One of Scotland’s most popular nine-hole golf courses – Mains of Taymouth – is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, a landmark that coincides with the Menzies family owning Mains of Taymouth Country Estate for 100 years.

The course, at Kenmore in Highland Perthshire, was completed over a two-year period when farmland was transformed into the challenging 3.026-yard course. It was designed and built by estate owner Robin Menzies, assisted by his late father Duncan, in 1991/92.

Robin, a civil engineering graduate, had a huge passion golf, and wanted to build his own nine-hole course on farmland that had been home to grazing cattle for 100 years.

“This is shaping up to be a very significant year for us here at Mains of Taymouth Country Estate, with the Mains of Taymouth Course turning 30 years old alongside the landmark milestone of a century of ownership of the entire estate being reached by our family.

“We’ve always been really proud of the course which has become a major asset to our five-star holiday estate. It’s well used by locals too, though, which was one of our aims in originally building it – we wanted to supplement the many fine courses in the area and have our own course for all golfers to enjoy.”

Robin praised his father – also a keen golfer – for having the foresight back then to diversify into leisure. “He wanted to attract more visitors to Kenmore,” he said, “and was very much the driving force behind achieving the planning permission for change of use of the land.”

And he explained that the plan was always to design each hole of the course around natural features and contours. But Robin revealed that as the build progressed, he realised the enormous potential of the land, and “made everything bigger and better than originally anticipated to produce something of real quality”.

“My own favourite hole is the second, the tee for which is built within a ‘roundel’, said added. “Certainly, we could not have asked for a better setting for the course.

“In many ways the land was already natural golfing terrain with steep hills either side and plenty of trees and natural vegetation, all set in the most picturesque surroundings. It was certainly inspiring and so peaceful.

“Mains of Taymouth Golf Course is very much part of Highland Perthshire’s overall golfing offer, and for that we are all very proud. The course has matured beautifully and still offers us yet more potential for further development.”
www.taymouth.co.uk