CRAIGMILLAR PARK GOLF CLUB, Proposed enhancements
In this brief I will analyse the characteristics of the Craigmillar Golf Club, enlightening the strengths and the weaknesses, I will then propose some enhancements that could make the difference and bring to the club more members and convince the actual ones to renew the membership.
The Website
In the modern days, the website is the first contact from where the occasional visitor have the first feeling of the Club, it should be easy to navigate and must contain all the information.
The CPGC web site is not elaborated or attractive, but it is easy to explore and contain almost all information that the first visitor needs; I would however suggest some improvements that could make it better and more complete.
The pro-shop banner on the left of the homepage makes too much contrast with the other part of the window, I would suggest to make it as a separate small one that opens together to the website homepage, so that the web surfer may decide to have a look at that or easily close it.
The main characteristic of the site that should be underlined with the aim of generating interest are the view on the town, the Arthur’s Seat and the North Sea coastline. I would create a Photo Section that shows how memorable would be a golf round at Craigmillar. At the moment, the pictures of the course on the website are very small and do not do justice to the beauty of the site.
To enhance the home page, I would suggest making a slideshow with the best pictures of the site.
In the “book on line” section, the green fees are not written; communicating them, together with eventual special offers, could tempt the visitors to book a round, instead of waiting for the reply from the secretary after an enquiring email.
The Arrival to the club, parking and clubhouse
The arrival to the club is not very pleasant, the parking is very small and the 11th hole appears very close to it, but the first thing the new visitor notices is the club house, a modern-style building, that does not match with the other houses of the neighbourhood, that are made with the typical light yellow brick that characterise all Edinburgh. The dark brown panels, that cover the veranda, and the windows of the bar at the first floor make the building bold in the landscape and it does not welcome the golfer that for the first time is visiting the club.
The parking is very small and during busy days not all the members can find space for their car.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Practice areas and warm-up putting green
At the moment at the club there are two small practice areas; the first one is 150 yards from the club house, for the short game, in is stretched between the stone wall that borders the first hole and the 18th, there is a clear safety issue, because who plays the first hole can not see who is practicing there and errant drives could land in this area.
The second one is located between the third and the ninth fairways, it is 150-160 yards long and 30 yards wide, no more than 3-4 players can practice and it is placed in a dangerous position, because eventual sliced drives from the 3rd tee can land be directed there. It is located 650 yards from the club house and the players have to cross numerous holes to reach it.
Both of this areas, especially the second one do not add appeal to the club, they are in very dangerous position and eventual practice ball can be found on the course confusing players and slow down their rounds.
The practice putting green is tiny and located next to the parking, it is very near the fairway of the 11th hole, but really bad and unlucky shots can pass trough there, I do not see therefore safety issues, also because a big tree next to the tee protects this area and the parking.
First Hole
The first hole is a 352 yards par 4, it is dogleg left and it has on the left a stone wall that separate the hole to a small practice area that is blind from the tee and it is on the landing spot of eventual slightly misplaced drives; this is an out of bounds area, so the golfers are forced to play away from it, but I think that this is a safety issue that could create injuries.
At the moment at the club there are two small practice areas; the first one is 150 yards from the club house, for the short game, in is stretched between the stone wall that borders the first hole and the 18th, there is a clear safety issue, because who plays the first hole can not see who is practicing there and errant drives could land in this area.
The second one is located between the third and the ninth fairways, it is 150-160 yards long and 30 yards wide, no more than 3-4 players can practice and it is placed in a dangerous position, because eventual sliced drives from the 3rd tee can land be directed there. It is located 650 yards from the club house and the players have to cross numerous holes to reach it.
Both of this areas, especially the second one do not add appeal to the club, they are in very dangerous position and eventual practice ball can be found on the course confusing players and slow down their rounds.
The practice putting green is tiny and located next to the parking, it is very near the fairway of the 11th hole, but really bad and unlucky shots can pass trough there, I do not see therefore safety issues, also because a big tree next to the tee protects this area and the parking.
First Hole
The first hole is a 352 yards par 4, it is dogleg left and it has on the left a stone wall that separate the hole to a small practice area that is blind from the tee and it is on the landing spot of eventual slightly misplaced drives; this is an out of bounds area, so the golfers are forced to play away from it, but I think that this is a safety issue that could create injuries.
The hole crosses the fairway of the 10th, this make the walk to the second shot very dangerous, because the crossing point is on the landing spot of the drive and it is not possible to see the people that are teeing off. During my visit to the club I walked with two golfers trough the first and we waited 3-4 minutes before crossing, running and worried to be hit on our heads. This kind of adventure does not welcome in the best way who is coming to play here for the first time, members seem not to care to those kind of problems, they know that they have to cross a fairway at the first hole and they accept it. The hole is however nice and challenging, especially on the approach, because the green is small and protected by 3 bunkers.
The Course
The course is very short, 5850 yards par 70 from the back tees and does not challenge the golfer with strategy, especially from tee shots, due to the fact that just five holes have fairway bunkers.
