Having beaten Edoardo Molinari, amongst others, to the title in the 2009 edition of the Scottish Hydro Challenge presented by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, Jamie McLeary is not only a man who knows the Spey Valley course inside out, he is also one who has mastered it.
Here, he talks us through the ins and outs, the birdie chances and disaster zones…
Hole 1, par 4, 363 yards
“It depends on the wind here. If it’s howling downwind it’s just a driver and you’ll get short right of the green whereas if it’s into the wind or if it’s calm it’s maybe an iron to the top of the hill but you need to get it far enough so you can see the green. From there it/s a pretty easy wedge. It’s a hole where you want to get a good start with a birdie.”
Hole 2, par 4, 377 yards
“This is very similar to the first in that, if it’s downwind it’s driver because you can almost get to the green or go into one of the front bunkers if you hit a really big one. I played a couple of weeks ago and if the wind is coming the other way you can drive a three wood down the left short of the bunkers and you just go from there. It’s another hole you’d like to birdie but if you par all four days it’s not a big disaster.”
Hole 3, par 4, 468 yards
“Depending on the wind again, it can either be really long or really short because the fairways are quite firm. If you get over the bunker you can get a wedge in there. But on the other hand you can be into the wind a little bit and you could be hitting a really long iron or a hybrid so it’s a difficult hole. It’s a long green and, while the hole is under 500 yards, it can play over it if the pin is at the back so if you get a three or four you’re delighted.”
Hole 4, par 3, 210 yards
“This is a difficult par three but if you hit it to the middle of the green you’re alright. Depending on the wind it will be anything from a seven iron to a three iron. It’s just one of those holes where if you get out with a par you’re doing alright.”
Hole 5, par 5, 635 yards
“If you get it downwind here you can still get there in two even though I think it’s the longest hole in Britain. If it’s howling downwind you can get down to the hill on the fairway and then you have no more than a six or seven iron. On the other side of the coin, it can be flat calm and you won’t get there. It’s one of those holes where you really want to get anywhere near the green because it’s quite an easy pitch then. You’re hoping for a birdie if it’s downwind and it usually is.”
Hole 6, par 3, 205 yards
“There’s a ridge that runs down the middle of the green and there’s a bunker short. You just want to hit it somewhere over the bunker and leave yourself an uphill putt, but if you get on the wrong side of the ridge it’s quite a difficult putt, it swings a hell of a lot so you want to be the right side of that and you have a birdie chance because it’s only a six or seven iron in.”
Hole 7, par 4, 432 yards
“Another hole that really depends on the wind because you can lay-up left if it’s into the wind or if it’s coming off the left. If you miss the fairway either side you’re in the weather that can be more than knee-high. If you get it calm or downwind or off the right, it’s driver and you’ll be 70 yards short. The green is really slopey, you need to be middle-ish depending on the pin. It can be one of the hardest holes and it can be one of the easiest depending on the wind so it’s a weird one.”
Hole 8, par 4, 396 yards
“This is one of my favourite holes. You can just hit a three wood or hybrid into the corner and dodge the trees in the middle of the fairway, then you’re hitting an easy shot into the green and it slopes front left to back right. It’s quite a good birdie chance.”
Hole 9, par 4, 330 yards
“This is not my cup of tea because if you miss it at all you’re pitching out of the heather. I just tend to hit four iron down and then it’s no more than a sand wedge into the green. It’s a good birdie chance and it’s all about getting the distance on your second shot. There’s a couple of humps in the green but get you’re distance right and you shouldn’t have more than a 15 foot putt.”
Hole 10, par 3, 196 yards
“This normally plays downwind off the right and sometimes you have to land it short of that green because it’s quite firm, especially underneath the tree on the right which you have to dodge. It’s another hole where you’re not too disappointed with a par, it can range from anywhere between a seven iron and a two iron depending on how firm it is and where you want to pitch it.”
