Uniquely creative with a tremendous amount of visual appeal.

The manmade dunes rival some the famous natural "dunes" courses in Ireland and Scotland. The concept at Twisted Dune is quite simple: build up mountains of sand to create 18 separate playing corridors and keep it as wild looking as possible.

Each pile of sand is kept in a natural looking state which contributes to the dunesland illusion. The cart paths are a combination of crushed clam shells and peebles. The firm playing surface allows for shot making creativity when making approaches or when pitching and chipping onto the undulating putting surfaces. Multiple elevation changes abound allowing for wonderful raised teeing grounds and elevated greens. I agree with many of the previous reviewers that the back nine outshines the front nine. Holes 10 through 18 offer a higher level of excitement and memorabilty. With today's natural looking design trend in vogue, Twisted has to be considered a trend setter.

The work being done at Newburgh on Ythan is to be admired: gorse cleaning, attention to detail and the course is going back to a well deserved spot.

Another great story with this one. I met current GM Robbie Stewart 3 years ago when he hosted me at Nairn Dunbar and stayed in touch. With SGTW going to Aberdeen the chance to visit him again appeared and with dear friend Santi Teran (former Golf Channel Broadcaster) we rushed after the very last appointment to enjoy a phenomenal afternoon playing this beauty in 2h30min, proper fast golf! The course original 9s are the back 9 which are flat, full of blind tee and approach shots and towards the river while the new 9s are up from the Club House with many level changes, elevated either tee boxes or greens and towards sheep farms. Black and White contrast, but all in one another excellent experience to do in Scotland. Aberdeen has 5 High Profile Course and with at least 5 other very good ones, you could easily stay 1 week and play 10 rounds without having a bad one … St Andrews is awesome but also give a chance to some other places.

The work being done at Newburgh on Ythan is to be admired: gorse cleaning, attention to detail and the course is going back to a well deserved spot. It will always be difficult to convince a guy going once in a lifetime to Scotland to do the non Open courses but for those who have the chance to go more regularly, it is our duty as TTOOs to show them more and make them get amazed by places like Newburgh. Is it a tough course? No, an this adds to the chance of lower skilled players to enjoy links without being smashed and lose a million golf balls. Is it challenging? Oh yes! To play your hcp you will need to hit it straight and judge properly some nice blind tee shots and other approach shots to sort of Punchbowl greens. Or hit it in the air to climb some off the uphill ones on the front 9 like 1^st or 8^th.

The front 9 go up from the Club house with 1^st and 8^th being the toughest approach shots, especially the first one where a just short shot will come back. 8^th if you don’t climb the mound the ball may come 40yds shot, with Santi we hit decent drives that were 190yds on Arccos … unreal! 2^nd a great par 3 down the hill with the town on the back drop and green slopes to the back, you need to be sharp here. 4^th and 6^th two very good reachable ones, the first with a wall that used to be a fence to keep sheep when owner left to town while 6^th goes over a mound and if you go for it then stopping the ball on the two tiered green is quite a challenge. 7^th another short downhill par 4 with gorse on both sides which remember me about 12^th at The Auld Lady. To finish the fron7 9, quirky par 5 downhill with gorse on both sides for second shots and some mounds on the fairway to prevent tee shots to run forever … I liked it!

Back 9 plays 6 straight par 4s until short par 3 16^th, another good par 4 on 17^th and very tough par 5 last hole where the 3 shots need to be very precise. This half is flatter, with some blind tee shots at 11 to 15, some quirky approach shots on 12^th , 13^th , 14^th and 15^th where even if holes are short, not even the scratch golfers will find pars easily and some greens like 12^th can lead to a disaster. The views of the huge dunes on the other side of the river are second to none, 16^th with the tee box by the water into the wind will be one of the toughest shots of the day.

Round done, another enjoyed afternoon and another secret unlocked. Well worth the Scottish Top 100 spot!

Mountain Ash is built on a varied parcel of land which steadily climbs from the parkland feeling slopes in the vicinity of the clubhouse to a plateau that feels more hilltop in character. The surroundings are magnificent, with abundant views welcoming you throughout the round. The club has been through a tough period in the last 12 months, but during my visit in early 2025 you could see the shoots of recovery sprouting all around. Firstly they have a new manager in place with a clear strategy for improvement, and are busy in the final stages of the process to appoint a new Head Greenkeeper. Hopefully the result will be that a suitable candidate is found who can build on the mainly creditable conditioning I witnessed during my visit.

