Day 7 (9/21) - Fraserburgh Corbie Hill
Today we drive 30 minutes north of Cruden Bay, around Peterhead, to Fraserburgh to play the CorbieHill course (they also have a 9 hole RoseHill course, which we didn't play).
They bill themselves as the 7th oldest club in the world, 5th oldest in Scotland, and the oldest north of St. Andrews.
One of the things I really enjoyed about Fraserburgh is that it has a total muni feel even though the club is one year younger than the USA. Absolutely no pretension around these parts other than what's shown on the sign. There's no pro shop, and the only souvenirs for sale are a ball marker and a divot tool. We had eight in our group, all wanting trolleys for our bags, and the two young ladies in the Pro Shop had to go out to the shed behind the clubhouse and scrounge for the last two trolleys, pulling the wheels off of one to put on another to make it functional.
This likely won't be a hole by hole post, partly because it was a rather overcast, moody day with 30mph winds and rapidly changing clouds that made it hard to photograph; and partly because Fraserburgh has some really fun holes but nothing quite the caliber of Prestwick or Cruden Bay. Don't get me wrong...I just checked the current rates and they are charging 40 pounds ($55) for a weekday round and 60 pounds ($83) for a weekend round. If this course was close to me I would play it all the time at those prices, and that's why I think I enjoyed it so much. I felt like a local playing my local course, which just so happens to be located on a fantastic piece of linksland with wonderful views.
First we cross the highway to get to the tee
Typical of many courses in Scotland, the first hole (aptly named Corbie Hill) is a 'gentle handshake' of a par 4 with the primary purpose being to get you from the clubhouse to the rolling linksland. Not too long, wide fairway, and elevated green.
We keep climbing on the second (Braid's Bellow), heading towards the tiny elevated green.
We've reached the top of the hill at the third box (Whyte's Shelter) and have a short downhill par 4 with a 30mph right to left wind.
looking back to 2 green
looking back to the box
Hole 4, The Plateau
Hole 5, The Hump, is the first par 3
Hole 6, The Cottage, is a straightforward par 5
Hole 7, The Well, is the second par 3
Hole 8, The Spruces, is an uphill par 4
Hole 9, Lang Whang, is a downhill par 4. You may be starting to think this course has a lot of climb and descent, and you'd be correct.
Hole 10, Solitude. Short par 4, and I post these two pics, taken with a few seconds of each other, to give you a sense of how fast the clouds were moving.
the green
Hole 11, Elsie's, a short straight uphill par 4 to a large green with little trouble. There are a few other holes like this that I didn't post pics of, and it's these handful of holes that keep this course from being truly special
Hole 12, The Castle, short par 4
Hole 13, The Hillocks, one of my favorite on the course. Very short but no where close to easy.
Hole 14, Homeward, long downhill par 3
Hole 15, The Bents, 500 yard par 5.
Hole 16, The Valley, par 4
Hole 17, Peninsula, the last par 3
Hole 18, The Bridge. Also typical of many holes in Scotland, it's somewhat of a mirror image of the first, getting you back to the clubhouse from the linksland. Shame on you if you can't find a playable second shot off the tee.
and with no exaggeration, Fraserburgh had the best post-round toasties, sausage rolls, and soup on the entire trip. Gladys was a wonderful host and felt like the Scottish grandmother I didn't know I had. She even treated the table to pastry fresh out of the oven just because she wanted to...such a sweetheart.