Scottish golf is not all about links golf and the two magnificent heathland golf courses at Blairgowrie Golf Club bear testament to this adage. Lying north of the town of Perth, Blairgowrie offers two championship layouts in the Rosemount Course and the Lansdowne Course and also offers the interesting nine-hole, Wee Course, which is the original course designed by Old Tom Morris. But no matter which course you play at Blairgowrie, you will play over beautiful heathland fairways, lined by forests of pine and silver birch, while a liberal sprinkling of purple heather, broom and gorse add considerable colour to an already majestic setting.

Blairgowrie Golf Club was formed on February 26th 1889 and the grand old man of Scottish golf course design, Old Tom Morris, designed the original course. That original layout is now the Wee Course at Blairgowrie. The older and more celebrated of the two championship courses here is the Rosemount Course, which was designed by James Braid, while the Rosemount Course, a 1970's addition, is the work of Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas. And while the Rosemount Course is accepted to be the superior of the two courses, it really is a matter of personal opinion.

The Rosemount Course measures almost 6,600 yards and offers a par 72 layout from the back medal tees. Starting with a tough par four of almost 450 yards, there are many fine holes throughout the Rosemount Course layout, including the par four, 4th hole, rated as the hardest on the course and the wonderful 165-yard par three, 17th hole, with its tiered green. Standing out due to its inherent quality, the Rosemount Course is also notable in that it was the scene of a world record ten consecutive birdies by Lionel Platts in 1973, achieved from the 8th to the 17th, while it was also the scene of Greg Norman's first victory on the European Tour in 1977.

The Lansdowne Course at Blairgowrie came into being during the 1970's and was created under the guidance of Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas. Measuring just over 6,900 yards from the championship tees and also with a par of 72, the Lansdowne layout is slightly longer than its more illustrious older brother and many would say that it represents a sterner test. Bearing testament to its quality, the Scottish Golfing Union has played the Mid Amateur Championship here a number of times. The Wee Course, by the way, is an enjoyable par-32 layout measuring 2,352 yards.

Text provided by Online Golf Travel Tailored Golf Vacation throughout Scotland and Ireland