Murrayshall
Jeremy Ellwood returns to the boutique hotel and country estate near Perth to check out the most recent improvements
The golf Murrayshall: par 72, 5,979 yards Lynedoch: par 70, 5,732 yards
The main Murrayshall course plays around and below the hotel, with real variety among the holes and things rising to a crescendo on the views front on the back nine. The contrasting par 3s at 4 and 16 comprise first a delightful little hole over water, then a much sterner near-200-yarder along a ridge. The finish is testing, with the downhill par-5 17th asking you to thread the needle between trees before another challenging par 3 in front of the hotel.
The ten-hole Lynedoch course plays further up the slope above the hotel and serves up several strong holes and some commanding views. This summer will see a reconfiguration of the Murrayshall course, with the 9th becoming the 1st as a new driving range and academy opens.
Also play… Blairgowrie, with its famous Rosemount course and 27 other holes, is just 25 minutes due north of Murrayshall.
Off-course
Eolas, Murrayshall’s rechristened main restaurant, offers excellent views out over the Perthshire countryside and the best of Scottish cooking, using local, seasonal produce. You can take pre-dinner drinks in the Barossa Bar (in front of a roaring log fire in winter), while Cairns in the golf clubhouse, with its lovely outdoor courtyard, offers something a little more informal. The hotel forms the perfect base for various pursuits on or around the Tay, with the team able to advise on, or organise, walking, salmon fishing, paddleboarding and more.
Having already invested heavily in recent years, including an excellent upgrade of all rooms and suites, ambitious future plans target, among other things, a high-end spa and leisure facility, premium glamping units and lodges and a significant increase in room capacity.
Murrayshall Country House Hotel and Golf Club Scone, Perth, Scotland, PH2 7PH
T: 01738 551171
E: info@murrayshall.co.uk
W: murrayshall.co.uk
Best deal
If you stay on a Sunday or Monday night between May 1 and August 31 this year, you can enjoy two rounds of golf and breakfast from just £125 per person based on two sharing. Price is based on a superior or deluxe room. Other higher room categories will incur a supplement.