Castle Park Golf Club

Upon arrival we checked in and were told that as we had booked a hot desk we’d be playing with two others - no biggy as this is fairly standard. One of my party was running late due to road works in the area so the two other players suggested they tee off ahead of us (no-one had teed off for 25 mins and the course was really quiet) and we tee off at our scheduled time. You’d think this wouldn’t be an issue with such a quiet tee sheet? Wrong.

We were greeted by a staff member (with a large black dog) shouting down the fairway after the pair that had teed off “you need to play together, it’s against the rules!! Wait on the late comer and all play together!!”. So we teed off, all stressed with an angry onlooker after the two others had jogged back to the tee (equally as angry and bewildered at the situation) so we could catch up and play as a 4 ball.

We didn’t see another player ahead of us in our 4 hour round - to top it off we had to let 3 single players through causing us and them a delay in pace of play.

When we returned to the clubhouse after 18 holes to raise the issue with the starter, they were equally as unhelpful and shrugged the issue as “you were on a hot deal, play within that time as I don’t get any money for that one”. I get the issue if the course was busy for pace of play - but it wasn’t and the pace of play was slower as a result.

In general it was a quirky little course. Some nice risk and reward holes throughout, long par 4’s and testing par 3’s. Most bunkers were unplayable and not kept though. Fairways and greens passable given the rain we have had.

3/5 - would play again if I was in the area. Good value for money but make sure you obey their unwritten rules…

Fantastic day out from the moment I arrived with a meet and greet off the management team.

Condition of this hidden gem was superb with the best views you could imagine.

Used to be a great course, however going down hill rapidly. Green surfaces poor and very slow. Bunkers containing many weeds, little sand and if any totally compacted. Tee markers are simply bits of metal painted Yellow, scorecards appear to be homemade laser printed. The look of the course is far better than its condition. Fairways badly marked by cutting machinery. No real semi rough, so fairway with next to no run or deepish whispy grass which would mean many a lost ball even if just entering it. Pace of play was good because there was more or less no one else playing but not really a surprise in the end. Wont be back

I was looking forward to playing castle park as it was the last course I had to play in East Lothian and to be honest it was in terrible condition grass cuttings everywhere on the fairway semi rough was super long probably the worst condition I’ve seen a golf course in would not recommend

First time playing the course.

Chatted away to staff on arrival who were superb; very friendly and ensured we knew where we were going. Club house bar was well stocked and also an option after hole 9 which was very welcomed due to the heat. Again, everyone was very welcoming.

Buggies are available for hire however we chanced our arm on the day trying to get one so missed out. There are a number of trolleys which were free to use however most were broken or had no straps.

Played on a crazy hot day and the fairways were playing very firm. I usually drive 240y but was hitting 280y drives regularly. Greens were very firm and suited running the ball up as opposed to flying to the green and trying to hold the ball. Despite playing a Saturday, the greens did not play like they had been recently cut as there was a fair degree of growth and they were playing quite slow. The last few greens were very slow and noticeable different in speed to the front nine.

The course layout is a tail of two courses which is not surprising given the history. The front 9 are generally quite flat and play quite straight forward. There is not a huge amount of character to the front 9 holes but enjoyable enough. The back 9 are, however, full of character and quite hilly. Hole 11 is a stand out par 3 and against the wind is a challenge. There are a fair few blind tee shots but the usual marker poles are in place so not an issue. If I remember correctly, the only blind shot to a green was hole 17.

The bunkers were generally is poor quality and I did not come across one which had been raked properly.

What let the course down was the lack of signage at each tee. Only cheap painted post were in place. This did not lead to a very good presentation. It would be greatly improved to have hole numbers and yardage signs there. A small touch but makes a big difference. Also, it looked like the first cut of rough had been cut that week but the cuttings had been left in place. This meant finding and aying the ball more challenging that I think it needed to be. (I'm no greenkeeper so dont know whether other places do that but, again, something I've not noticed elsewhere).

We had a really enjoyable day and I would recommend this course. Details of some of the course presentation let it down slightly but nothing a bit of attention to detail can't fix.

Ultimately. I'm not sure I'd look to play this course again as there are far better options in the price range. With the hot deal, we paid £32 each, however, I'd very much put this course in the £12 to £15 bracket having played similar courses.

Enjoyed our game as none golfers having a day out. The 2nd 9 was a killer, just not used to all that walking back and forth across the fairway chasing my ball lol and the hills didn't help. Great day out.

I've had many enjoyable rounds at castle park, but now that golf buggies are only available to members I won't be back.

Thoroughly enjoyed the round. Front nine good but surpassed by a more mature and hilly and very interesting back nine. For time of year course was in good condition. Slightly spoilt by a slow group of 4 in front who showed no interest in letting a 2 ball through. Back nine took forever waiting on most holes. Value for money was incredible value. Had. A nice bacon roll in clubhouse too. All in all a very enjoyable

Round in 5 degrees.

Nice rural course with some interesting holes. Incredibly peaceful setting and very quiet so set your own pace of play.

Only downside was staff being annoyingly pedantic about GolfNow booking. Empty course and made to wait 29 minutes when nobody was teeing off. Jobsworth behaviour spoiled a great afternoon

Although I got this as a hot deal I wouldn’t say it was good value for money. Only played the front 9 due to lack of time but the condition of tees and greens were pretty poor. Maybe the back 9 is better? Saw someone drive a 4x4 down one of the fairways which pretty much summed it all up.

Played castle park today On a gorgeous summer day weather was perfect pretty much had the course to myself

The course itself was in great condition except for the greens really patchy and very hard to putt on as they were so slow

The real problem I had was if you didn’t know the course you could easily loose your way as there were no signs at all to show you where to go and not one tee box sign to give you any idea of the hole layout .

Having said that really enjoyed the round with its stunning views .

Would recommend if was signposted better .

Invited to play by a friend and wasnt disappointed very warm welcome & a fantastic course .great food after round. I was that impressed me and my golf partner took out a country membership.i would highly recommend this course if u up in Area

Played here for the first time the other day. What can I say? Course is a bit out the way, but well worth the trip. Given the time of the year and the recent weather, the course was in fantastic condition. No winter greens, no fairway mats, a real breath of fresh air. Considering you can take your pick of tee off times, the ground staff were out in force, getting the course ready for spring. A fairly quirky course, it has a bit of everything. Long holes, dog legs, elevated tees and greens, this was a lot of fun. The only negatives I could really say are-theres little to no signage. You're reliant on the map on the scorecard to get around. No "next tee" signs, or even signs on the tees. And secondly, the bunkers. I managed to avoid them for the round, but every time my friend was in them, or even as I walked past, it appears they are made up of 50% sand and 50% stones. Some real club wreckers. But overall, a very enjoyable experience, and will be back in the summer.

A little out of the way but well worth discovering. A bit like 2 totally different 9’s with the first more open and flatter and the second nine hilly and very scenic. When we played in February there was snow on the surrounding hills - it felt like we were in Switzerland!!

The greens were in excellent condition- the heavy rains had made some low spots soggy put playable.

Some very well designed hole layouts 11 and 17 were memorable as was the 12th - a par 3 up an incredible climb. Great fun and would like to go back in the summer. Host was very chatty and informative.