Destination Golf - June 2018 * | Page 35

Montrose GC J.M. Barry, the author who was born here in 1860. On the outskirts stands a statue of Bon Scott, the original frontman for the biggest rock band in the world, AC/DC. It is the latter who draws the biggest crowds today, with many no doubt perplexed to see the lead singer carrying bagpipes. The instrument embraces his family’s background in music and also the AC/DC track ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)’, in which the bagpipes were played. Other famous names are associated with this small town… including the family of the three Davidson boys, who co-founded Harley Davidson. And now the Gin Bothy is enhancing Kirriemuir’s and Scotland’s reputation for innovation. Scotland’s reputation for golf, on the other hand, is second to none. Carnoustie Country boasts 34 golf courses and while Carnoustie itself, not to mention the 147th Open Championship, takes centre stage in 2018, there is far more to the ‘Country’. Carnoustie boasts three courses for starters and within only a few miles you will find the highly regarded links of Panmure and Monifieth. But there are plenty more to make this a region of rich golf experiences. We started our trip to the south, an hour north of Edinburgh, in the quiet glamour of Murrayshall Hotel. Two courses wrap around the 365 acre estate of wood and heathland, with the house being the centrepiece. It dates back to 1664, and that feeling of age drifts calmly through the corridors… although now it boasts modern flourishes and upgrades that put comfort at the heart of things. Volume 4 • Issue 44 35