McLean Links

This is the culmination of a challenge set by our friend, Matt Pittam, to pick our favourite 18 holes we've played, with each hole representing its respective number on that course.

Criteria for inclusion could be anything, really; aesthetics, architecture, score, a particular shot, a memory. Anything to make that hole a stand out in your golf career.

Here is the very linksy layout of McLean Links...

Hole 1 | Dumbarnie Links | Par 4 | 398 yards

“Wonderful views of the hole and course beyond from the elevated tee, the generous fairway banked on each side makes it impossible not to take out the big stick and smash it down towards the green, which is a great feeling to have on the 1st tee. Birdie chance if approach lands on the large putting surface, avoiding run off areas short and right.”

Hole 2 | North Berwick | “Sea” | Par 4 | 419 yards

“A tee box that is almost part of the beach, this dogleg left to right hole hugs the coastline to the point that the beach is classed as in play. Ladders down to the beach help those who do leak it right play their next shot. A birdie to the adulation of the watching GoPro made my experience of this hole a memorable one.”

Hole 3 | Dunaverty | “Scott’s Holme” | Par 4 | 279 yards

“A perfect early morning’s solo golf with only the greenkeepers for company, this hole is made even more stunning by locating the medal tee which is neatly positioned behind a partition fence in the last few square metres of the course before it drops onto Dunaverty beach. The view along the beach to Dunaverty Rock is spectacular, and the hole itself plays as a left to right dogleg into a sunken fairway, but no distance at all with a safe drive and the flick of a wedge up to a slightly raised green, which brings the aforementioned landmark back into view.

Hole 4 | Barassie Links |” Arran” | Par 3 | 149 yards

“The view from the tee frames the hole against the backdrop of Arran and the Ayr to Glasgow trainline, with a burn running the length of the hole on the left protecting the unique sleeper-edged green. A nice hole to look at, but difficult to play especially in the prevailing wind off the Firth of Clyde.”

Hole 5 | Royal Dornoch | “Hilton” | Par 4 | 312 yards

“Not recognised as one of the (many) signature holes of Royal Dornoch, the short par 4 5th hole is picturesque and playable in equal measures. The walk to the tee sees the course open up in front of you, especially beautiful when the gorse is in bloom. 10 bunkers (5 fairway / 5 greenside) stare you in the face but the fairway is a forgiving landing area, if it weren’t for the fact that the tee points directly at the 5 right side fairway bunkers which can be disconcerting to the power fade golfer. The plateau green looks so inviting with a wedge in hand, but3 front bunkers and 2 hidden left of the putting surface makes for a daunting approach shot. A well thought out, attractive and fun golf hole.”

Hole 6 | Royal Troon | “Turnberry” | Par 5 | 518 yards

“Recognised as the longest hole on The Open circuit (from the tips) this still plays out at over 500 yards for the recreational golfer, and on my only round at Royal Troon I walked away with a birdie. This shouldn’t detract from the features of the hole which, although fairly unremarkable from the tee, gets interesting as you approach the narrow green which is framed by sand dunes on both sides. A decent drive then 5 iron lay-up left me with a 90 yard pitch shot to the green, which (perhaps luckily) flew dead at the pin, hitting it square with the ball coming to rest 10 feet right of the hole. Draining the putt for birdie only made the walk to 7th tee, and all the visual delights this brings, even better.

Hole 7 | Western Gailes | “Sea” | Par 3 | 183 yards

“The perfect links par 3 – elevated tee with views of the sea, bowl green cut into a dune, pot bunkers galore (6 of varying size in total) where anything but a straight shot will result in carnage. Long and left is dead, which I found to my peril on my way to the most enjoyable triple bogey ever.”

Hole 8 | Royal Troon | “Postage Stamp” | Par 3 | 123 yards

“I finally managed to play (in daylight) the most famous par 3 in Open golf on a breezy sunny day in August, and loved every yard of it. A decent tee shot probably landed 2 yards off target and my ball was promptly swallowed up by the deep right side bunker. Even getting it out of the bunker was not enough, as my shot failed to beat the upslope and returned to my feet. My second attempt was much better, landing 8 feet from the hole but my bogey attempt slid past the left edge. A double bogey and a smile on my face. Pure joy.

Hole 9 | Brora | “Sea Hole” | Par 3 | 152 yards

“The run of par 3’s comes to an end along with the front 9 on the 9th at Brora. I played this on a warm October morning while travelling along the North Coast 500 with my wife, Louise, who also walked the course with me. It’s a relatively simple hole running slightly downhill to the shore, a perfect 9 iron for me on the day. The backdrop is stunning and the green sits less than 5 paces from the sand of Brora Beach. A comfy par for me was somewhat trumped by Louise’s bogey 4, after she picked up a club for a shot, putting her approach short of the green and knocking a few putts up to the hole.”

OUT | 33 | 2533 yards

Hole 10 | Elie | “Lundar Law” | Par 4 | 288 yards

“The 10th at Elie begins a wonderful stretch of holes along the Firth of Forth coastline, and is a fantastic risk and reward par 4. With a blind tee shot over the hill some 240 yards away, some knowledge of the hole prior to teeing off is beneficial as sometimes driver can be too much club with the beach lying in wait a few paces off the back of the green if your ball picks up pace on the down slope. Even if safely on the green in one or two shots, it slopes towards the sea so any putts down or across the surface makes for a difficult eagle or birdie opportunity.

