[Photo: the enchanting par 3 6th]Killin Park starts with an impressive entrance but quickly drops the level with a very basic clubhouse – the locker rooms are portakabins and a bit grotty at that.
But once you head down to the 1st you realise that this course is rich in big trees and drama. A stunning copper beech sweeps the ground beside the 6th green and the wood alongside the 12th is deep and dark.
Like any self-styled course, there are great idiosyncrasies, ranging from double dipping holes, a 185 yard par 4 and a walk up to one hole that will test the sturdiest of trolleys. The back of the 18th
is a links-like panorama of bunkers (see pic).The quality is not good enough, but the potential here is huge (the same goes for Ballymascanlon). A bit more space and - obviously – a bit more money could make this par 69 a serious must-visit course.
I was back in the camper at the end of the round and a group of kids that I had passed earlier rolled in from the 18th. One of them stopped at the boot of a big people carrier and looked around for his mum, who was up by the clubhouse drinking coffee with a friend. It was 40 yards away and the kid starts yelling: ‘Mum, mum, mum,’ loud enough for people on the course to hear. And so the mother
comes running and dutifully opens the boot so his majesty can put his clubs in the car. He’s a kid, 13 years old and he can’t walk 40 yards to get the keys from his mother! No no, mother has to come to him. Tsk, kids these days.[Photo: the superb 12th]
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