Montrose (1562 Course)
Par 71, 6,488 yards
Website: www.montrosegolflinks.com
The Course: Golf has been played over the links in the season town of Montrose, 45 minutes north of Dundee, since 1562. It’s an outstanding natural links and one of our favourite courses. The opening stretch, threaded along the top of dunes and bordered by a sweeping beach, are a pure joy. With a wind whipping in from the North Sea, approaches to the small greens require sound judgement and strong nerves. The back nine, while less spectacular, is a terrific test of strategy. The layout is threaded through gorse and sandhills, with nasty pot bunkers guarding the putting surfaces.
Signature Hole: The par three 3rd; a tee on top of one sand dune plays to a shallow green perched on top of another about 130 yards away. There aren't even any bunkers. It's an intoxicating blend of beauty, simplicity and difficulty.
What makes it special? The more you play it the more you love it. The spectacular dunes on the front nine are more immediately striking but the clever back nine becomes more enjoyable on every repeat playing.