Hole 11 | Bute Kingarth | “Stravannan” | Par 4 | 324 yards

“A little sneaky picking this as the 11th hole on McLean Links, as it is actually the 2nd hole on Kingarth but plays as the 11th on an 18 hole loop of this quirky little island course. Normally only present for aesthetic purposes on golf holes, a stone wall separates the fairway from the green but this is very much in play from the tee shot, as you either have to lay up short of it or take it on depending on your tactics. If there is any sort of wind, normally into you off the Firth of Clyde, the latter is just not an option. Lay up and enjoy the backdrop of Arran as you hit a short approach into the green which juts out onto the rocks. Great features, great fun, great golf hole.

Hole 12 | Shiskine | “Kilmory” | Par 3 | 120 yards

“On looks alone, you probably wouldn’t place the 12th at Shiskine in the bracket of remarkable golf holes. It isn’t even the most remarkable on the course. However, what places it above all else is it is the final hole on the course, the only one of its kind in Scotland. Shiskine has a special place in my golfing life as it was where I teed off to begin my Arran Golf Ultramarathon challenge in June 2019, where I was given special dispensation to play the course in the early morning before tee times were open to members and the general public. A unique experience shared with my father-in-law, we had the course to ourselves for the 2 hours we were there. Despite the 12th at Shiskine being an uphill, mostly blind par 3 which doesn’t lend itself to a good finishing score, it helped conclude a special round of golf.

Hole 13 | Elie | “Croupie” | Par 4 | 371 yards

“Finishing the stretch of excellent coastal holes at Elie which began on the 10th, “Croupie” curves round the beach with the elevated green set just in front of steep cliffs at a 45° angle to the fairway. The green is wide, around 45 yards, but less than 15 yards deep at any point, so you have to carry it all the way if you don’t want to end up in the hollow in front of the green. During REGGAE 2020, I flew a 9 iron all the way but with the pin cut on the right I was left with a 50 foot putt back across the green which slopes back to front, which I knocked dead to 2 feet to salvage par and win the hole. A great green complex to finish a run of great holes.

Hole 14 | Cruden Bay | Par 4 | 371 yards

“With the same par, yardage and coastal location the 14th at Cruden Bay, on paper, could be mistaken for the 13th at Elie. However, that’s where the similarities end. The tee shot is uphill and partially blind as all you can see from the tee are the two fairway bunkers you need to avoid, though a nice line to take and fade your ball off to land in the sunken part of the fairway. From there, the approach shot is special though you won’t necessarily see the outcome as it is downhill into the famous “bathtub” green – around 40 yards long but 10 paces wide. Depending on the pin position, landing it short is good as the contours will work the ball to the flag for you, but if the pin is further back you might have to fly it the distance which requires a dead straight shot. Being able to view the hole from up high on the 9th tee, set against the dramatic North Sea backdrop, makes it that little bit more special as you count down the holes to #14.

Hole 15 | Fullarton | “The Dip” | Par 4 | 265 yards

“Years of my youth spent playing this hole, from modest beginnings where the aim was to ensure you didn’t hit your tee shot into “Spazzy’s Dip” (mature) to eventually trying to drive the green with just about every type of miss in between. Get it running on the fairway off the tee and it’s got a chance of reaching in one if it hits the downslope at the front of the green.

Hole 16 | Enniscrone | “The Long Bank” | Par 5 | 497 yards

“McLean Links wouldn't be complete without representation from Irish golf, something I experienced while touring the Wild Atlantic Way in 2017. Following rounds at Portrush and Rosapenna, Enniscrone was the final course on the tour and I could easily have picked another 3 or 4 holes from this amazing stretch of coast. After crawling through undulating duneland with glimpses of the Irish Sea at the start of the back 9, the 16th runs right along the coast, framed with dunes on the right side and crashing waves on the left. Not long by Par 5 standards, but almost inevitable that you'll have to lay up with your 2nd shot as acess to the green is made difficult by a protruding dune front left with the raised plateau green tucked in behind. On a breezy October day, it took me 4 shots to get to the putting surface, but only one more to hole out for my par after draining a monster downhill putt. A true links experience."

Hole 17 | Old Course | “Road” | Par 4 | 436 yards

“I've had the pleasure of playing and bogeying one of the hardest holes in golf on two occasions now, and I can't think of another hole with such iconic shots at each stage. When you think about it, it's a mad hole with features that just wouldn't be part of golf course design today. A blind tee shot over buildings to a narrow fairway that sits at a 45° angle (with the option to go way left, if you want, or is often advised by local caddies). Followed by a (likely long) second shot to a shallow green guarded by the Road Hole bunker in front and road a pace or two off the back of the green. I like to think I played it the "right" way both times - great drive, approach short right, knock the ball on below the hole and two-putt. Not an easy feat all while trying not to lose yourself in the surroundings of such a historic hole."

Hole 18 | Old Course | “Tom Morris” | Par 4 | 361 yards

“I can almost offset my career +2 on the 17th of the Old Course with my -1 cumulative score on the 18th, after some memorable experiences on the final hole of the Old Course. My first playing resulted in a birdie, my final putt sunk with my Dad's "Silver Knight" putter which I'd carried round with me, a little nod to him a few months after he'd passed away. Most recently, I enjoyed the experience with 3 good friends after we finally secured a round together at the Home of Golf, finishing off with a solid par. Teeing off against the backdrop of the town, into a fairway you can't miss, capturing your moment on the Swilcan Bridge and walking up the fairway in the ampitheatre of the surrounding architecture is a unique experience in golf. Draining putts a little added bonus."

IN | 36 | 3033 yards

OUT | 33 | 2533 yards

TOTAL | 5566 | 69