Panmure
Course
Panmure Golf Club, Barry, Carnoustie, Angus
Founded 1845. Links Course
Panmure was laid out by Allan Robertson in 1845 and modified by James Braid in 1922. Situated beside Carnoustie less than an hour from St Andrews, Panmure is not long by today’s standards but its quality is not in doubt given it has hosted final qualifying for the Open Championship on six occasions since 1968, most recently in 2007 when the Open was at Carnoustie. Successful negotiation of Panmure requires accurate driving and iron play, while the greens are small with subtle borrows that have been moulded throughout a century of play. The course combines the best elements of links and heath, with tight fairways, challenging carries and undulating greens. If you are looking for something a little different than many links courses, Panmure fits the bill.
Sightseeing
Great golf is only part of the story when considering what makes the perfect golf trip. Thankfully the other essential components are all found in abundance in Scotland, not least in the sights to see department. Whether scheduling a day off from golf or filling an afternoon after your morning round, there are many options regardless of which region you are visiting. The below is intended as a very general guide to sightseeing in the St Andrews and Perthshire area.
As part of a golf trip to this region, it is likely that you will stay in or close to St Andrews. It’s also likely that you will be too busy playing golf to include much sightseeing but there are always options. Recommendations in St Andrews include the British Golf Museum, St Andrews Castle (pictured above), St Andrews Cathedral and St Andrews Botanic Gardens. Venturing further afield, the likes of Kingsbarns Distillery, Inchcolm Abbey and Aberdour Castle are also worth a visit.
Also within range from St Andrews are the many attractions in Perthshire and Stirling. Like the Highlands, Perthshire boasts its fair share of distilleries with two excellent options being the Famous Grouse Experience at Glenturret Distillery in Crieff (pictured above) and Blair Atholl Distillery in Pitlochry, one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Other locations of interest in Perthshire include Blair Castle, Drummond Castle Gardens near Crieff, Scone Palace in Perth and Loch Leven Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a time.
Connecting Perthshire with Greater Glasgow, Stirling offers many attractions, particularly from an historical perspective. The Bannockburn Heritage Centre and impressive Stirling Castle (pictured above) are both must-sees in Stirling, while the National Wallace Monument, through a variety of exhibits and displays tells the story of the legendary William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland.