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Spey Valley, Scotland |
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Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort
Aviemore
PH22 1PN
Scotland |  | Dave Thomas |  | tbc |
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 | +44 (0)1479 815321 |  | At Aviemore between A9 and the Grampian Road |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Welcome - contact in advance |  | tbc |
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Scottish golf may be blessed with an abundance of fine links courses but, apart from a handful of venues such as Loch Lomond, Gleneagles and Blairgowrie, it suffers from a distinct lack of really top class inland venues.
We can now add the Macdonald Aviemore Spey Valley moorland course, which opened in the summer of 2006, to the relatively small list of quality inland Scottish courses. Bearing the hallmark design traits of architect Dave Thomas – who also built the Macdonald Cardrona course in Peebles a few years ago – this 7,118-yard course, is set to become a premier golfing attraction, completing a Highland Championship triangle with Royal Dornoch and Nairn.
Spey Valley has an old fashioned out and back routing and water comes into play along the way on several occasions. Holes are generally very open, though heather and gorse line many fairways and strategically placed trees are cunningly located on more than one fairway dogleg. Elevated tees are used at most holes and trademark Dave Thomas bunkering threatens at just about every conceivable opportunity off the tee and around the green.
Fairways were surprisingly firm when we played the course three months into its first season and the subtle undulations of the enormous greens were obviously designed to tax even the finest of putters.
The surrounding Cairngorm scenery is nothing short of sensational, adding greatly to the visual impact on most of the holes. With nearby courses like Newtonmore and Kingussie to the south plus Boat of Garten and Grantown-on-Spey to the north, Spey Valley is located in prime Highland golfing territory and will do more than hold its own in such illustrious company, even with green fees a little pricier than those other pay-and-play tracks. You know the saying “you only get what you pay for”? Well it holds true for Spey Valley and it’s well worth paying that bit extra to sample its many golfing delights.
The course has no clubhouse as such at the moment but one is planned for construction in the near future. Make no mistake, with the amount of space here, Spey Valley could easily host major golfing events that other Highland courses have always coveted but never been able to hold.
The only downside to the course for the traditionalist is that buggies are compulsory but, if you have ever played a similar course like the Gleneagles PGA, then you will appreciate why motorised transport is required to alleviate many green to next tee hikes. Set aside your aversion to this and you are guaranteed a helluva Highland golfing experience!
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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In the section below, headed “Your Reviews”, are golf course reviews posted by visitors to the Top 100 website. There are no specific rules for reviewing a golf course except you MUST have played the golf course first. Merits of each course are left entirely to your discretion. Important factors, such as course location, condition (or presentation), course difficulty and historical importance are all left for you to judge and we have developed a simple rating system where you can allocate one score to each course. | |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |   | | Jim and others, i'm afraid I'm going to have to stick my neck out and be the first to add a less upbeat review of this course. I played with my uncle in early October, a beautiful sunny but cold day, and we had the course pretty much to ourselves. The setting of this course is outstanding - it was a joy to just be in the surroundings, let alone playing golf - snow capped peaks, lakes, wildlife, just beautiful. So on to the course itself...slightly disappointed was my feeling as we departed. The course still has a young feel - and i think also a manufactured look, not a truly natural layout. I also found many of the holes a bit quirky - too many holes which required irons for position off the tee (no bad thing some may say but not to my liking). And lastly, its a shame given the stunning scenery that a buggy is the recommended choice given the overall length of the track/distance between tees. The comparisons with Gleneagles PGA are accurate - there is not much in it for me, but i would go for the PGA over Spey Valley (even though the other 2 Gleneagles courses are far better). So in summary, if you are planning a golf trip I would recommend it for the scenery alone, but not at the expense of the other great courses a little further North.  | | 18 January 2010
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| | Spey Valley is an absolutely terrific golf course. Played it on Nov 7 in beautiful sunshine with the snow-capped Cairngorm mountains a mesmerizing backdrop. Rarely have I enhoyed a round of golf so much. After a gentle opener the next four holes follow the River Spey, although only truly wayward shots will find a watery grave. Any thoughts that the best is over are quickly dispelled at the 6th tee which offers spectacular views over the serene Loch Dallas. Holes 7-13 meander through ancient pine forest before the course opens out for a wonderful finish. Water awaits a sliced approach to the par 4 15th, while 16 is a beautiful short par 3 over a pond. It's back into the trees on 17 for a par 5 which offers a birdie chance for strong hitters, then a tough 18th with the River Spey waiting to gobble up anything left off the tee. For all the trees, however, there is room to open the shoulders on many holes and that's perhaps just as well with the course stretching over 7000 yards from the back tees. I played off the yellows at 6600 yards which made it far more manageable! The course was in excellent condition for the time of year. The greens were slow but true. The pro told me they could get extremely slick in summer which I'm sure would be a scary prospect given some of the slopes on the greens. I would love to see a clubhouse built which is worthy of the course. At the moment only mediocre facilities a 500 yard walk away from the course are available. That's not going to stop me coming back for more in the summer though. Ian Smith. | | 09 November 2009
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| | | Expectations for me were high prior to the visit and I was not disappointed - I like this course a lot. The Spey Valley area with the abundance of heather and being within the Cairngorms National Park is just a beautiful place to be, let alone play golf. A little less than stunning first hole but from then on, this is a brilliant example of a great design in fabulous surroundings. So many holes that are tree lined and have heather borders are just a joy to play. Spey Valley is one of the great new courses of GB&I in recent years – I would highly recommend a trip to also include nearby Boat of Garten. 2009 will see the completion of clubhouse (the plans look great) – some are comparing Spey to the 2014 Ryder Cup choice; the PGA Centenary at Gleneagles – I would definitely say Spey Valley has the edge. | | 21 September 2008
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| Response: | | | Derek Haswell | 24 February 2009 | | I'm glad everyone reviewing Spey Valley is enjoying it immensely. I wonder why it is it still ranked 52nd in Scotland with TOP100- weird! I was gobsmacked to see that Golf World recently didn't even include it in their top 200 in uk and Ireland. I know this is a subjective business and all that but I just can't believe Spay Valley has 200 superiors in Uk and Ireland!! |
| | Played Spey Valley again nearly two years after my first time here and fell in love with it all over again – even though the rain came down in torrents for most of the round which obliterated the wonderful views of the surrounding scenery. To balance that, purple heather was flanking many of the fairways this time, adding an additional splash of colour to proceedings. The long 5th hole (with two blind shots to play) was still a beast to play second time around and the Stroke Index Two 11th was just as tough as before too but the all round challenge was as enjoyable as it was before – this is big time golf in a beautiful Highland setting where the course really deserves a high placing in the Scottish rankings. It IS big, it IS bold and it IS unashamedly brash BUT… what a course! Jim McCann | | 27 August 2008
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| | | That Scotland can boast a wealth of great courses is beyond dispute. However, the notion that we have 51 better than Spey Valley is BEYOND BELIEF! Spey Valley is wonderful. Possibly the most helpful comparison is with The Kings at Gleneagles which is ranked 10th, 27th and 86th in Scotland, Britain and the world respectively. Spey Valley is better – not just a teensy-weensy bit better, but really quite a lot better. Admittedly, Macdonald Hotels haven’t been able to get a proper clubhouse organised yet and Spey Valley may not yet be quite as pristine as Gleneagles but it is in very good condition given play opened there only ten months ago. However, in terms of setting, the much-vaunted Kings is merely lovely whereas Spey Valley is truly majestic. I’m not poetic enough to even attempt to describe this visual treat – but take your camera! Turning to the “biggy” – the course – The Kings is really enjoyable but Spey Valley oozes quality from beginning to end. There is not an average hole at Spey Valley let alone a bad one and it is impossible to single out one or two outstanding holes or even a “run of holes”, such is the quality from beginning to end. Don’t be fooled by the yardages (over 6500yrds from the yellows and well over 7000yrds from the medals and championship tees) this course requires much more than a big slog from the tee; on every par 4 and 5 the golfer is invited to really think about placement. Readers should note that buggies are not mandatory but Spey Valley has some very long walks between greens and tees and I would recommend buggy use – we used the time saved to soak up the atmosphere and take those photo memories! At £69/£79 Spey Valley is likely to be no more than a one-off or occasional treat for most but it is worth every penny. So save up your pennies in a jam jar, flog those unwanted Christmas pressies, sell your body…do what you can to play Spey Valley. | | 12 May 2008
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| | | Rank it up immediatly. Spey valley is allready one of best inland tracks you can find in Europe. The setting is fantastic and the design/ layout of Dave Thomas is modern and demanding. Pine trees, heather and water are always in play. A real test of golf and a pleasure to play even for the long hitters. A real hidden gem in the highlands. | | 09 January 2008
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| | | My visit to Spey Valley was viewed beforehand with some trepidation as I’ve played two Dave Thomas designed courses in recent times (both in the Borders) and had very mixed feelings about them - Cardrona was a wonderful course but the much vaunted Roxburghe was a big let down. Thomas’ mounding and expansive bunkering designs can sometimes verge on the wrong side of ruthless but here, the routing of the holes, the spectacular scenery and the wonderful putting surfaces all combine to make this a truly memorable golfing experience. It may not yet have a clubhouse but it has everything else required of a top golfing venue; from a marvellous practice area (with adjoining helipad!) through to well spaced out holes which wind their way along the Spey river valley. The people at the MacDonald Hotel chain have built big and it must have cost a small fortune to shape the land for the fairways and construct such massive greens. This course is clearly made for tournament play as it can be stretched by over a thousand yards from the red tees to 7118 yards off the back tees. It has to compete against other top courses in the area but I’m sure discerning golfers will want to add this track to their golfing CV as it is bound to become one of the top inland courses in the country, simple as that. Buggies are mandatory, which is a pity, but if you had to walk from the temporary clubhouse out and back you would double the yardage of the course so it makes sense to ride and play. James McCann | | 09 October 2006
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| Response: | | | Chris | 30 January 2007 | | What an excellent golf course! Spey Valley could definitely hold a big pro tournament in the future. A course with fantastic views and a great layout. Every hole is different and requires length, accuracy and imagination. Spey Valley also has the longest hole in Scotland (possibly Briain too) at 635 yards. I hit a 300+ yard drive then blasted my 3 wood and still came up short! This course is definitely worth playing for £70. Its double that to play St Andrews and Gleneagles and they are no way double in terms of quality. |
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