Buckpool

“Lucky is Buckie” that two splendid golf courses lie next to its boundaries. Buckpool, on the western side, sits up on a headland above the Moray Firth but is as close to links as you could get given that the beach is a hundred yards away and sixty feet below you. There are few locals who would admit to any “easy” pickings among the eighteen and, bearing in mind that two of the par threes are two hundred yards-plus, the challenge to play to handicap is considerable. There is consolation, however, with the two par fives lying west-to-east (or virtually so) and in normal weather conditions those will be wind-assisted. Given the pace of the links come high summer, the longer hitters will therefore be thinking birdie rather than par, but take nothing for granted. This is a firstclass seaside test of ability.