Renaissance Club (Part 2)

This short post on Renaissance Club is a follow up post to accompany my full review of the course, which can be found here.

When I first visited Renaissance Club in April of 2012, the clubhouse was still under construction and three new seaside holes were being shaped out of the rolling East Lothian dunes. As you can tell from my full review, I greatly enjoyed the course, but it was not complete. My host for the day prefaced most sentences with, "When everything is finished up..."

My opportunity to revisit the exclusive private club came nearly two years later to the day, and every promise of "just wait till _____ is completed" during my first visit has certainly come true. The attention to detail and the service at the club are excellent. Everything was first-class, from having guests' names printed on labels in the beautiful locker room to a member of staff bringing us delicious hot snacks at the turn.

The clubhouse in April, 2012

Outside of the great Tom Doak designed golf course, the clubhouse at Renaissance Club is the most impressive feature of the club. The building is massive, with a full gym, five-star rooms to spend the night, and one of the better furnished locker rooms that I have visited (see hot tub below). The food was excellent during my visit and the service was impeccable.

The clubhouse in April, 2014

Renaissance Club does not feel like other clubs in Scotland. It is built off the American model of golf club, with a high initiation fee, highly private membership, and incredible facilities. The club is closer to Loch Lomond Golf Club than to any of its East Lothian neighbors. An American, Jerry Sarvadi, headed up the development of Renaissance Club, leasing the land from the Duke of Hamilton on property from the Archerfield Estate. The land for the course lies in a "green belt" conservation area of the coast, and special permission had to be granted for the golf course. The result is a great Doak design set within naturally beautiful Scottish dunes.

Full hot tub in the men's locker room

My camera lens broke a number of days prior to my round at Renaissance Club, so the limited photos that you see below were taken in a misty rain with my phone. I will do my best to describe the three new holes, numbers 9, 10, and 11 in the round. Brilliant photos can be found on the club website, found here.

The 9th hole at Renaissance Club

During my first visit to the club, there were no true seaside holes on the golf course. It was a feature that the owners felt was holding the course back from a higher ranking and the possibility to host the Scottish Open. Tom Doak was brought back in to design three new holes after additional land was acquired for the expansion.

Click on photo to enlarge

Two of the three new holes are par 3s. The 9th hole measures 190+ yards into a beautiful infinity green, while the 11th hole is a downhill 135+ yard par 3 with a great view. Depending on the wind, one of the holes plays into wind, while the other plays downwind. Depending on your luck that day, the one shot holes can be particularly challenging.

Locker labels mark all guest lockers

The 10th hole is the most impressive of the new three. The hole curls along cliffs bordering the Firth of Forth. Massive waves crashing on the beach to the left of the hole provide a nice backdrop for play. The dogleg left design has a great risk/reward aspect. Golfers can cut off as much cliff as they dare to shorten their approach to the green. The fairway runs along a hillside, and those golfers trying to play the tee shot too safe will find their ball stuck on the hill in thick grass.

I hope to be able to play Renaissance Club again on a bright, sunny day with my camera. The round was very enjoyable, and my 73 won me a few pounds from my playing partners. If given the chance to play golf in Scotland, make sure to play the great traditional links courses. However, tacking on a round at a modern course like Renaissance Club isn't half bad!

Perfect St Andrews Golf Trip - Where to Play

This post is part one of a three part series on where to play golf, eat, and stay during a golf trip to St Andrews, Scotland. I have been asked innumerable questions regarding these topics during my time living in St Andrews. This post will hopefully answer most of the questions existing about where to play golf while visiting St Andrews. If there are any others, please comment below!

The perfect first golf trip to Scotland uses St Andrews as a base of operations. Settle down into one of the many lodging options in town (to be discussed in a later post) and make day trips out from St Andrews to visit courses. I have witnessed, and participated in, many golf trips where people play 36 holes per day, staying in a different town every night while trying to see every course in Scotland. I have personally played 14 courses in 8 days all across Scotland without a car. I can tell you from experience that this trip plan is exhausting, and, when all is said and done, every course is a blur. Staying in St Andrews allows for relaxing nights, no commutes, and some of the best golf in Scotland on your doorstep.

