10 of the Best - Courses in Angus and Dundee

Angus features some of the most rugged coastline in Scotland and is a haven for wildlife. To the north and west, the topography is fairly mountainous. It lies in an area known as the Angus Glens, where the main industry is still hill farming. To the south and east the landscape consists of rolling hills bordering the sea. You will know all about Angus cattle, which are bred in vast numbers in this part of the country. It may come as a surprise to learn that this is a part of Scotland that is renowned for the growing of soft fruit. The scenery is spectacular and offers some amazing walks. And speaking of walking, Angus contains some of the very, very best golf courses in Europe. Here, we look at just 10 of them.

Forget any preconceived ideas you may have about the weather. If you have never been to this part of the world, you really should put that right as soon as you can.

Carnoustie (Championship)

Par 72, 6,941 yards, links

Green fee £175

The championship course is arguably the best in Britain, far less in Angus. And it may even be the finest in Europe. But don't go there expecting an easy ride. This is a proper links course, with some serious rough and some deep bunkers. But boy, what an experience. We all remember what happened to poor old Jean Van De Velde on the final hole during The Open in 1999, but he is not the only player to have come to grief on this incredible links, which features narrow rolling fairways, some breathtaking scenery and wonderful putting surfaces.  The fifth hole is a classic par four that measures 415 yards. It is a dogleg and features a two-tier green that can add as much as three clubs to your approach, depending upon where the flag is. A narrow ditch stretches the entire width of the fairway at around 280 yards. The eighth is the first par three, measuring 183 yards. There is out of bounds left and bunkers surround an elevated green. It is normally played into a cross wind. Don't come up short.  The 12th is a glorious par five that measures 500 yards. The drive is one of the most intimidating on the course whins and gorse to be carried and ditches on both the right and left hand sides. Two massive fairway bunkers on the right hand side eat into the heart of the fairway. The approach must be played between two sets of bunkers positioned on the right and left hand side about 30 yards short of the green. This is a genuine three-shot hole, and should be played as such. The 499-yard 18th may well be the toughest finishing hole in golf. The burn is in play for the drive to the right and left of the hole and also short of the green. Fairway bunkers edge in to the right hand side and must be avoided.

Downfield Golf Club

Par 73, 6,840 yards, parkland

Green fee £75, winter £45

Located on the outskirts of Dundee, Downfield is a work of art, featuring blind tee shots threaded through stunning tree-lined fairways. There are ponds and streams to be avoided and 18 beautiful, well-kept greens. It is a fine test for single-figure handicap players but it will not reduce high-handicappers to their knees. It has hosted the Scottish Open, the Benson and Hedges International and was a qualifying venue for The Open in 199 and 2007. The second hole is a 410-yard dogleg. The ideal drive is as close to the bunker on the right as possible, leaving the shortest approach to a green that slopes from back to front.  There are some par threes where, if you can walk off the green with a par marked on the card, you should be delighted. The 228-yard third is such a hole. Anything short left will be swallowed by a deep and punishing bunker. A bank will kick most shots towards the green, but don't be long. The seventh measures 479 yards and is a thing of beauty. There is trouble on both sides of the fairway, so you need to be straight, and you must avoid the stream that runs across the fairway. The green slopes from front to back and can be treacherous if you finish above the hole. The 11th, at 498 yards, is Downfield's signature hole. The perfect drive is to the right centre of the fairway. Big hitters can reach the green in two but you have to clear water short of the green, which is also protected by sand and surrounded by trees. The closing hole is 384 yards long, with trees lining the right side of the fairway along with two bunkers located on the dogleg. The green, which is guarded by three bunkers, has a ridge running across the back.

Edzell (Old)

Par 72, 6,570 yards, heathland/parkland

Green fee £60

Edzell Golf Club lies in the foothills of the Angus Glens, with the Grampians providing the backdrop to a course located between Dundee and Aberdeen. It was originally laid out in 1895 and redesigned by James Braid in 1933 before a further update in 2015. The second hole is a 440-yard par four with trees running all the way down the right side. Fairway bunkers on the right and left mean you must be straight. A cavernous bunker eats into the front right of the sloping green. The sixth is a stunning 191-yard par three - trees on both sides mean that the hole has a slightly claustrophobic feel and the tendency is to attempt to steer your tee shot. Any shot not struck properly will find a bunker 30 yards short of the green, which is further guarded by four bunkers and slopes from right to left. More trees stand guard on either side of the 12th fairway, a par four that measures 377 yards, with perfectly placed fairway bunkers right and left. The approach is played to a large, sloping green. The closing hole is a par five that measures 531 yards. Once again, the fairway is cut through an avenue of tall trees, with two bunkers left and one to the right at driving distance. Find the middle of the fairway and another accurate shot is required, with trees running all the way down the right and further bunkers waiting to swallow your second shot. The green, located in the shadow of the clubhouse, is guarded by two well-placed bunkers.

Carnoustie (Burnside)

Par 68, 6,028 yards, links

Green fee £46

Everybody obsesses about the championship course, but grab it with both hands if you get the chance to play at Carnoustie Burnside. It is not as ferocious as its big sister, but it offers a great test of golf. The second hole measures 450 yards and is a terrific par four. A tough, challenging par 4 that could hold it’s own on any links course in Britain. The drive must be long and accurate and avoid the bunkers on the right hand side of the fairway. The second shot normally requires a long iron to a green protected by only one bunker but which is very close the out of bounds fence on the right. The fifth hole is a brilliant par three measuring 158 yards. Reminiscent of the 17th hole at Sawgrass, this par 3 is surrounded by the Barry Burn on three sides. Only a well-struck shot with the right club will find this green and anyone scoring three here can be highly pleased. The 11th is 375 yards long and, in one hole, sums up what golf at Carnoustie is all about. A challenging drive with gorse, whin and heather on both sides of the fairway. The second shot is reasonably straightforward but the green provides the hardest putting to be found anywhere in Carnoustie with a severe slope from back to front, two putts on this green is an excellent result. The final hole is only 302 yards long and can be driven if conditions are in your favour but it is a glorious risk-and-reward hole. A classic little par 4 with the green driveable on occasions but the out of bounds fence is an ever present threat on the right hand side of the hole and many a score has been ruined by a sliced tee shot on this hole.