Edzell Golf Club Course Review

Edzell Golf Club Course Review

GF From £25 to £70
Par 71, 6,570 yards
Slope 126
GM Verdict – Semi-heathland course set over springy turf with excellent greens.
Favourite Hole – 5th – A strong, tree-lined par-4 requiring two good blows to a sloping green.

Edzell Golf Club lies where the fertile lowlands of Strathmore meet the foothills of the Grampian Mountains. It’s a breathtaking spot and ideal terrain for a golf course. Though founded in 1895, the Edzell layout was altered by James Braid in 1933, his design largely remains to this day, although Martin Ebert oversaw a selection of sympathetic upgrades in 2015. It’s a heathland course that weaves through majestic pines delivering a superb variety of classic holes. The fairways are springy and fast running in summer. The greens are famous for being amongst the slickest and smoothest in the north east of Scotland. 

Straight driving is crucial here. Well-placed fairway bunkers mean strategic placement from the tee is essential. The course starts, as many great tracks do, with a relatively tame opener – a short uphill par-4. But the challenge ramps up quickly with the long par-4 2nd – Out-of-bounds skirts the right side and it takes two strong blows over a crest to reach the green in regulation. There follows a run of three interesting, tricky par-4s before the fine par-3 6th “The Redoubt.” The front nine ends with a left to right par-5 that runs along the edge of the beautiful West Water and anything drifting right will end up wet. 

The back nine is the shorter half, but there are some testing holes to negotiate. The run in from the 14th is particularly memorable. Starting with the uphill par-3 “Majuba,” two devilish short par-4s follow before another fine par-3, the 17th “The Corrie.” The final hole is a sprawling par-5, dog-legging from left to right. The bold tee shot cuts the corner but going too far right spells doom. The approach is downhill to a green set in front of the comfortable clubhouse. Edzell is a welcoming club and, with fine practice facilities, plus a good wee nine-hole course, it’s a brilliant venue for a day’s golf.