Torwoodlee

The course at Torwoodlee Golf Club is situated just outside the Borders town of Galashields, where an inaugural 9-hole layout was set out many years ago on the banks of the River Gala by Willie Park Junior. Subsequently, when land became available on higher ground to the south of the property, on the other side of the old Waverly Railway Line, additional holes were added to complete a full 18-hole layout.

A round on today’s course begins beside the fast running waters of the Gala, where holes 1 to 3 rise gently up to the recently refurbished footbridge that crosses the new Edinburgh-Tweedbank railway line. Holes 4 to 13 are then played out across somewhat hilly terrain on the opposite side of the tracks before the routing brings golfers back across the rail line to the final five fairways which lie within the locus of the original course.

In truth, it’s a picture postcard setting for a golf course which offers a fine parkland challenge from the medal tees, where the standard scratch score is rated as one over the par of 69. With five par threes on the card and only two par fives, the overall yardage amounts to just over a modest 6,000 yards. A number of the holes are played uphill, however, so don’t be deceived into thinking Torwoodlee might be a golfing pushover.

A couple of holes are worth highlighting on this delightful parkland track: the first is the 355-yard 6th (“Bowland View”), where the tee shot plunges down towards the green from the highest point on the course, the second is the 420-yard 13th (“Buckholm View”), which doglegs down to a putting surface that’s shared with the 8th hole, one of two double greens on the course.