Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Country Club

We paid our £30 a head greenfees through the app and turned up at the course where the friendly starter advised the course was in far better condition than it had been and that some work had taken place on the greens the day before. I was really looking forward to playing as it had been one of my favourite courses. All went well until we got to the first green. A putt from around 6 feet rolled around 2 before coming to a complete stop in all the excess sand on the green. Unfortunately this was the case on almost all of the greens, with sand lying everywhere making it next to impossible to putt properly. I completely understand the need to top dress the greens, however on most courses the excess sand is swept off making it still possible to putt. This was unfortunately not the case on Saturday. In my opinion the green fees should have been dramatically reduced due to the sand. One other thing were the new buggies at the course. They were great, however £40 is a ridiculous price for an electric buggy.

Truly challenging course but well worth playing. Was in great condition for the time of year and the weather gods were kind to us. A very long course would recommend a buggy as is long both on the holes and between the holes. greens were true and the sand and the bunkers appeared to be brand new. it was a pleasure thank you

I played this course in October last year and the greens were not good at all . And the whole place needed some attention,

I was pleased with how the whole course has improved

From the greens to the bunkers you can see how much it’s come on in 6 months

Well done

The course is in relatively good condition although the day we played it was very wet. There is a lot of walking from 4-5,, 7-8, 8-9 and 9-10. The bunkers across the course were not raked and often full of dog footprints which needs sorting.

The course is in a stunning location but there is a lot of walking between some holes. Bunkers needed raking and dog prints in many of them. Course could be great with more care and attention

I was a bit wary playing the course having read some reviews but the greens have recovered very well bar maybe one or two. You look at the yardage and think you'll eat it alive, you won't. It would be a better course to play second time around, I hit an ok ball but there were a couple of par 4s I couldn't get near to due to the course layout, big dog legs where you need to hit a very long drive or long second. Good course though, beautiful scenery, one to plot your way around.

Everything was great but unfortunately they lost the greens last year and they are just starting to work to get them back.staff are great so much so going back next month for another couple of rounds

Mark and his crew went out of their way to have my son and I play their wonderful course. They were able to get us set out early in the morning before the shop opened and allowed us to play a very enjoyable around. The nearby scenery of historical ruins and sheep filled pastures was a bonus.

Thanks again!

Had a great round with my wife in tow. We were warned that they had an issue with the greens over covid and they were indeed bumpy, but coming together nicely. Quite obviously a lot of work been put into this. Mark at the desk was brilliant and gave us the low down. This is the hardest round I have attempted in my short golf “career” and quite honestly I can say that whilst it challenged, it also allowed for some great shots in beautiful scenery. Get the buggy if you can because it is some walk. But once the greens are fully rescued this will once again be a golf treasure. Loved it.

Great day out on a tough, long course. Staff were lovely and the course seems to be moving in a great direction.

Whilst my golf buddy and I had no great expectations of Cardrona, we were more than pleasantly surprised.

1. The welcome- Both Mark and Chris, one a manager and the other staff, were extremely friendly and polite, they had all the booking, buggy and ancillaries ready, as well as information on the course, they had also informed the group ahead that we were running late and they were happy to let us through on tee 1, great communication.

2 The course- it was explained that the course was in great condition with the exception of the greens, which were a work in progress, we would agree, tee boxes 5/5, fairway 5/5, bunkers5/5(best we’ve seen this year), greens 3/5, receptive and consistent but not great condition as they explained, so no complaints.

3 The round- This is more a review on how we played, near perfect weather conditions and wide fairways as well almost no other golfers, with stunning scenery, this is golf.

4 The end- We were not rushed to return the buggy, had a very nice toasted baguette, irn bru(in glass bottles) lovely, all presented and served wonderfully, and very friendly, little more pricey than standard, but it is a hotel complex so that’s expected.

5 Overall- we have played here before, but this was the most enjoyable, from begining to end there are no complaints, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, thank you to all the staff, especially Mark and Chris.

Our Scores were Gross 75 and 82, handicaps 6&11, nett 69&71, this may have been contributing factor of enjoyment.

Lovely laid out course with some real challenging approaches, would be fantastic and recommended if the greens weren't in such a state but there's no getting away from that.

I don't like criticising courses unfairly but the greens are in need of a lot of TLC. When I booked initially I was forewarned by the guy on the phone that they were bumpy. The guy at the course shop said they weren't that bad but he was being optimistic. First 3 holes aren't too bad. Then it's a lottery, I think it was 11/12 that was shambolic.

Get the feeling it's the overall hotel finding it's feet after re-opening as there were other issues but once sorted I'd love to play again. Photos (if they load) aren't even the bad greens.

Great scenery, shame about the greens. If the place was well maintained it would be a surreal experience and would pay much more for the pleasure.

Lovely course in idyllic scenery. The greens are improving and I can’t wait to come back. The fairways are in great shape Mark was very friendly and honest. This course overall is well looked after. A brilliant place for couples if your partner doesn’t play.

What a great chamionship course, Fantastic location to saty over and play other coursers. Carpet fairwys, white fuffy sands, set in the tweed valley, spectacular panaramic veiws.

They have had problems with the greens last year with irregation failure but they are on the mend its only a matter of time now for them to be back to Championship standard.

I will be back later on in the year. Tough test of golf 7,000 yds lots of bunkers. Tough American undulating greens. This course is on the mend.

I returned to play this course to see if the devastation caused to the greens by the failure of the irrigation system was being addressed. The greens are far from perfect having been drilled but they are recovering albeit slowly, at least there is more green than brown now but the ball still has no chance of running true. The ground staff though seem to be putting in the effort to get the course back into the condition it used to be pre-Covid. The bunkers are also being renovated with evidence of recent works. I would give the course another couple of months of spring growth and hopefully with some further care the greens will at least be more grass than moss. The remainder of the course was in good condition. It needs the replacement of the signs at the end of the 8th hole for the directions to the 9th tee for visitors who don't know the course, as I met a threesome who had been wandering around for 10 minutes lost!! The replacement of signage on the tees for distances etc... would be welcome and a guide for the pin position ie. front, middle, back etc... but all in all it is good to be able to see some effort being made to restore the course. Once there is full time golf staff things can only get better.