Forfar 36 Hole Open Preview

The Intro;

The second of my major competitions of 2010 is the Forfar 36 Hole Open on 30^th May.

This is a 36 hole strokeplay event played at Forfar Golf Club.

The Background;

I haven’t played Forfar in about 13 years, but it was always a really popular venue when I was a junior golfer. I won the under 15 years old handicap prize of their Junior Open in nineteen ninety *cough* something. With the day after this year’s tournament being a bank holiday, it means that I can travel up to Scotland on the Saturday afternoon and travel back down south on the Monday, without using any holidays from work.

The Location;

Forfar is a small market town in Angus. The nearest major city is Dundee, 15 miles south. The famous links of Carnoustie is 13 miles south east. The course itself is located to the east of the town, and is contained within a square area, in keeping with the farming area that surrounds it, and the way land and fields are split up between owners. Despite being inland, the setup makes it play like a links course, but with a lot less wind. Because it is inland though, it doesn’t get the same reputation as other courses nearby, as the Angus coast is famed for its seaside courses.

The Course;

Although housed within a square area, the course itself has quite bit of variety. Square shaped courses can easily get caught in a trap of playing one hole one way, then the next hole in the opposite direction, so you spend 18 holes going up and down and up and down. There are some small hills on the course, and there is an abundance of scots pine trees. 10 of the 13 par 4s are under 400 yards, so it is very much a course where if you can get your driver and short irons (8, 9 PW and SW) working then there is a chance to shoot low. By my reckoning, if the driving is reliable, then there are only 4 holes where an iron longer than a 7 iron will be required. The par is 69, and the SSS is 70.

Because of the relatively low profile, the course is absolutely a hidden gem, a day ticket costs £42 ($61) during the week. If I ever move back to anywhere within 60 minutes of Forfar, it is the course I will try and join. A full membership costs £420 ($608) per year, for a fantastic layout in fantastic condition.

The Competition;

The maximum field is 90 players, and 10 of them will win prizes. The prize fund is £780, with the overall winner receiving £130. 43% of the entry fees go back into the prize fund, meaning that the green fees for 36 holes cost around £11 to each entrant – it’s value for money regardless of how you play.

The winning score is generally 138, which is level par.

The Target;

I’ve never played in this event before. Going on the basis that the winning score is around 138, I would like to finish in the top 6 places, as that would represent a solid performance.

I am really looking forward to playing in this competition for a variety of reasons; I haven’t played the course in years, I generally play well on it, it is fun to play, it is always in great condition, and I have been paired with a friend of mine so it will be quite a relaxed atmosphere. Updates will appear here at about 4pm and 9pm (UK) on Sunday.