Murrayshall (Murrayshall) - Perth & Kinross - Scotland

With Gleneagles being closed today due to the adverse overnight weather, and as we were stopping at Murrayshall Hall, a lovely country hotel, decided to play the Murrayshall and Lynenoch Courses instead.

It’s 7 years since anyone lasted posted a review on this course and having looked at my Garmin, either the courses have been re routed slightly or my Garmin is just way out of date!

The Murrayshall is parkland golf, ideal for hotel guests and society golf. It is rather bland, generous fairways but nothing outstanding about it. In fact the hole I remember most is the dog leg par 5 where you cant really take driver off the tee given you will run out of fairway at the turn.

I thought the Lynenoch which is a 10 hole courses - you play all the holes twice except the 1st and 18th was a better course, set more on the hillside behind the Hall and playing in woodland for some of the holes. Quirky short dog leg par 4’s and an excellent par 3 downhill 200 yard 9th/17th hole. The 18th, with lovely views across the countryside also played nice. I much preferred that course and would rate it high than it’s bigger sister if I was reviewing the Top 10 for Perthshire.

Talking of society golf, there was a party of 12, incredibly slow, drinking beer and throwing their cans away, who didn’t let anyone through and spoiled an otherwise enjoyable round on the Lynenoch. A playing group in front phoned the pro to complain but nothing was done. Fortunately it was a nice afternoon and some of the views make up for the lack of quality on the main course.

Murrayshall (Murrayshall), so good they named it twice -- er, not quite. I’d heard the course was maybe worthy of five ball status but it came nowhere near that mark in my estimation. In fact, it was a really BIG disappointment after I’d played the other course, the Lynedoch, earlier in the day and absolutely loved it (even though I’d marked its 5th and 11th holes in my notes as “DAFT”).

The Murrayshall course also had a few crazy holes (the boomerang-shaped 9th springs to mind, as does the downhill 17th) but it was the insipid, uninspiring nature of the holes – par three 4th apart – that really left me cold.

I think Murrayshall’s a good place for a big society 36-hole day out where you’ll pay sensible prices; just don’t expect too much of the big course and be prepared to fall in love with its wee sister.

Jim McCann.