2025 Golf Diary review

It's always interesting looking back over my golfing experiences from the previous year...sometimes we maybe choose to play at well touted prestigious golf courses that can prove disappointing and not as good value as was expected but on the other hand you can come across a real 'hidden gem' that offers a wonderful days golf at a very reasonable green fee.

I've mentioned in these pages the desire to unearth the best value Scottish golf courses in the Edinburgh, Lothians, Fife and Borders areas where course conditions, playability for all handicaps and good Clubhouse atmosphere are so important for us all to enjoy a great day out....  with so many courses to choose from it really helps if there is an almost guaranteed great golfing day out you can confidently book and maybe even revisit many times again.... so here goes with some reviews from last year.... 

January-March.. 

I'm very lucky and privileged to currently be a member at two of Scotlands best Golf courses, namely Kilspindie in Aberlady, East Lothian and Leven Golfing Society on the Fife coastline...both Clubs have healthy memberships and their annual subscription for members has not gone crazy despite huge rises in running costs putting pressure on all our  Scottish Golf Clubs in recent years....my Leven membership is a lower priced Country category and I've only played it a dozen times on average per year since joining in 2018 mainly due to the playing restrictions caused by the Covid  periods.... but what a fantastic Golf links course it is....a bit more challenging than Kilspindie with it being a bit longer and having just a tad more shrubbery to contend with!                             

 I would recommend any golfers looking to play a real Scottish links golf venue to give both these courses a visit....the Clubhouse hospitality and starters welcome at both is an added bonus....   

....so that was last winters exploits...playing at 'home' and a couple of visits to Fife with the average temp around 8 degrees ...but we were up and running for the year ahead...

March-July  

Over the past few years I've experienced great difficulty playing from fairway mats which I must admit are an absolute necessity to maintain our golf courses in the winter and they do ensure that we're all playing on fairways in pristine condition come the Spring....last year for me was a bit 'shankolic' but thankfully I was just playing social golf, albeit on another fairway sometimes and not having to record scores for handicap.

 In mid March I played in a Club match at Haddington in East Lothian and despite wintery conditions the fairways and greens were in very good condition...in recent years the course has been redesigned slightly so that there are two returning nines to the Clubhouse...very handy for members just playing 9 holes.

One thing I did notice on my old Garmin Skycaddy is that some holes are not exactly where it says they are but all the same I really enjoyed playing this beautiful parkland course again as it is a very fair challenge well worth a Summer visit when the fairways can be quite fast....nice to meet their welcoming and helpful staff too. 

Visits to Liberton where I play with friends (Amigos) who are members, are always enjoyable as the course is not overlong and has a great variety of holes.... many well protected by tricky greenside bunkers...this course is a must play in the summer as the greens are always superb. 

A visit to Goswick Golf Club for the first time was a fantastic experience...a real links feel course with it's coastal nature, sand based soil, dunes and marram grass surroundings on the fringes of the North Northumberland conservation area. ...a very peaceful environment which helps you to relax when taking on some challenging holes... another 'must play again' course with ongoing design plans only going to make it even more inviting....  only just over an hours drive from Edinburgh...go there! .                                                                                                                 

Another visit to Monktonhall Musselburgh in July didn't disappoint...a really expansive course where playing to your handicap is possible with good course management as many of the fairways are wide enough to recover from stray drives.                                                                                                                                                 

Play more golf have an introductory deal and I've used this with friends to play Ratho Park which is a nice flat parkland course with tree lined fairways...another destinatioin on the outskirts of Edinburgh that ensures another good value golf experience as the deal in question can secure a 4ball for around £85....excellent service in the Pro shop and the Clubhouse which is so comfortable and is an amazing building.

Another course that I will be making a point of visiting this year is Gifford in East Lothian where the four Amigos enjoyed a super day out and it was an offer that I don't think can be beaten...check out the Club website for their Birdie offer....a fantastic 9 hole course with some alterrnative tees on the back nine...great wee Clubhouse with superb catering.                             

A busy golfing month in June involved visits to Royal Musselburgh, Ravelston, a super 9 hole course in the heart of Edinburgh and West Linton just near the Scottish borders...                 

 ...the Royal Musselburgh was in it's usual fantastic condition and I did go back in late June to play in their Seniors Open with the Amigos but we did find a big difference between the Blue and the Medal tees.....however it is still a great golf challenge with some tight dogleg fairways where your course management should be carefully adhered to...                                         

Ravelston has got to be one of Edinburghs best kept golf secrets....on arrival it looks like you may be faced with a hike up the side of Corstorphine Hill but the steepest part of the course is the climb up the path from the car park to the friendly wee Clubhouse....playing the course is a very enjoyable gentle climb up a few slopes but the gradients balance themselves out nicely and there are a nice variety of holes...well worth a summer visit!

On to West Linton which I must admit is a course for low to mid handicap golfers if you play it in windy conditions...a very challenging course and long enough for a Senior high handicapper like moi but with a nice variety of holes ...well worth taking a course yardage book as anywhere apart from fairway on the course is trouble with some very tricky rough.     

August-October  One of the best courses I played last year was at Elie in Fife. another links gem with fantastic scenery over the Firth of Forth....playing it for the first time in over 40 years I couldn't remember a thing about it apart from the periscope in the Pros shop which gives you a view of the blind fairway on the first hole...once you've reached the fairway a golfing treat begins with it's awesome layout and views over the Forth and the quaint backdrop of the surrounding town....   five star cuisine and service awaits you in the Clubhouse after your round..thank you Alastair for the invite! ..                         

...and then there is Kinross! ...probably one of the most popular golf packages in central Scotland...one night in Greens hotel with 2 rounds of golf on offer to the golfing Amigos at £129 per head....unrefusable or so I was told by the other three ...well it was the final round of our annual golf round robin 4ball wager where we pair up and rotate partners after every series of games...usually best of five or in this years case seven!...the forfeit...losers buy winners a meal....

Day one... Bruce course...teed off around 1pm behind a Golf society who liked a drink...5 hours later we walked off at 17th....one meal down!

Day two...  Montgomery course...teed off at 10am in front of yesterdays hungover Golf society outing...finished round within 4 hours and a much more enjoyable day.                                           

Verdict.. Kinross has two tremendous golf courses and I will look forward to playing them again but when there are no outings booked before my tee time...no matter how good a golf deal looks it is best playing on weekdays to avoid a slow round...the Pro and staff at Kinross are to be commended for their friendly service and hospitality and I think they could charge higher rates so as not to undervalue the golf on offer. 

November and December ..back playing at home course again with some practice at the golf range but thats another story...not a bad year though and hope you all had a good one too!       

Have a great 2026 golfing year.... make your next round your best round!