Blog 317 - 2025 Eclectic - Front 9 - Nomadic Aussie Golfer

Above: Interactive map showing the UK&I courses played in 2025
Click on the map to discover the 61 courses we played on that trip
Note that only 56 clubs appear on the map as we played 2 separate courses at 5 of these clubs

2025 Eclectic

The field for this eclectic is the 77 courses that I played in 2025, excluding those at my home club. The vast majority of these were new to me in 2025. Among my established criteria was one requisite that each course could have a maximum of 1 hole represented, but the creation of the ‘most fun’ category did necessitate a couple of double ups!!

From both a ‘quality of courses’, and a ‘geographical spread of courses’ played, 2025 was the pinnacle of my 45 years in golf to date. The 77 consisted of 35 in Scotland, 12 in Ireland, 12 in England, 2 in Wales and 16 in Australia (7 in NSW, 6 in Vic, 2 in Qld & 1 in SA). They were predominantly links and, depending on which list you ran with, contained around 10 of the world’s top 100 ranked courses. Its been a lot of fun to recount the circa 1300 holes that make up these courses, and try pick out the cream of the crop.

As I flicked through all the great/ memorable/ fun holes I played over the year, it became obvious how tough it was going to be to pick just 1 per hole. I was going to have to leave out some of my absolute favourite holes. The 4th hole is a great example – The 360m par4 at Woking (England) is a brilliantly strategic hole, world renowned for principles that provided tools for the great architects of the golden age to work with. Understanding how it came to be, I was captivated by it. However, the 270m par4 at Machrihanish Dunes, a real risk/ reward, with the narrowest green I’ve ever seen, was one of my favourite short 4s of our trip. Throw in another 4th hole that we loved so much, we had to go back out at 10pm and play it again… and again – the 150m par3 at Dunstanburgh Castle – with it’s firm, crowned surface and extreme drop-offs right, left & short. And to top it all off, I don’t know of many par 3s that are as much fun to play as the blind 160m par3 at Dunaverty. How could I leave out 3 of these great 4ths??

I can’t bring myself to do it, so I’ve sat firmly on the fence, and gone with:

1. Best/ Most Memorable 2. Second best/ other memorable 3. Most Fun

Reflecting upon the list of 56 holes I’ve chosen, it has become apparent (it actually became apparent some years back) that I am a sucker for a good, short par4. They do provide scenarios for what are probably the most critical decisions you make out on the course, and I was able to sneak 2 of my favourite Aussie short 4s in to the list as well. Anyhow, this year’s eclectic could possibly be overweight this genre!!

I could go on, but here it is:

Front 9 _{^{(back 9 is on the next blog)}}

Hole	Best/ Most Memorable	Second	Most Fun
1	Machrihanish 385m par4	Fortrose & R 300m par4	Glencruitten 410m 4
2	St Andr’s Beach 280m 4	Otway, 220m 4	Corrie 180m 3
3	Castle Stuart 280m 4	Cruden Bay 330m 4	Shiskine 115m 3
4	Woking 360m 4	Mach Dunes 270m 4 Dunstanburgh C 150m 3	Dunaverty 160m 3
5	Golspie 290m 4	Rosapenna SP 180m 3	Formby L’ies 120m 3
6	Rosapenna SP 480m 5	Panmure 373m 4	R’penna OT 360 4
7	Troon Darley 155m 3	R Portrush 505m 5	Carne 155m 3
8	R Dornoch 415m 4	Donegal 500m 5 Craigelaw 170m 3	Durness 350m 4
9	Cruitt Island 290m 4	RCD Annesley 270m 4	Covesea 95m 3

Pictures and some narrative of each hole, follow:

The legendary opener at Machrihanish. How much sand can you bite off? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The 300m opener at Fortrose & Rosemarkie. Noodle an iron out there and accept the gentle handshake on offer or refuse it and try to thread the needle, and get close 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Brilliant contouring amid many options off the tee on the short 4 2nd at SAB 🇦🇺

The long par 3 2nd at Corrie on the golf-rich isle of Arran. As is typical of this 9-hole beauty, it is quirky, unique, challenging and there are so many ways to play it 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The 280m 3rd at Castle Stuart (Cabot Highlands). So exposed to conditions, it would play so differently from one day to the next. Risk/ reward equation very dynamic! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Looking back up to the crest of the iconic short par4 3rd at Cruden Bay. ‘Heart in your mouth’ stuff as you approach that crest from the other side 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The 360m 4th at Woking, one of the most architecturally significant holes in golf. Cited as the turning point in architecture in 1901 when Messrs Low & Patton turned a penal hole with OB right to something requiring thought and strategy off the tee by placing bunkers down the middle, then some short, left greenside. The result being that brave drives down the right side are rewarded with the easiest approach in, and those that shirk the challenge on the drive face progressively more difficult approaches 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The drivable, blind 4th at Machrihanish Dunes. Perhaps the narrowest green in Scotland’s top 50? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The 160m blind & uphill 4th at Dunaverty. A magical prehistoric hole on this magical unspoilt links on the Kintyre Peninsula 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The green at the short4 5th at Golspie. Set immediately beyond the dune, hard up against the sea 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Capturing the essence of this collection of courses occupying land considered as England’s finest stretch of coastal links, the 120m 5th at Formby Ladies is perhaps my favourite short par3 of the trip 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Rosapenna St Patrick’s 480m 6th incorporates two separate tracts of diagonally placed wasteland cutting across the fairway. It is spectacular and highly strategic 🇮🇪

‘Hogans Hole’ – 373m 6th at Panmure that Ben Hogan fell in love with while practicing for the 1953 Open at Carnoustie. On his suggestion, a front right pot was added 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Another par3 from left field. The 155m 7th on the municipal Darley course in the highly renowned golf town of Troon, is raw and rare, and requires precise placement 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

McKenzie & Ebert’s recent addition to Royal Portrush is the 505m par5 7th that snakes it’s way between dunes that intermittently jut out into the fairway on a dramatically crumpled surface ☘️

It’s hard to pick just one hole from the smorgasbord that is the Championship Course at Royal Dornoch but my best shot of the trip gave the nod to the 415m 8th, in a tiebreaker. A bewildering hole that starts with a blind tee shot on to 200m of elevated fairway before a dramatic drop, accompanied by a 45 degree turn right. Lots of options, lots of angles, lots of bumps, lots to understand and lots to work out! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The final 150m of ‘Moyne Hill’, the much revered par5 at Hackett’s Donegal GC. Paul McGinley is doing some work at Donegal currently and has been threatened with a torturous end if he so much as touches this local treasure 🇮🇪

The approach to the 8th at Durness, a dramatic ending to a 350m par4 that starts off uphill to a crest, then turns right and steeply downhill. It’s the first act of a spectacular ending to this remote 9 hole golfing treasure 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I couldn’t quite legitimately squeeze this hole into my eclectic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 📮 😜 ➡️

290m 9th at Cruitt Island, a hair-raising finish on most courses but around here the hair has been at attention since the 2nd hole. There is an iron off the tee option or a drive over the corner of a very large dune that has to negotiate this scene, for the more adventurous 🇮🇪

Speaking of postage stamps, the wee 95m 9th at Covesea has one and is a microcosm of this fascinating course – short and sweet 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

See the next blog for details of the 2025 Eclectic’s back nine:

Blog 317 – 2025 Eclectic – Front 9

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