In terms of the architecture of the golf course and the routing, I think it would be safe to say that this a mixed bag all in all. Some features are engaging strategically and aesthetically pleasing, other sections of the course feel a little more functional. I thought in general terms, the routing deals with this potentially awkward piece of land in wonderful fashion, with the only slightly confusing junction coming at the 8th green and 9th tee, where it would be very easy to tee off on the 15th. The direction of travel is ever changing, and I don’t think two holes play in the same direction consecutively more than a couple of times which gives the course a pleasant flow and makes it easily recount-able. 

The main detractor in terms of the quality of the golf on offer comes at the start of the round. Like so many courses where the clubhouse resides a little way from the best golfing ground on the property, I found the opening few holes a little underwhelming. The slope that you navigate up and down during this section is pronounced and the architecture has a job taking away from that severity. I think the best hole in this section would probably be the 3rd, a pretty short par-4 played downhill back towards the clubhouse that features a beautifully subtle green. It’s so often the case that a downhill drop shot hole can alleviate the pain of excessive elevation changes somewhat, and this is another good example. The counter balance to that is the steady rise to the 1st green, to the short par-4 4th and up to the fairway on the blind par-4 5th. 

Blind shots are often a heavily encountered feature on raised and undulating ground, and that is no different here at Mountain Ash, where there are both drives and approach shots that may have to be played partially or totally unsighted. On an initial play that may be frustrating, but as someone wiser than I once said, a blind hole is only blind once, and I learned plenty of lessons from my first experience playing here. Another key feature of the golf course is the abundance of short par-4’s, which contributes to the reduced yardage of the layout. I counted five such holes measuring under 300 yards, but it must be said that not all can be attacked with impunity, as various hazards lay in wait to collect bold & errant tee shots.

Focusing on the positives, I really loved the section of golf around the turn. The par-3 7th marks the increase in interest, with a beautifully situated raised green sharing common ground with the latterly visited 15th. It feels like the two greens could be one, but currently there is a small dividing line between them. The 10th hole is probably the best hole on the golf course and a high point in terms of strategic interest. Another short par-4 that is bordered on the left by a stone wall and that pinches like an arrowhead as you approach the green, which is situated in a nook encircled on three sides by trees. The smart play would be to lay back from the narrowing danger and attempt to negotiate the tiered green with a wedge of some sort. However, if you are feeling particularly confident, there is the exhilarating opportunity to take on the challenge and attempt to thread the needle. The 8th and 12th are probably the finest two conventional par-4’s, routed across the centre of the highest ground and testing with their length as well as their architecture. And the holes in between all provide plenty of interest and intrigue.

The 13th will be a hole many remember, not necessarily for the excellence of the golf hole itself, but more for the extensive view that is offered down the valley beyond the green. It is a rather narrow and uncomfortable affair from the tee, which is followed by a dangerous approach where it appears that your ball may end up in the valley bottom many hundreds of feet below you if you venture even an inch long of the putting surface. The stretch for home then features some intrigue, with the short par-4 16th and the drop shot tee shot at the par-5 18th probably the highlights.

A note on the conditioning of the golf course during my visit. It would be remiss of me not to mention the firmness underfoot and quality of the playing surfaces for such an early season visit, particularly the green sites, which were showing in general a good standard of growth and lack of disease. There were a couple of holes that showed signs of poorer drainage, namely the 1st and 2nd and the 6th and 10th greens. The former pairing due to their relatively low lying position and the latter two, in part due to the location of significant amounts of trees relatively close to the putting surface.

All in all, I enjoyed my experience of playing golf here despite the quirks and occasional compromise. The golf is played surrounded by beautiful views and this feels like a golf club at the heart of its community. This isn’t a forgettable experience that washes over you, but one that manages to keep you engaged and interested with the task at hand, thanks in part to the quality of the routing. I’m hopeful that things are on the up for the club both on and off the golf course, and intend I to come back to see how the club is progressing 18 months or so, to see it at a different time of year and once the new team have had time to get their feet under the table.