GLENCRUITTEN GOLF CLUB - 14 POints
The wonderful par 3 15th hole at Glencruitten
Some golfers like playing courses which are ‘all laid out in front of them’, where there are no blind shots and, when you look up from any tee, it’s obvious what to do. Some like playing courses which are wide open so they can spray it wherever they want with their driver without fear of losing any balls. And some golfers like a gentle stroll with their heart rate never getting too high.
To those golfers I would say, get ready for a different kind of golf course! Glencruitten is none of these things, but it is an experience I would thoroughly recommend. There’s a good chance you will never have played a course quite like it.
Judging the course purely from the scorecard you would think you were in for a gentle test. From the back tees it is a par 61 and only 4,471 yards. Hell, there are only 5 holes over 300 yards! You must be able to go low, surely? Ah. Welcome to Glencruitten!
I would characterise the course as ‘hillside parkland’. I’m struggling to think of too many others that fit that description! The course is only a 5 minute drive from the centre of the fishing town of Oban, but the land has some pretty dramatic topography. The holes around the clubhouse are flat but the majority are carved into the hillside in an unusual way.
The course was designed by James Braid and he really used his imagination to get a golf course onto this piece of land. Expect perched greens - sometimes pretty small ones - as well as plenty of elevated tees. It will challenge not only your accuracy but your imagination and resolve. I imagine the course could get to you if you had the wrong attitude. Fortunately my spirits were high and I found it a real pleasure - if slightly bewildering at times!
It has a stern start. The 1st is the longest hole on the course - I can’t think of any other courses where this is the case. The very friendly starter who saw me off at 7:30am on a summer’s morning told me that I probably wouldn’t get up on the 450 yard par 4 in just two shots. He hadn’t seen me swing a club but he was clearly a good judge of ability. It’s a challenging start up the hill with a steep climb to the hidden green. Apparently most of the members play it as a par 5. So did I!
Having climbed all the way up the hill to the first green, you plummet back down with a fun tee shot on the par 3 2nd. You will be up hill and down glen for most of the course. There are blind approaches at the 3rd, 8th and 10th and more from the tee but my advice would be to embrace the fun of these rather than rage at any perceived injustice.
Expect to find lot of blind greens carved into the side of the hills at Glencruitten
The second hole takes you back down the hill you have just climbed!
There are 10 par 3s but they vary from 127 to 255 yards so you will get to hit all the clubs in your bag. Whatever the card may have you think, this is no pitch and putt.
As well as the huge changes in elevation, you will find a burn coming into play on pretty much half the holes and plenty of vegetation to deal with. Enjoy seeing the Scots Pines of the ancient Caledonian Forest - I wouldn’t want to see them on every Scottish golf course but they looked good on this one!
You need to be pretty fit to get round here in good time. I was called through on the 12th hole by a couple of early starters who were both collapsed on the side of the green and not planning to move for a good twenty minutes.
As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed Glencruitten. I imagine the members here look on and chuckle at some of the shots attempted by first time visitors, and I definitely walked off some greens shaking my head. But when it comes to pure fun and adventure, Glencruitten has it in spades. What’s not to like about that?!
BOOKING THE COURSE
You can book your round at Glencruitten on their website a few weeks out. The green fee ranges from £20 in the winter to around £40 in the summer. I think they also have early start discounts, so it’s worth giving them a call to see what is on offer
TOUR TIPS
It would be fair to say that Oban isn’t a golf destination in itself. But if you are travelling from the likes of Machrihanish in Kintrye up to the Highlands you will drive past the course so it’s a great place for a night’s stop.
Oban itself is a lovely little town. I was there on a family holiday and we had a great few days, including trips to Iona, Mull and Staffa which were just breathtaking and worth including in a trip.
CONTACT DETAILS
Glencruitten Golf Club
Glencruitten Road
Oban
PA34 4PU
Web - obangolf.com/
Phone - 01631 562868
Email - enquiries@obangolf.com