Hole 11, par 4, 456 yards
“This is quite a difficult hole depending where the wind is. The last couple of years it’s been downwind but the last time I played here it was into the wind. You have to be quite aggressive off the tee and take it down past the bunker, although some people like to lay-up short of the bunker 250 yards off the tee and leave themselves with quite a long second shot. I don’t like that, I’d rather hit seven iron out of the semi-rough on the left and have a higher shot towards a pin which is above you. The heather both sides of the green is not inviting so you want it to stop.”
Hole 12, par 4, 486 yards
“This is comfortably one of the hardest holes we play all year, especially if it’s into the wind. If you hit the fairway here from the tee you’re absolutely dancing. I just play it like a par five and if I get it anywhere on the fairway I'm absolutely delighted and then you can go into the green with a three or four iron or a hybrid depending on the wind - I've even hit three wood in there before. That’s why I treat it like a par five, it’s such a hard hole that you know when you start the week the average is going to be 4.6 or more. If you miss the tee shot you’re basically chipping out of heather. I consider a four here like a birdie and if you get a bogey five, it’s not too bad! The green is like a hog’s back, you can roll off the side no bother.”
Hole 13, par 5, 542 yards
“This is a funny hole and plays really easy if the wind is helping, sometimes you get it down off the right or straight off the right which makes it easier because you can go with a driver then and it swings around the corner. One time I had it coming off the left and it was a horrible tee shot because you want to hit it left and over the bunker but you know that the wind is going to take it. You almost want a little draw but you don’t want to overdo it because there’s heather down the left. Once you get over the bunker though you’re going in with no more than a three iron or hybrid and the green’s quite flat so you can chase it up as well. If you do get it in an awkward place and you want to lay up there’s a little bunch of trees about 40 yards short of the green on the fairway and you can actually end up with no shot. It’s a bit penal but you’ll be going for the green in two there more often than not anyways. It’s probably the best birdie chance on the course.”
Hole 14, par 4, 420 yards
“You’re just hitting the fairway here and once you get it there it’s quite easy. You just don’t want to balloon it up in the air and hit it short and right. Normally this hole plays downwind off the right and you can get it up there within 40 yards of the green from the tee but you’ll have nothing more than a wedge so it’s quite an easy approach and then you’re taking your chances for a birdie.”
Hole 15, par 4, 422 yards
“A lot of the guys here just hit driver in towards the rough on the left but I don’t particularly like that because there’s a bit of heather in there and it’s quite easy to get a bad lie. I just play down towards the pond, the way the hole is supposed to be played, and that leaves a seven iron in to a reasonably flat and big green. There’s not much trouble around about the green, if you hit close enough it’s a nice easy birdie and if you don’t it’s a two putt for par. It’s not one of the hardest holes on the course by any stretch.”
Hole 16, par 3, 229 yards
“This is a tough hole if they use the back tee. Off the back tee, because the greens are quite firm, it’s quite difficult to stop it if the pin is at the front and they do tend to put it up there. It’s one of those holes where you just hit it to the middle of the green, make three and get off. If you do happen to miss it, it’s not overly difficult unless you get a bad lie in the bunker but you’re just looking to make three.”
Hole 17, par 5, 523 yards
“For people who drive it straight, this isn’t a tough hole but depending on the wind, the bunkers are a danger and you’re struggling to get over them. So it’s a decision on whether to take driver and pitch it round about the bunkers and go into the green with a hybrid or three wood, or lay up short and just play the three shots in. The bunkers short of the green have lots of sand in them normally and it’s quite a difficult up and down from there so I just hit driver and try give it a good lash. As soon as you fly over the bunkers it’s on a downslope and shoots on so with the wind it can be an eight iron.”
Hole 18, par 4, 418 yards
“This is a funny hole because visually it looks quite difficult but there’s a lot of room to the left. The Spey runs down that side of the course and it looks like the out of bounds cuts in a lot but because you can’t see, you can be a but funny about it. You just hit up the right hand side and it kicks in. It’s important just to get a nice flight off the tee and get up there as far as possible. If the pin’s on the right it’s quite an easy approach but if it’s at the front left it’s quite firm and you’re just trying to make par really.”
