St Andrews Bay offers a whole new ball game

CLUBHOUSES at the home of golf these days must resound with debating topics such as: St Andrews Bay - masterpiece or misfit? Or what is the plural of atrium - atriums or atria?

The Old Course and St Andrews Bay Hotels both have one (an atrium) and at the latter it forms the magnificent centrepiece, creating a light and airy atmosphere for diners in The Squire restaurant.

Yes, things have moved on since Scottish crofters used to gather round peat fires in windowless cottages. But the lovers of St Andrews tradition might find that developments at the Bay are anathema to their way of thinking.

There was considerable opposition to the construction of the five-star hotel and two cliff-top golf courses, the Devlin and the Torrance.

It really is a different world. It calls itself a golf resort and spa and is part of an American group called Chateau Elan Hotels and Resorts.

It's the sort of place where if you have to ask the price you probably can't afford it. You will almost certainly find the hotel utterly magnificent, but be prepared to consider whether some of what's on offer in the health spa is absurdly pretentious.

There is a buggy track all the way round the highly-rated Devlin course, so there's no place here for those great characters who have been caddying down at the Old Course for donkey's years.

Nor can I see them booking into the spa for Japanese silk eye zone therapy at £45 or a milk and honey wrap at £60.

Although much of the land occupied by the two courses was cabbage fields, the lovely cliff-top setting was part of the reason for local opposition to the creation of this resort.

Also, St Andrews already had five golf courses, not counting the other new creation three miles further down the road at Kingsbarns.

Now it's up and running, St Andrews Bay simply has to be seen, whether for pampering purposes or so you can join the debate about its place in the great golfing pantheon.

There's a line in the promotional bumph which says: "Be prepared to change your point of view," and you never know, you might find it a life-changing experience.

The same could be said of The Roxburghe, which also sounds a little pretentious. We have them all over England now - The Oxfordshire, The Berkshire, The Wynyard, so why shouldn't the Scots follow suit?

In fact, I can forgive The Roxburghe anything because it is such a wonderful golf course.

It opened in 1997 and quickly became established among the top 100 courses in the UK. It is also ranked the fifth best inland course in Scotland.

Set in the Duke of Roxburghe's rolling estate three miles south west of Kelso, it provides both a delightful - if rather strenuous - walk and a marvellous golfing challenge.

Every hole is memorable, with two of the four par threes featuring good carries over water with a bale-out route to one side, while the River Teviot hugs the left side of the signature hole, the par-five 14th.

It is played from an elevated tee to a straight fairway with the river to the left, a steep grassy bank to the right, and a magnificent viaduct forming an intriguing backdrop behind the green.

This hole is the climax of a superb five-hole stretch in which every green is an appealing target.

It starts at the stroke one tenth, a 469-yard downhill par four which dog-legs to the right with the river behind the green.

The 11th is one of those holes which simply demands to be mastered and will keep you going back until you succeed.

An uphill par five, it arcs gently left round a pine forest and if you approach from the left you will have to carry a big bunker in front of the raised green. The one consolation is that you will never have played out of better bunkers than these.

The 12th, at 385 yards, offers a blind tee-shot where position in the elbow of the right turn is more important than distance to offer a shot over a hollow into the well-protected green. The 13th is one of those par threes over water, then comes a short walk through trees before the jaw-dropping vista of the viaduct hole is suddenly unveiled.

Cardrona is an even more recent addition to the area's golfing delights, and while not quite as good a course as The Roxburghe, it is beautifully situated in a gorgeous stretch of the Tweed valley.

There is a steepish climb after a blind approach shot into the quirkily-placed second green, otherwise the course is in the valley bottom and the highlight is a three-hole section on the far side of the river, reached via an attractive footbridge.

This culminates in the par four seventh, where a straight 200-yard drive is needed to get through a gap in the trees and avoid a ditch before turning sharp right with a mid-iron to a well-bunkered green.

The Cardrona Hotel Golf and Country Club is part of the Macdonald chain.

It has all the facilities expected of a large, modern hotel and is an excellent base for golf in the Borders.

It is only three miles from Peebles, where the well-established course tests your legs as much as your golf as it climbs to offer outstanding views of the town and the Tweed valley.

All 21 courses in the Borders can now be played with a Freedom of the Fairways pass, which offers tremendous value (see Factfile for details).

Factfile

Freedom of the Fairways pass: Covers all 21 courses in the Borders, with a small supplement at The Roxburghe and Cardrona. 3-day passport £65, 5-day passport £90, with two rounds a day allowed. Concessions for over 55s. Tel: 0870 608 0404

The Roxburghe: Green fees: £30 until March 31, £40 in April, £60 May-Sept (day ticket £80). Buggies for hire at £25. Packages available for groups of ten or more. For hotel residents golf is free until March 31, except at weekends (£25).Tel: 01573 450331. www.roxburghe.net.

Cardrona: £50 a round, £80 a day (£70 and £100 at weekends). Tel: 01896 833660. www.cardrona-hotel.com.

Peebles: £32 a round, £45 a day (£39 and £53 at weekends). Tel: 01721 720197. www.peeblesgolfclub.co.uk.

St Andrews Bay: Green fees - Torrance course from £65, Devlin course from £80. Multitudes of packages available. Tel: 01334 837000. www.standrewsbay.com.