The first nine holes have eight par 4 and one par 3, four two shot hole are below 300 yards and do not challenge that much the golfer, especially the 2nd, that is 251 yards long played downhill, without bunkers along the whole hole. The second nine are better, with more variation in the par and length of the holes.
To enhance the course I would suggest radical changes.
The courses is out of market compared with its neighbours Braid Hills, Mortonhall or Prestonfield, it is too short and does not offer any other facilities that can make the difference with the other courses..
In my opinion the best way to create very good golf club in this tiny property is designing nine holes course with all the practice facilities, such as a driving range, a short game practice area and a bunker practice area in the south-east part of the property, building the new clubhouse in this area as well. The rest of the property offers the best views and topography and would not be difficult lay out a great nine hole courses that challenges all level of golfers.
Near Craigmillar there is the Braid Hills driving range, at this facility golfers play from mats, a good idea would be let the golfers playing from grass, at least during spring and summer; it will attract many clients that come just to practice.
The Course
The course is very short, 5850 yards par 70 from the back tees and does not challenge the golfer with strategy, especially from tee shots, due to the fact that just five holes have fairway bunkers.
The first nine holes have eight par 4 and one par 3, four two shot hole are below 300 yards and do not challenge that much the golfer, especially the 2nd, that is 251 yards long played downhill, without bunkers along the whole hole. The second nine are better, with more variation in the par and length of the holes.
To enhance the course I would suggest radical changes.
The courses is out of market compared with its neighbours Braid Hills, Mortonhall or Prestonfield, it is too short and does not offer any other facilities that can make the difference with the other courses..
In my opinion the best way to create very good golf club in this tiny property is designing nine holes course with all the practice facilities, such as a driving range, a short game practice area and a bunker practice area in the south-east part of the property, building the new clubhouse in this area as well. The rest of the property offers the best views and topography and would not be difficult lay out a great nine hole courses that challenges all level of golfers.
Near Craigmillar there is the Braid Hills driving range, at this facility golfers play from mats, a good idea would be let the golfers playing from grass, at least during spring and summer; it will attract many clients that come just to practice.
Holes 4, 8 and 9
Holes 4, 8 and 9 are all of them par 4 that reflects the design of the first nines, the 4th and the 8th have a small bunker near the green and the 9th does not have bunkers at all.
Hole 4
The par 4 of the 4th is 464 yards from the back tee played downhill and with the prevailing wind coming from the back, the sides of the fairway are bordered by two lines of trees and there are not bunker that are in play from the tee shot.
Holes 4, 8 and 9 are all of them par 4 that reflects the design of the first nines, the 4th and the 8th have a small bunker near the green and the 9th does not have bunkers at all.
Hole 4
The par 4 of the 4th is 464 yards from the back tee played downhill and with the prevailing wind coming from the back, the sides of the fairway are bordered by two lines of trees and there are not bunker that are in play from the tee shot.
This area is perfect to approach the green, because the bunker protect it on the left side, the approach is quite open. The green is protected by a green on the left side, the back drop made by evergreen trees does not seem well integrated into the landscape, it is bold and it is unpleasant to the sight.
Hole 4, proposed enhancements
The tee shot now does not give many options to golfers, they try to hit in the middle of the fairway and let the ball roll on the right side of the hole. From there the bunker on the left of the fairway is almost out of play does not challenge golfers and it traps just errant shots. I would force the players to carry an hazard 230 yards from the tee on the left side of the hole, such as a bunker, and re-designing the green complex with the aim of rewarding the approach from the left side of the fairway and making it challenging for who plays on the centre right side. The green complex will be as in the drawing below, with a front-right bunker and another one on the right, those bunkers will intimidate who is playing from the right, making the approach to the green very difficult. To enhance the backdrop of the green I would suggest to cut some of the trees, leaving just 4-5 of them and therefore making the backdrop less bold as it is now, I would then integrate the trees and the green complex with some mounds.
Hole 4, proposed enhancements
The tee shot now does not give many options to golfers, they try to hit in the middle of the fairway and let the ball roll on the right side of the hole. From there the bunker on the left of the fairway is almost out of play does not challenge golfers and it traps just errant shots. I would force the players to carry an hazard 230 yards from the tee on the left side of the hole, such as a bunker, and re-designing the green complex with the aim of rewarding the approach from the left side of the fairway and making it challenging for who plays on the centre right side. The green complex will be as in the drawing below, with a front-right bunker and another one on the right, those bunkers will intimidate who is playing from the right, making the approach to the green very difficult. To enhance the backdrop of the green I would suggest to cut some of the trees, leaving just 4-5 of them and therefore making the backdrop less bold as it is now, I would then integrate the trees and the green complex with some mounds.
Hole 8
The hole number 8 is a 286 par 4, played uphill and straight into the prevailing wind. The left side of the hole is out of bounds, and the main feature of the hole is a ridge that crosses the hole 210 yard from the back tees. This feature is quite penal, because a ball that eventually stops there will give a bad lie for the approach. The position of this hazard is quite crucial, during my visit to the site, all the drives that where places in the fairway hit the ridge. Even if the lie for the approach is
bad, the shot is quite short and from there all golfers I saw scored at least a par, because of the short distance to the green(90 yards). On the right side of the fairway, slightly after the ridge it runs an ancient wall, that is covered by coniferous, this feature should, in my opinion enlighten, because could add character to the hole, without trees, the view is open to the Blackford Hill.
