Nine Holes - Ullapool
In pursuit of the perfect 9 hole track, we ventured north to the likes of Ullapool. A little over a 4 hour journey by car from our home base of St. Andrews, the scenic drive on the A9 snakes around the Cairngorms, through Inverness and up into NC500 territory. Known for its dramatic scenery, Ullapool is positioned along the shore of Lochbroom and offers views of the Outer Hebrides, which can be seen on a clear day. Ullapool is a small fishing village at its core and it is demonstrated in the simple offerings in the village centre: a couple of guest houses, a couple small pubs, an outdoor equipment store, and the famous ‘Seafood Shack’ which is a must visit. We hit the shack before the round and fueled up with three oysters and a pan-fried scallop salad. We regretted not ordering the tempura haddock as those sat nearby raved about their choice. Nevertheless, we pulled up our long socks and drove a mere 5 minutes up the road to Ullapool Golf Club.
As our arrival was late in the afternoon, the clubhouse had already closed for the day. Luckily, Ullapool primary operates by the honor box. I logged our names on the guest sheet, slipped a few notes in the metal box, pulled up my long socks, and headed to the first tee.
The first hole exhibits some of the track’s core features, being raised tee boxes, raised greens, and a short but tricky spirit. The dogleg left leads us away from the clubhouse and towards the water. Once the entry hole is completed, we walk through a short wooded path and the course quickly changes its tone. Unveiled to us is a downhill par three, hitting over a cliffs edge down towards a green at sea level. Thus begins the ‘signature stretch as we’ll call it. Seemingly short at just over 140 yards on the day, an unassuming breeze and elevation calculation becomes quite difficult, with both of us missing the green.
Moving along to the third, we’re met with a daunting tee shot: rocky beach to our left and a hillside of gorse along the right. In between the trouble lies a narrow fairway, 30 yards across at it’s widest point, and the 335 hole suddenly felt quite challenging. In predictable fashion, we found the trouble on both sides. My father had better luck than myself as his ball came to rest on a bed of seaweed and was able to play up from the beach. I, on the other hand, found the gorse on the nightside and was easily out of the hole. The green complex nestled nicely in-between the water and hillside and provided a sense of tranquility being sheltered from the wind. Climb the hill and we’ve arrived at hole four, another downhill par three with sweeping views of the loch to the north. This green is particularly interesting, with a central ridge running horizontal as the putting surface falls off on both sides, front and back.
Hole five offers true risk and reward, playing around 265 uphill in the other direction. Bunkers surround the small green, and I fell victim to the front left trap off of my tee shot. Unable to get up and down, I walked away mildly unsatisfied with a par.
The remaining holes snake back and forth as we make our way back to the clubhouse, and the surrounding scenery does not get old. What Ullapool lacks in length, it more than makes up in the dramatic Scottish countryside, views of the North Atlantic and the Outer Hebrides. In my eyes, the charm of 9 hole golf never gets old, and Ullapool exemplifies this. A perfect duration of golf and easy difficulty, Ullapool is as enjoyable as golf can be.