I recommend staying between one week to 10 days in St Andrews. There are nearly 20 courses within an hour and a half drive that are worth a visit. The courses mentioned below are "must-haves" on any good Scottish golf itinerary. Make sure to follow the links to full course reviews.

St Andrews New or Jubilee
You may be arriving in St Andrews tired or jet lagged. After initially getting your bearings, play the St Andrews New or Jubilee courses. Both of these links courses are underrated and don't get the credit they deserve because they live under the shadow of the Old Course. The greens on the New and Jubilee are typically faster than the Old Course. A round on either of these courses will prepare you for the many rounds of links golf ahead. Full reviews of these courses can be found here.

St Andrews Old Course
Many people leave the St Andrews Old Course for the last day on their itinerary in an attempt to "end the trip with a bang." I cannot tell you how many people I have seen postpone the Old round until the last day, not get a tee time through the ballot, and go home disappointed. Play the Old Course early, and then try to play it again later in the trip. The Old Course is not visually stunning and the true genius of the course will not reveal itself in two rounds, but play it twice and you might get a glimpse of why it is top 5 in the world. If you don't get in for a second round via the ballot, play the Castle Course. My post on how to get a tee time on the Old can be found here and my review of the Old Course itself can be reached here.

Crail (Balcomie)
Crail Golf Links is a short drive from St Andrews and is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world. The Balcomie links offers a great design, amazing views, and a fun par 68 layout. A round at Balcomie will help you get in touch with what Scottish links golf is truly about. Absorb all the history and local flavor when visiting Crail. A round on one of these lesser known links courses is worth considerably more in its golfing weight than one of the many resort type courses. A full review of Crail (Balcomie) can be found here. I recommend a pint in the clubhouse and a bite to eat at the Crail Golf Hotel in the town proper after the round.

North Berwick 
North "Berrick" West Links can be found in an area of Scotland known as East Lothian, which is about an hour and a half drive from St Andrews. An entire week could be spent in the area taking in all the great golf on offer. Rounds at Gullane and Muirfield should also be on any East Lothian list. North Berwick is packed with history and is a course design nerd's heaven. The original Redan hole can be found on the course. It truly is a fun round of golf. A detail lacking course review can be found here. I plan on writing a new review ASAP with greater detail of the course.

Elie (Golf Club House)
Elie falls into a similar category to Crail (Balcomie), although Elie's course is undeniably stronger. A true links golf enthusiast needs to play a round of golf at Elie. The ambience, history, and views at the course are spectacular. Make sure to wander around the town and have dinner at the Ship Inn before driving back to St Andrews for the night. A full review of the course can be found here.

St Andrews Castle Course
I suggest using this day to enter the Old Course ballot for a second (or first) round. If you do not get a tee time, play the Castle! The Castle Course has come under fire for having extremely difficult greens, blind shots, and a difficult to walk terrain. All of those accusations are true, but if you enter the round without a scorecard, with a good attitude, and with your camera, you'll leave very happy. Have a look at the full course review here, and tell me those views aren't unbeatable. Enjoy a pint overlooking the course and sea in the Castle Course clubhouse after the round.

Kingsbarns Golf Links
I can't think of a more picturesque and enjoyable way to finish a Scottish golf trip. Kingsbarns is a great design with amazing facilities and better views. I have played Kingsbarns many times and caddied two seasons at the course. The only negative of the course is the ever climbing greens fee rate, which is now £200+ per person. The full course review can be found here.

After playing these courses during your St Andrews golf trip, come back to Scotland again. Next time spend 3-4 days in Ayrshire playing Turnberry, Royal Troon, and Prestwick. Head north after seeing the west coast and spend 3-4 days in Dornoch, playing Royal Dornoch, Brora, Nairn and Castle Stuart.

