Stirling - Central Scotland - Scotland

They say you never forget your first time! Well, Stirling golf club has a first time place in my golfing story as it was here, 10 years ago, that I first struck a ball as a bona fide, official handicapped, Scottish club golfer, ending over 30 years of unregulated itinerant ad-hoc golfing chicanery. My playing partner that day, in a fairly unremarkable foresomes match is the current Scottish editor of the top 100 website, and that shot was a truly inglorious fresh air whiff…Happy days! For that reason I have always regarded Stirling with a somewhat affectionate rosy glowed hue always knowing that one day it would have to be revisited to either confirm that view or perhaps, shatter it. Truth is, this visit has done neither I concede that the rose coloured specs have now come off to be replaced with a more balanced view of Stirling which I now regard as a well-manicured, very pleasant parkland track which is both challenging and interesting, but not without the odd flaw or two. Stirling opens with a par 5, a thing I don’t normally subscribe to, which appears to play a lot longer than the 462 yards on the scorecard. This got me thinking that the layout could perhaps be enhanced by having two shorter holes utilising the current terrain which I think lends itself to a Par 3 opener at the top of the hill followed by a short par 4 which would culminate at current green complex. To accommodate this extra hole the short 14th, which I thought had a feel of a hole just added into a space, could be removed. To the positives, there are loads of good holes, some very good, like the signature hole at 15, along with the 5th and the 9th on the opening nine along with the visibly alluring 10th ,13th, and the 18th on the inward half. So my long yearned return to Stirling turned out just as I expected if I am being honest, finding as I did a fine challenging parkland track which didn’t quite match up to my preconceptions but one which provides quality golf in very attractive surroundings. MPPJ

The course occupies an historic site in the former hunting grounds of Stirling Castle and it’s a very busy place where you’ll come across as many non-golfers as you will people swinging a golf club. Indeed, the main notice inside the scorecard reads, in red ink for emphasis, “BEWARE OF WALKERS ON THE COURSE”. Having others striding out along the fairways gives golf a pretty relaxed feel here and it’s good to play the game alongside ramblers, power walkers and others out exercising their dogs in a very natural environment.

The course leads you gently up and around the large mound that faces the clubhouse, returning you four hours later to your starting position. Several holes (such as the 2nd, 9th, 13th and 18th) are played from elevated tee positions where you can let rip with the driver whilst others require more guile, especially at the four sand protected par three holes.

The opening three holes play up, down then back up the hill before things settle down with a gradual sideways climb to the top of the estate at the 9th, where the views across to the castle and beyond to the Ochil hills are simply stunning. This hole is probably the best on the front nine, sweeping right and downhill over rumpled terrain to a terrific green that slopes markedly from back to front, allowing plummeting downhill approach shots to hold the putting surface.

Starting at the 11th, the next four holes on the lower slopes are all solid – even if the par three 14th feels as if it’s been squeezed in somewhat as something of an oversight! The celebrated 15th perplexed me a little as I think the right hand side of the uphill split fairway is redundant but this transitional hole takes the routing conveniently back up the hill in preparation for the final downhill charge on the home hole.

The 2nd, 8th and 10th have all been upgraded recently, with new bunkers and mounding installed around the greens, and I understand this is part of an ongoing refurbishment programme that will eventually see every hole renovated.

Jim McCann

Played Stirling GC in early August. This is a busy golf club, and play was slow with elderly male member 4 balls holding things up. Other members told us that to wait at every tee was the norm! The course is quite hilly and there were many dog walkers using the rights of way. Some interesting holes, with a strong finish. In particular the 15th and 17th were testing.Worth a visit if you are in the area, but expect a 4 to 5 hour round.

As golfers look up at the mighty Stirling Castle from the M9 and wallow in patriotic nostalgia at the sight of the Wallace Monument do they know that high above them lies one of Scotland's better parkland courses? While not exactly hidden it is true to say that Stirling Golf Club is not in a location that many are aware of, but once you discover it you will want to return. The course rises and falls across the land beneath the Castle and the views are magnificent. But while it is a visual treat Stirling is a fine layout with some very demanding holes notably the par 5s that bookend the course and the outstanding (and fiendishly difficult) uphill 15th. A particular joy of Stirling are the number of elevated tees for, let's be honest, which of us does not love the exhilaration of launching the little white sphere into a blue sky to a fairway far beneath? Rightly ranked #1 in the Central area Stirling is a course that deserves to be better known than it is. Play here in summer and enjoy a day surrounded by visual reminders of Scotland's proud heritage as well as that feeling of contentment as you give an occasional thought to those on the motorway far below!