DESTINATION GOLF SCOTLAND 2023
Powfoot
Portpatrick ( Dunskey )
Combining rolling moorland and seaside heath , Portpatrick ’ s Dunskey course splashes gorse across an open terrain . It has many links-like attributes and an affinity with links skills will always prove useful given the wind whipping in off the North Channel . Modest greens can also prove difficult to find in the wind . Panoramic views across the North Channel to Ireland , the Isle of Man and the Mull of Kintyre prove especially attractive on the cliffside holes and from the signature short par four 13th : the tee sits high above the green with Sandeel Bay beyond . The course has just two par fives and only one par four over 400 yards … which makes it accessible to all golfers , and the excellent par threes show off the best shapes on the course .
Southerness
For a par 69 , with five par threes and two par fives , this might read like a short course but at 6,566 yards ( white tees ) it is a links with teeth . It is set out on low , mostly level terrain that embraces subtlety and strategy but the ever-present gorse and / or heather , and subtle doglegs throw in a touch of savagery too . In return , fairways give you room . Expect the traditional links challenges of wind , swales , humps and hollows , as well as some sneaky pot bunkering . It all combines to create a highly rated course that lies a little off the beaten track but one that ’ s worth making the journey to play . Views are endless – the mountains in the Lake District are clearly visible as is the Isle of Man – and you get very cosy with the Solway Firth on several holes , starting on the 8th .
Powfoot )
Tucked away in the south west of Scotland , Powfoot overlooks the Solway Firth . It is a course which owes much of its design to James Braid , combining links and parkland holes . Gorse cloaks the edges of fairways inland , giving holes an oppressive feel , while the rough proves mischievous especially on the links holes . In other words this is no place to go wild . The low , crumpled terrain also proves deceptive off the tee and around small natural greens , something compounded by careful bunkering . The course begins with links holes and it is not the easiest of starts as OB awaits on the right of the first four holes . Play smart , cautious golf to make the most of Powfoot . The crater on the 9th was created by a German bomb .
“ Panoramic views across the North Channel to Ireland , the Isle of Man and the Mull of Kintyre prove especially attractive on the cliffside holes and from the signature short par four 13th .”
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