Swanston New Golf Club
111 Swanston Road,
Edinburgh, Scotland EH10 7DS
Tel: +44 (0) 131 445 2239 Fax: +44 (0) 131 445 5720
Email: golf@swanston.co.uk Web: www.swanstongolf.co.uk
This short but demanding course is set in the Pentland Hills next to the thatched Swanston village with Robert Louis Stevenson's house bordering with first fairway. The course is kept in immaculate condition and offers fantastic views over the city of Edinburgh, the Firth and Fortin and the surrounding area.
Directions
South side of Edinburgh, along the city by pass to Lothianburn junction (ski slopes) head to city, left at first traffic lights.
| Course Name: Swanston New Golf Club Holes: 18 Yardage: 5544 SSS: 68 |
| Short but very demanding , small well kept plateau greens. Some very memorable holes. For an appreciation and independent view of this course please see golfer reviews. 
press here for Swanston Golf Club course reviews |
keith younh wrote on: Jul 12, 2010
One of the true golfing challenges......but also a joy to play! Not many courses throw up different and demanding holes like this one! 8 out of 10. I was a junior here in the early 90s and the improvement is VAST!!! Really looking forward to coming back and making more bogeys! HAHA
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Malcolm Campbell wrote on: Mar 16, 2006
i think the original review given by Neil Gunn was a bit extreme. the fact that he played in febuary means the clubhouse was on winter hours and indeed access was limited due to the opening times. the views indeed are spectacular giving expansive views over Edinburgh an beyond.
i have been a member of the club for ten years now and i still find the course a good challenge, and each day the course plays differently depending on the weather. The club is in the processes of undergoing a revamp. the old and shabby clubhouse will be replaced with a modern facility to accomodate members, visitors and local residents. six new holes are being built to replace the steeper holes at the top of the course. in addition to this an academy 9 hole course is being constructed to allow juniors and beginners to get used to the game and build confidence before going on the main course. a small driving range and other short game facilities are also being built.
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wrote on: Nov 18, 2003
i think Neil Johnstone is rong by saying Swanston golf club is bad. I have been a member ther all my life and i am treaed with the up most respect by all of the staaf that work there. They staff are all extremely friendly and they would not deny access to anyone who had just played the coures
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Neil Gunn wrote on: Jan 31, 2002
13/02/02 (last played September 2001) Green Fees £10, visitors welcome (even singles). Pro-shop and clubhouse both basic but adequate - bar, changing room and food at certain times I believe. Collared shirts required Starter was very friendly with me and interested in where else I'd been playing. The Course: Any non-golfing partners should accompany you, as the views across Edinburgh are splendid. All 18 holes are challenging, mostly running across the slope rather than up/down the hill, with a good mixture of broad and tight fairways. The front 9 is fairly innocuous to anyone with a modicum of shot control, although strong winds, which are quite common in this exposed location, can make Par 4s into short Par 5's. The inward 9 involves greater altitude and includes 3 Par 3's (13th, 14th & 15th) in succession across the highest part of the course. Any thought of pulling back shots should be tempered by the lack of fairway and very tight greens - in a medium breeze these 3 reduced my round to tatters. The 15th in particular involves a long iron from a very high tee, across a shallow tree-filled valley to an open windswept green - a frightening prospect for any high to medium handicapper. Other particularly noteworthy holes include; the 8th, (Par 3) from elevated tee across gorse and stream filled valley to sunken green surrounded by steep slopes - a very thin piece of fairway ribboning between gorse covered hills doesn't give much better chances than going for the green; the 10th - very long Par 3, across the Burn again but wide fairway and large green - just takes a wood to reach it! And the already mentioned 13th to 15th. Greens are in excellent condition and very true and good short-iron control is needed to really shoot low scores. The fact the SSS is 65 should not put you off this genuinely challenging Golf Course.
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Neil Johnstone wrote on: Jun 30, 2001
Swanston is a very cramp golf course where it would be a lot better if there was only 9 or 12 holes. The worst hole is the twelfth that is basically hitting a ball up a very very steep hill. The other review said they were a nice club but when some of my mates and I had came back from playing on a rainy day they denied us access because we were not members. I do not recommend this course.
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Gordon Malcolm. Stirling-Whyte wrote on: Oct 31, 1998
Swanston G.C is a very testing course set on the North facing slopes of the Pentland hills. There are some tough climbs when playing this course and your stance will rarely be level. The main hazards here are gorse bushes, not trees particularly on the 8th hole which, is a 216yrd par 3 played from an elevated tee over a sea of gorse bushes, with more down the right hand side. There are six par threes and no par fives, but don't let that give you the impression that this is an easy course. Another memorable hole is the seventh which is 435yrds slightly uphill and with slight dog-leg to the left, and is nearly always playing in to a stiff breeze.
The clubhouse is small in comparison to most golf clubs but you are guaranteed a warm, friendly atmosphere and some good food once inside. All in all, this is a very good day's golf for all levels of play.
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