry Longhurst provided the soundtrack for BBC golf, Kilmacolm is unashamedly old fashioned and all the better for it meandering ‘(a bit like this review) at its own sedate pace, Kilmacolm is simply wonderful.

Kilmacolm is no soft touch with lots of gorse to snag errant shots and countless opportunities to find out of bounds underestimate Kilmacolm at your peril. A gentle par 4 gets you underway followed by a short par 3 where the wall comes into play should you go right.

Pick of the front 9 for me is the very difficult 4th which, I am led to believe the members don’t like. The fairway slopes steeply from left to right so make sure you aim well left from the tee box. The second shot is played to an elevated green to make this tough hole even harder.

Best holes on the back 9 include the 10th, the 13th where, I had an inglorious 10, the 14th whose green sits proud atop a rocky outcrop and the magnificent short 17th, my favourite hole on the course. I would never have the temerity to question the great Walter Hagen but I think that the great man undersold Kilmacolm when he called it a very pleasant place, it is better than that.

I think that the captain for the club’s centenary was closer to the mark when he called it the finest village course in the country. Hyperbole? Maybe, but play this little beauty once and you will see where he is coming from.

MPPJ

What a delightful place this is and what a cracking course! Located in the hills to the south west of Glasgow airport, Kilmacolm has barely registered on any golfing radar screens that I have looked at before and I have to ask the question “why not?”

I loved everything about the course from 1st tee to 18th green, with one of the most imaginative routings that I have every played. No hole faces the same direction to the one just played with the consequence that the next fairway is only revealed when standing on the tee box - and some think that this a modern design feature?

Kilmacolm will never host a major championship because it’s not long enough but therein lies its strength as a shot-maker’s course - it can be penal too for the wayward with OOB on at least a dozen of the holes so it’s far from an easy track. The four par threes are as varied as you will ever find, playing from between 137 yards (downhill at “Misty Law,” the 17th) to 230 yards at the 6th.

Some of the elevated tee positions offer fabulous views of the surrounding countryside (though not at the intimidating 8th which is played blind over a heather clad mound). The 4th is fantastic, proving that a difficult hole can be fashioned out of a fairway clinging to the side of a hill followed by a green perched on a ridge at the top.

And “Quarry,” the fabulous 14th, is such a bonny looking hole from the tee box with its green sitting on top of a rocky outcrop in the distance. Strange as it may seem to say, crossing the single track Houston Road several times during the round somehow seems to add an extra element of enjoyment to the playing experience too.

If you have really enjoyed playing other top Renfrewshire courses like Ranfurly Castle and East Ren, then you’re bound to succumb to the charms of Kilmacolm.

Jim McCann