Gallacher on Taymouth Castle restoration

Scotland’s leading European Tour pro on his role in course remodel

Grand designer: Taymouth Castle marks Stephen Gallacher’s first foray into the world of course design

Stephen Gallacher, Scotland’s number-one home-based golfer, is playing an important role in the restoration of Taymouth Castle’s golf course. Working closely with Weller Designs, Gallacher has helped to remodel the course to make it both enjoyable for everyday players and a challenging championship layout for professionals.

In a brief Q&A, Gallacher, the winner of the 2004 Dunhill Links Championship, explains his outlook on course design, the original Taymout layout, and what his hopes are for the finished project…

What’s been your role in the Taymouth Castle golf course restoration?

My role has been to give advice on bunkering, tee and green positions to help make this a championship course from the professional tees.

The course had become dated and the bunkers were too far away from the greens. It had also become featureless and boring, despite the naturally beautiful location, so my goal was to inject interest and excitement and make it more visually appealing.

Are you a fan of James Braid designs?

Yes, I do like Braid designs and his pot bunkers, although I’m especially keen on Alister MacKenzie bunkers. Some of Braid’s original bunkers will remain in the same position, but the new bunkers will be of a natural height and add definition to the holes.

I really like what Bruce Weller is doing with the bunkers. You are not going to be able to see the sand from the tee or fairway and there will be steep grass banks at the front of the bunkers. They’ll look daunting, but the lie within the bunker will be flat and fair. There’ll also be different types of grass on the banks and tops, so it will look rough in a natural way – typically Braid but with a modern twist.

You’ve also had a role to play in the raised green complexes, another Braid design trait?

I like to have run-off areas around the green with slopes and swales that gather up the ball. If you hit a poor shot and run off the green, you’ll be faced with a variety of shots – you can chip it, flip it or 3-wood it, but it will fairly test the skills of all standards of player.

What makes a good golf course design, in your opinion?

It has to be enjoyable and fair for all – after all, it will be amateurs playing it every day. And that’s the beauty of having three sets of tees. Taymouth Castle is going to be a very flexible course and you can make it what you want it to be day to day. It’ll be a tough test from the championship tees for professionals and low handicappers, but for the average golfer it will be very playable and enjoyable. There are no hidden agendas or blind shots – you can see everything from the tee. And there are no long carries from the tee, which I like. You can also run the ball into the greens, so you aren’t having to carry the ball over bunkers all the time.

From the back tees will it be a genuine championship course?

Even though 7,000 yards is not as long as many modern championship courses, there’s plenty enough strategy to make Taymouth Castle demanding, with a tough start and finish. One thing we’ve done is bring the magnificent trees into play. There will also be a couple of very strong par-three holes. So it will be a decent course.

What about the location and the view of the Tay Valley?

I was stunned when I first saw the castle, both from the outside and the restoration work that is underway inside. And the views from the estate are equally impressive. There’s a breathtaking view of Schiehallion, one of the most iconic Munros (a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet high), which I’m hoping to climb. My wife’s already beaten me to that one – I’ve only done six Munros to date, but I love walking. I also like mountain biking and fishing, so with the River Tay running through the estate there’s everything you could ask for. In fact, it’s a perfect place. I definitely hope to have a house here, and come and take regular holidays on the estate.

This is your first foray into golf course design. Is it something you would like to do more of?

I’m enjoying this very much and would be very keen to do it again. It’s a privilege to work on a course in such a beautiful location and alongside Bruce Weller, who is doing a fantastic job. I believe Taymouth Castle will be a very beautiful and memorable place to come and play golf.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered