Tuesday 27 September 2011

Wigtown and Bladnoch GC - Course no 447

I'd booked to stay overnight in Newton Stewart after my round at St Medan on 22 September 2011 before tackling some more courses in the south west, so I'd time to fit in a quick round over the  9 hole Wigtown & Bladnoch GC course.  This is a parkland course measuring 2731 yards Par 34 off the Men's White Medal tees.  The scorecard does not provide any measurements from the Yellow tees.  I'd experienced that oddity on another course some time ago, but I really don't understand why, when visitors and members' bounce games are required to play off Yellows, there were no yardages on the scorecards.  That criticism apart, this was a rather bland experience when compared with my adventures over the nearby St Medan course.  There had been some recent rain and the Wigtown & Bladnoch course was soaking wet, with balls plugging where they landed and my feet splashing their way through puddles of standing water.

I'm still struggling several days after playing here, to pick out the signature hole, but I liked this, the 4th, a short 275 yard Par 4 played from an elevated tee.  With the wind from behind, I'd ambitions of getting near to the green, but my ball plugged on landing and I was lucky to find it, three-quarters' submerged in the middle of the fairway.  I'd no such luck on the 356 yard Par 4 7th, where my tee shot found the light rough and was duly lost.  I can only assume it got completely submerged.  It was a bright sunny and warm afternoon, but I was the only fool on the course and even the greenkeeper had gone home.

This is the 9th, a decent 376 yard uphill Par 4.  I had a closing par for a 39, net 34 with 14 putts.   The weather forecast was for heavy overnight rain, so maybe I'd been quite lucky to catch this course before it got even wetter.  I've played it, but I doubt whether I'd want to play it again.

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