The summer sun caresses the links landscape at Montrose Bay. Rather confusingly we discover that there are three clubhouses.Naturally we choose Royal Montrose as our base camp. The `Royal´ title was granted in 1986 when the Royal Albert Golf Club was amalgamated with the Victoria Golf Club – regal distinction. The weather is perfectly calm, which the members playing ahead of us call cheating – playing with no wind. LINKS75 tee off ahead of a Nordic 4-ball on holiday. The opening nine holes run along a broad ridge with the sea as a constant neighbour and already on the 1st tee we hear the sound of the North Sea. Hard, sun-yellowed fairways cause great delight before we have even struck the first shot. The 1st – a par 4 – takes us up the ridge – and so it begins. Already on the 2nd we sense joy come creeping, down one edge lies the sea, waiting in the morning mist. The 3rd – a par 3 – is wonderful, just what we have been longing for – sand dune green with welcoming ravine in front – delight. The 4th – is a real eye-opener and makes us think of Dilloth on the Solway. An angled, parallel fairway with upside-down VW-beetle contours as links landscape’s own hazards. We make birdie out of pure pleasure. The 5th is a short par 4 uphill, and on the tee Håkan interprets Hogan as we wait for the preceding 4-ball and eventually land our white gold on the green and a safe eagle – touché. LINKS75 takes a firm grip on the course.
7th hole, Montrose
Again on the 7th we make birdie – Do you give up? With adrenaline running at the tee on the 8th – a par 4 – we wait for our friends in front, take a firm grip of our driver to try again to make the green 299 yards away, but three-quarters of a second later see our white gold quickly disappear into the devouring gorse. The course strikes back. No surrender. The 9th is a hard struggle before the last nine which stretch out down from the ridge. Suddenly all the par 4s play longer, the gorse comes closer and the bunkers deeper. LINKS75 fights tooth and claw to hold its grip on the course. The 11th bites back but we force the course against the ropes on the 12th – a par 3 – which has a wonderful bunker combination and the 13th that we almost reach from the tee, where we finally make our way past our feverishly ball -seeking friends in front. Suddenly we realise that the course has gone into a higher gear. The 14th – a 401-yard par 4 – has expectant, hungry bunkers and an elevated green with the pin located far to the rear. The course once again brings us to our knees. On the 15th – a 522-yard par 5 – we drive once again with courage and hit back at the course. On the 16th – par 3, 226 yards – our thoughts fly away to Merion and the US Open.
16th and third green, Montrose
LINKS75 caresses its stroke and the course is once again on the ropes. The 17th – a par 4 – finishes on an elevated green with gorse as a bodyguard. We are forced to putt like Luke Donald and can march, with the course down for the count, towards the waiting royal clubhouse.
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