Follow in the footsteps of James Braid and Alister MacKenzie on the Rosemount at The Blairgowrie Golf Club in Perthshire
BLAIRGOWRIE, Scotland -- The Blairgowrie Golf Club -- one of Scotland's premier inland clubs -- offers choices galore for golfers visiting the magnificent Perthshire countryside.
The Lansdowne Course is a tournament-tough venue built in the 1970s by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas. The heritage of the Rosemount Course dates to James Braid and Alister MacKenzie. It was the site of Greg Norman's first professional win on the European Tour in 1977 and hosted the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup won by the Americans. The nine-hole Wee Course plays only 2,327 yards, but members believe it is home to some of the best holes on property, all originals by Braid.
MacKenzie expanded the club's first nine to 18 holes by creating the original Lansdowne Course, which opened in 1927. Further expansion just three years later brought in Braid, who redesigned MacKenzie's work to create the Rosemount Course and nine holes that eventually became the Wee Course.
Hints of MacKenzie still resonate on The Blairgowrie's Rosemount Course, such as the classic 17th hole, a par 3 with an interesting two-tiered green located beyond a small stream. The club is tinkering with the 190-yard sixth hole and 376-yard seventh hole to bring back MacKenzie's influence. The Rosemount, as a whole, follows a secluded path through the forest with a wall of heather separating wide fairways from towering pines and birch trees.
The most memorable hole comes last. The par-4 18th hole doglegs right. Once golfers locate their drives, the beautiful clubhouse and fabulous green site, surrounded by numerous bunkers, comes into view. What a finish to one of Scotland's finest parkland experiences.