The hole number 8 is a 286 par 4, played uphill and straight into the prevailing wind. The left side of the hole is out of bounds, and the main feature of the hole is a ridge that crosses the hole 210 yard from the back tees. This feature is quite penal, because a ball that eventually stops there will give a bad lie for the approach. The position of this hazard is quite crucial, during my visit to the site, all the drives that where places in the fairway hit the ridge. Even if the lie for the approach is
bad, the shot is quite short and from there all golfers I saw scored at least a par, because of the short distance to the green(90 yards). On the right side of the fairway, slightly after the ridge it runs an ancient wall, that is covered by coniferous, this feature should, in my opinion enlighten, because could add character to the hole, without trees, the view is open to the Blackford Hill.
The green is protected by a grassy hollow on the left side and by a bunker on the front right side, both of this feature are not visible from the area of the approach, I think that an hazard, to intimidate a player, should be visible and if possible bold to let people think if face it or play safely.
Hole 8 Proposed enhancements
I think that how is now the tee shot is very challenging, with the out of bounds on the right, the ridge at the landing area and the stone wall on the right. The stone wall is partially hidden by some trees, I would cut them to enlighten a feature that could add character to the hole and I would open the view to the Blackford Hill. To make the hole more interesting I would modify the green complex, changes that will affect also the tee shot. At the moment the green is protected by a small bunker on the front right and a grassy hollow on the left, both of the can not be seen from the approach’s area. To challenge the golfer, I think that hazards should be visible and bold to intimidate more golfer, accentuating their effect, having blind hazards is both unfair and not intimidating at all. To give a reward to who plays near the out of bounds I would make the approach from the left side more open and easier, I would create a green complex as is shown in the drawing below, designing the green with an angle that accommodates the shot from the left and making more difficult approaches from the right, with a steep bank with mowed grass n the left-front and a bunker on the back-right.
Hole 8 Proposed enhancements
I think that how is now the tee shot is very challenging, with the out of bounds on the right, the ridge at the landing area and the stone wall on the right. The stone wall is partially hidden by some trees, I would cut them to enlighten a feature that could add character to the hole and I would open the view to the Blackford Hill. To make the hole more interesting I would modify the green complex, changes that will affect also the tee shot. At the moment the green is protected by a small bunker on the front right and a grassy hollow on the left, both of the can not be seen from the approach’s area. To challenge the golfer, I think that hazards should be visible and bold to intimidate more golfer, accentuating their effect, having blind hazards is both unfair and not intimidating at all. To give a reward to who plays near the out of bounds I would make the approach from the left side more open and easier, I would create a green complex as is shown in the drawing below, designing the green with an angle that accommodates the shot from the left and making more difficult approaches from the right, with a steep bank with mowed grass n the left-front and a bunker on the back-right.
Hole 9
The 9th is a 331 par 4 played uphill wind the wind coming from the left. The hole is, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular at the Craigmillar Park Golf Club, it climbs towards the Observatory(from it gets its name) and going towards the green the view became spectacular, to the Arthur’s Seat and then to the whole Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.
The hole is a dogleg right with out of bound on the right, where there is the practice area, there are no bunkers to protect the entire hole. A mound is placed 140 yards from the tee, it is difficult to understand why is there; it does not enhance the landscape and the game neither.
The green is an elevated position an the approach is difficult, because normally is possible to see just the tip of the pin.
The profile of the green, in my opinion does not match with the landscape, it raises on the right side of the green and does not fit with the general slope of the hill.
The 9th is a 331 par 4 played uphill wind the wind coming from the left. The hole is, in my opinion, one of the most spectacular at the Craigmillar Park Golf Club, it climbs towards the Observatory(from it gets its name) and going towards the green the view became spectacular, to the Arthur’s Seat and then to the whole Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.
The hole is a dogleg right with out of bound on the right, where there is the practice area, there are no bunkers to protect the entire hole. A mound is placed 140 yards from the tee, it is difficult to understand why is there; it does not enhance the landscape and the game neither.
The green is an elevated position an the approach is difficult, because normally is possible to see just the tip of the pin.
The profile of the green, in my opinion does not match with the landscape, it raises on the right side of the green and does not fit with the general slope of the hill.
Hole 9 proposed enhancements
The tee shot at the 9th hole in quite dramatic due to the Observatory on the background. There is already a risk and reward strategy in this hole, due to the out of bounds on the right and the dogleg on the right too; the risk of playing near the out of bounds will give a shorter second. I would remove the mound 140 yards from the tee, it appears very unnatural.
The tee shot at the 9th hole in quite dramatic due to the Observatory on the background. There is already a risk and reward strategy in this hole, due to the out of bounds on the right and the dogleg on the right too; the risk of playing near the out of bounds will give a shorter second. I would remove the mound 140 yards from the tee, it appears very unnatural.
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