Pitlochry Golf Club Course Review

Pitlochry Golf Club Course Review
GF Round: £60 (£35 Weds)
Par 69, 5,692 yards
Slope 119
GM Verdict A wonderfully located journey through the Grampian hills with the most glorious views
Favourite Hole The fabulous short 16th, Cluniemore, with an elevated tee shot way down to a must-hit green

Arguably one of the longest 5,700 yards in British golf, the course at Pitlochry is a very enjoyable test which works its way up and down the foothills of the glorious Grampian Mountains. You might think a course with no par 5s and just three short holes could be lacking in variety. Happily, this is definitely not the case here! The course was designed by Willie Fernie, a 4-time runner-up in the Open, and remodelled in the 1920s by Major Cecil Hutchison.

The opening few holes will get the blood pumping, but the reward for your efforts is a non-stop rollercoaster round packed with sensational views, near and far. It’s effectively straight uphill for the first three holes where the yardage chart only tells half the story.

This stiff opening is followed by the first par 3 at the 4th, played across the slope to a very well bunkered green that occupies the site of an ancient Pictish fort. This may be the easiest hole according to the card, but it’s no pushover. The green on the 5th is the highest point on the course, roughly 300 feet above the characterful clubhouse.

Four two-shotters of modest length but limitless variety take you to the turn, and the back nine begins with the longest hole on the course at the start of Pitlochry’s own 3-hole Amen Corner. The 11th is a lovely par 3, and the 12th a long downhill par 4 with all manner of mischief including deep rough, trees, a burn, and a severe drop-off on the right of the green.

Accuracy is way more important than length as you slalom your way back down towards home via hole after hole of fun and interest. The 17th is driveable for the longest hitters, but here again there are plenty of features that can dash your hopes including OOB, trees and a very tricky green.

You come back to earth at the 18th via another short but very attractive par 4 where, as in so many places here, it is all about an accurate approach.

Pitlochry Golf Club is way up high in the list of the best places to play golf in Perthshire. There may be some challenging climbs, but what goes up must come down, and the internal undulations and external views serve up a constant and very memorable visual treat. The clubhouse is home to the Red Deer pub, a great place for a drink and to trade post-round stories.