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Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club
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Barassie had the misfortune of being born close to
two famous Open Championship golf courses--the
renowned Scottish links of Royal Troon and Turnberry. And so like those great golfers who plied
their skills in the shadow of Arnold
Palmer
and Jack Nicklaus or those who are
now playing
in the shadow of Tiger Woods, Kilmarnock Golf Club suffers in comparison. Not as physically
beautiful as the classic Scottish links golf
course, it is nonetheless a fine traditional
links golf course , beautifully maintained
with undulating fairways, fierce rough, punishing
bunkers and true greens. And because it has
been used as a final qualifying golf course
when the Open Championship is played at Royal Troon and Turnberry, the Royal and ancient Golf Club of St.
Andrews (governing body ot eh Briitish Open
Championship) obviously think it is a first
class golf course. I agree. Definitely worth
a play.
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| Barassie Links 1st tee |
Barassie is a final qualifying course for
the Open Championship
Barassie is a relatively long golf course by Scottish
golfing standards. Measuring 6,817
yards
off the medal tees, it has seven par
4s over
400 yards. With the almost constant
wind
that blows in Scotland, this can be
a real
problem if that wind is in your face
(which
it always seems to be!). Anyone who
has played
Barassie years ago will be pleased to know there
have been nine new holes added--but they
haven't made the course any easier. In fact,
the long 425 yard hole number 3, which was
the number one stroke index (SI) hole, is
the same hole but now has a SI of 3. That
means there are two new holes that are tougher
than it. Bad news for those who thought the
added nine would make the golf course any
easier. In fact the par 72, SS rating of
74, proves it is not.
Barassie is not for the faint of heart
Barassie has rather large greens with the usual undulations
that make putting on Scottish links so challenging.
The greens, however, are kept in great shape.
There are deep bunkers not only surrounding
the greens but in the fairways as well. In
the States fairway bunkers seldom cost more
than half a stroke. Not so in Scotland, where
bunkers mean business. You won't go hitting
a fairway wood out of any of these. Quite
a few doglegs, too, which I feel always add
interest to the game. Especially noteworthy
is the new double dogleg #8, a 539 yard par
5 just about unreachable in two.
The first hole is the kind I appreciate.
At 506 yards and a par 5 it is a gentle
introduction
to a day of golf. Hit the ball straight--not
necessarily long--and you'll get your
par.
Number 2, though, quickly brings you
to your
senses. It doesn't look like much at
only
302 yards, but its SI rating of 5th
most
difficult should tell you something
about
it. Fierce bunkers guard both sides
of the
fairway and 4 more guard the green.
Any mistake
is costly. Number 3 will not give you
any
mercy either. As I mentioned above,
it was the most difficult hole on the golf
course before the new holes were added
and
it hasn't gotten any easier. It's a 425 yard par 4 and you will need a
great drive to get you into position
for
any kind of chance at par. This hole
can
wreck your score and your confidence.
The
green slopes toward 2 bunkers on the
right,
so be warned. Four holes later you
are faced
with the most difficult hole on the
golf
course--number 7. This 439 yard par
4 has
undulations in the fairway as if a
pod of
whales has been planted there, so even
a
good drive can give you a sidehill
lie. The
green is guarded by mounds and bunkers.
This
hole is definitely a challenge, and
you can
be satisfied with a par or even a bogie.
Barassie Golf Club has it allPlentiful, strategically placed fairway bunkers,
humpback green fronts, mounds, gorse, whins,
rippled fairways, tiered greens-- Barassie has it all. It's a golf course you'd do
well to think your way around. Hitting
the
ball hard and long is not always the
play
if your driving is not always accurate.
A
judicious use of your 3 wood for a
more accurate
tee shot will serve you well. It will
keep
you short of some of the fairway bunkers
and will put you in position to go
for the
green with the greenside bunkers taken
out
of play.
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Barassie Clubhouse and 18th green
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So what's the verdict? I think Barassie is
a wonderfrul golf course and would rate it
higher IF it were in a different neighborhood.
But the fact is it's so close to Royal Troon,
Turnberry and Prestwick makes me hedge my
opinion because it would have to be your
4th choice of play if you were in the area.
However, if you have the time or if you're
on a budget (the cost of playing Barassie
is less than half of the more famous others
in the area and it's a lot more than half
the fun) I'd urge you to give it a play.
Once again you win as an independent golfer
because you save lots of money and get to
play a fine golf course not seen by the usual
group tours.
Golf Nook Scotland rating = PAR.
www.barassie.net
For What To Do All Day, please visit the Ayrshire page.
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