If you have any questions about planning a Scottish golf trip, leave me a comment or an email at livingasalinksgolfer@gmail.com. The next two posts in this series will be about where to stay in St Andrews and where to eat and drink. Keep an eye out over the next two weeks!

Dunbar Golf Club

East Lothian is one of my favorite golfing areas in the world. Ever since I played my first round on "Scotland's Golf Coast," I have made it my goal to knock off every note-worthy course in East Lothian. I have been lucky enough at this point to have played North Berwick, Archerfield (Fidra), Renaissance Club, Muirfield, and Gullane (1, 2 & 3). The next course to knock off the list was Dunbar Golf Club.

I had heard great things about the course and was eager to make the train journey with my ever-present golfing buddy Matt to play a round. We made the walk from the train station to the golf course, had a pair of “36 Hole Burgers,” and proceeded to tee off on a cold Tuesday afternoon.

One of the most interesting features of Dunbar Golf Club is the routing. There is a large stone wall separating the course from Broxmouth Park that runs parallel to the beach through the entire course. All but four holes are wedged between the beach and the wall in a traditional "out and back" layout. The first three holes and the last hole are on the inland side of the wall.

The opening hole (seen above) is a par 5 working away from the clubhouse. The tee shot looks challenging visually with a line of bunkers seemingly dissecting the fairway. A winding burn in front of the green is very reminiscent of the first hole on the Old Course here in St Andrews. 

The third hole could be considered the course's signature hole. It is a downhill 173 yard par three with a very interesting green complex. The view is stunning with the sea, clubhouse, and coastline all being visible from the elevated tee. 

The fourth is the first hole on the course to be on the left side of the Broxmouth Park wall. The tee shot is deceptive due to the fairway running out abruptly on the left. There is plenty of room right, and my slight pull off the tee ended up settling onto the beach (right from where the picture was taken). 

I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay of the wall with the course, but it presented problems at points for the routing. The fifth hole was a weak, short par 3 that seemed out of place, jammed between two holes due to lack of space. It was one of the few weak holes on the course.

Both the 6th (pictured above) and the 7th holes incorporate the wall along the entire right side of the fairway and green. If you have a problem losing the ball right, you're going to struggle at Dunbar.

The 8th hole breaks away from the wall and presents a different style of par 4 from what had been previously seen in the round. The bunkers lining the fairway and surrounding the green penalize any errant shots and reward accuracy.  

 The 9th hole requires a blind tee shot, but once the hill is crested, there is a gorgeous view to be seen. A good drive on the 532 yard hole still leaves a long shot into the green.

The view down to the well-bunkered 9th green is only tarnished by the massive mining and industrial structures in the near distance... 

After the 11th hole, the direction of play turns around to swing back towards the clubhouse. The sea is now on the player's right, and the views get better and better. The 12th hole, seen above, is another tricky tee shot, with the fairway running out on the right side. Aim very far left for this tee shot. My never having seen the course resulted in a number of lost balls during the round, this hole included. 

The 13th hole on the course has a blind shot to a very unique green. The green is sunk nearly fifteen feet below ground level and slopes severely from back to front. The green complex (minus the bunkers) reminded me of the famous coffin green of the 14th hole at Cruden Bay.

The elevated 14th tee box provides a beautiful view of the hole with the "Mill Stone Den" and the famous Bass Rock in the background.

The fifteenth hole only required a 3 wood off the tee, but made for a challenging approach shot to yet another interesting green complex. The sea off the right hand side of the green doesn't really come into play, but it is still visually intimidating and, as with many of the holes coming down the stretch, it subconsciously creates a desire to err left.

The 18th hole on the course jumps back to the inland side of the Broxmouth Park Wall. It is a challenging 435 yard par 4. Tee shots played close to the wall are rewarded with a superior angle into the difficult, raised green.

Dunbar Golf Club was yet another very fun East Lothian golf course. There was a mixture of strong and weak holes, but the round was extremely enjoyable. I will definitely be looking forward to playing another round at Dunbar at some point. Are there any recommendations for the next East Lothian course to knock off the list?