Celtic Dream Tours

October 12, 2009

LOCAL HIDDEN GEMS OF GOLF IN SCOTLAND

CATEGORY: GOLF & SIGHTSEEING

Traigh Golf Course - Prounounced "try"

Golf has been played at Traigh since about 1900, but the old layout was much too small, and the course was enlarged and greatly improved between 1993 and 1995. It was redesigned by the well-known Scottish golf architect, Mr. John Salvesen. Cunningly using the natural contours of the hills that rise up from the beach, he has created "a fair challenge to all levels of golfer – but a course that is great fun to play on, so that one wants to play it again".

The main feature of the course is the line of grassy hills, originally sand dunes, which rise some seventy feet, and the first hole demands a cunning tee shot to the top. At the second, a long drive is needed to get from one summit to the next. The third is aimed straight at the glorious views of the islands, and is followed by a short but testing par four where big hitters can easily find trouble. Another ocean bound par three over a broad burn - broader still at high tide - takes one to McEachen's Leap, back across the burn in a tricky dogleg par four. This brings the player to the most testing part of the course, in sight of the Creag Mhor cliffs. The long par five, "The Lang Whang" leads to the most difficult hole, an uphill par four into the prevailing wind, demanding a long and accurate second shot. After this ordeal the player signs off with another magnificent panorama as the final hole sweeps back towards the Cuillins of Skye on the horizon.

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