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BLAIRGOWRIE ROSEMOUNT COURSE VIDEO

Golfers playing the links at Carnoustie and St Andrews often turn towards Blairgowrie and the pine-lined fairways of its Rosemount course, to enjoy one of Scotland's premier inland tracts.

After the windy tussles of a links course, you’ll enjoy the trimmed, pristine avenues of Rosemount, lined with pine, silver birch and heather. This is a well-ordered moorland setting that offsets the milieu of this club; middle class, genteel and if anything a little conservative.

But it doesn’t lack adventure. James Braid had much to do with the design and he leads you into the fray fairly gently but warning you of the challenges ahead. The first four holes are hedged with heather and assorted woods, not overly generous in width so come out gently. The 4th is tight off the tee looking for a slight draw to follow the fairway but often the scene of mishap.
By the 5th the course opens out – slightly - ideally timed for a looser drive to bite off more fairway, which is required on this long Par 5 usually played into the wind.

From here the course settles into a nice rhythm meandering between the trees. It’s very lovely and you rarely see any other golfers. The Par 3’s can be deceptive usually a club longer than they appear. Some of the most memorable holes are at the close. The 15th’s a cute little hole that usually jumps and bites with rather severe punishment to anything not strictly into the heart of the green. The 16th is one of those psychological pickles, slightly uphill, out of bounds down the left and a stand of trees in the middle distance. On the outer limits of a Par 4, it needs a good tee shot to play this hole effectively.

The 17th is a Par 3 over a wide gully with a two-tiered green. Play long and, at worst, hope for assistance from the back-banking - otherwise there is bitter punishment if you’re short. The 18th is a great driving hole with most danger from the copse of trees on the right. There are yawning cross-bunkers ahead of the green but these should not come into play if you have driven well.

Old Tom Morris described Blairgowrie’s Rosemount as “The most beautiful inland green I have ever seen.” It has played host to a number of prestigious events and was the scene of Greg Norman’s first European Tour victory at the 1977 Martini International, a year after he turned pro.

Photographs & text © David J Whyte 2009