golfing
First at Monarchs House 2011
- The Brumfield Family
Recently, we welcomed our first residents of 2011 at Monarchs House. We were pleased to host to the Brumfield family of Katy, Texas. The Brumfields visited during the first week of March, enjoyed wonderful weather, golfed and took in all that St Andrews has on offer.
Haste ye back!
Contest Update
The online giveaway of a free week at Monarchs House is off to a great start. All you need to do to enter is submit a reason why you want to visit St Andrews (and stay at Monarchs House of course). We will pick the winner at random on January 10th, 2011 and we need 500 entries by December 31, 2010 for the contest to be on. Tell your mates and your golfing group that this is the easiest way to win a free stay at Monarchs House in St Andrews which is valued at £ 8,700. To date, we have received entries from the UK, US, Sweden, Switzerland, So. Africa and many more. Have a look at a few of the reasons why people want to visit St Andrews.
The Open Championship on television was fantastic and this year I’ve decided it’s time to make the trip.
I’m getting married in St Andrews next year and a week in Monarchs House would be a lovely honeymoon.
My father’s biggest wish is to go to St Andrews and I would love to take him there. To stay at Monarchs house would be fantastic!
I’d love to stay at Monarchs House. I graduated in 2008 and really miss St Andrews.
Feb 2011 marks our 15th wedding anniversary and the 21st year since my husband & I met whilst at University in St Andrews. What better way to celebrate than by bringing our two wonderful children up to St Andrews to see why mum and dad love the old place so much.
As you can see, St Andrews is a wonderful place that touches people in many different ways. Thanks to those who have entered thus far and thank you for sharing your stories with us.
Slainte Mhath!
Sample Golf Itinerary
One of the services included with a Monarchs House let is constructing and booking your golf itinerary. As a result, we are frequently asked to give our opinion on the definitive Scottish golfing itinerary. While we are not the hem and haw type, we also know that the answer is not the answer most golfers are waiting to hear. When a group of golfers first approach the idea of playing golf at the Home of Golf, their inclination is to line up all of the courses that they have heard about without considering the geography of the itinerary. Scotland’s land mass covers over 30,000 square miles and while the country’s infrastructure is far above average, driving can still take considerably longer than it might in the United States. Trips that are arranged to cover Scotland’s most notable courses are trips that are spent in an automobile.
Before we get into specific itineraries, let’s look at the courses themselves. This table shows the primary list of courses that most people think about when playing golf in Scotland. Undoubtedly, this is a great list of courses and with the exception of Kingsbarns, all have hosted an Open Championship at one time or another. It’s no wonder why everyone wants to play them. The question then becomes, is this a practical itinerary? The answer is, it is certainly doable. But what you need to ask yourself is, do you want to spend 9 hours and 30 minutes (more if you return to a central location) in a car during your week’s holiday? My guess is you’d do it and at week’s end you would need another holiday.
We think the most practical way to look at golf in Scotland is to break the country down into golfing regions. Then you can look at the density of golf courses by region and better plan the trip of a lifetime. You may not get to everywhere on your list on the first try but guaranteed you will return to your home with a new list of places for your friends to visit and you won’t be exhausted from driving to the ends of the earth.
(Double Click for a clearer picture)
There’s no doubt one could break down Scotland’s golfing regions differently than we did but let’s start here for the sake of argument. We have roughly drawn five regions where there is a significant density of golf courses. Take a look at the map. Regions A, B & C are fertile territory for golf and all of the above courses are in one of those regions. Our suggestion for first time visitors is for you to stay in St Andrews if at all possible (of course, we are biased). Is it more expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? A thousand fold yes. If you are staying in St Andrews, you can take one road trip and it won’t ruin the vacation. All other regions are well within reach.
When planning a trip, try to play some of the Open Championship rota courses as above but also sprinkle in a course or two with historic significance and 1 or 2 hidden gems.
The table below shows the some of other notable courses in Scotland by region. Include any of these in your road trip within the region you are staying for guaranteed results.
COURSE REGION
Machrahanish A
Western Gailes A
Glasgow Gailes A
Dundonald A
Kilmarnock (Barassie) A
Irvine A
North Berwick West B
Dunbar B
Gullane I & II B
Musselburgh (Old) B
Braid Hills (No. 1) B
Crail (Balcomie) C
Elie (Golf House Club) C
Lundin Links C
Downfield C
St Andrews (New) C
St Andrews (Castle) C
Montrose (Medal) C
Panmure C
Royal Aberdeen D
Murcar D
Cruden Bay D
Fraserburgh (Corbie) D
Peterhead (Old) D
Grantown-on-Spey E
Royal Dornoch E
Nairn E
Brora E
Moray (Old) E
Boat of Garten E
Tain E
Fortrose & Rosemarkie E
Have a look at this sample itinerary for a recent stay at Monarchs House. It is by no means definitive but represents the group’s interest. We can tailor your trip any way that you would like.
By no means is this the definitive list of golf in Scotland.There are plenty more courses for you to discover. This is a guideline if nothing else. We know all of these courses well and can tell you this: you will be warmly welcomed, play a challenging round of golf and never forget your experience. What more could you possibly want?
