Cawder GC
A 6297-yard course that is regarded as one of the toughest inland challenges in the west of Scotland
Although Glasgow golfers are not spoilt for choice to quite the same degree as their Edinburgh cousins, they do have a fine array of courses at their disposal. Cawder, just north of the city, is one of the best.
Formed in 1933 when the Stirling family of Keir and Cawder were convinced by dedicated early golfers to lease out their magnificent estate and its 17th-century mansion house for the purposes of setting up a golf club.
The ubiquitous James Braid was hired to design the layout and a year later the course opened for play. The club soon became very popular and demand was such that a second course, the Kier, was built in 1937, with Braid again the architect.
Over the years the Cawder has undergone several reconstructions, due to some land being reclaimed for mineral workings then later given back and remodelled. The end result is a 6297-yard course that is regarded as one of the toughest inland challenges in the west of Scotland.
It has been the scene of many professional and top amateur events, and hosted the Scottish Youth Championships in 1997. More recently, the LPGA Scottish Open has been held here on three occasions.
Although it's the junior course, the Keir is also much respected. At 5891 yards, it is shorter than the Cawder but can be more demanding on your short game because of its small, tricky greens.
Best Hole: 14th Cawder course 450 yards par 4. Drive needs to be hit over trees before a second over water with, normally, a long iron. What's more the green is on two tiers. Start dancing if you make four.
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Address: Cadder Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow
Tel: 0141 772 7102
Green fees: £30 a round, £40 for the day
Restrictions: No play at weekends. Weekdays - not before 9.30am or between 1-2pm on the Keir course
Mike has been a journalist all his working life, starting out as a football writer with Goal magazine in the 1990s before moving into men’s and women’s lifestyle magazines including Men's Health, In 2003 he joined Golf Monthly and in 2006 he became only the eighth editor in Golf Monthly’s 100-plus year history leading the brand until July 2023. He is now Content Director overseeing Golf Monthly and two other iconic sports brands, FourFourTwo and Rugby World.
His three main passions in golf are courses (he's played over 500 courses worldwide), equipment (he's always in search of something shinny to give him an edge) and shoes (he owns more pairs than he cares to mention!).
Mike’s handicap index hovers at around 10 and he is a member of four golf clubs: Hartley Wintney, Royal Liverpool, Royal North Devon and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
Mike's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ 9° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S
Fairway woods: TaylorMade Sim Max 3/15° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S & TaylorMade Stealth 7/20° - Fujikura Ventus Red 6S
Utility Iron: TaylorMade Stealth UDI 3/21° - Aldila Ascent 90HY
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (5-PW) - Nippon Tour NSPro 950S
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 50°, 54° and 58° - KBS Tour Hi-Rev s2.0 hafts
Putter: Evnroll ER2B (Gravity Grip)
Ball: TaylorMade Tour Response (Yellow)
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