Stonehaven has some of the most dramatic holes on Scotland's east coast. To stand on the higher prospects of the course and watch players driving off of those sheer outcrops of rock can send your head into a spin. These are breathtaking golf vistas that could grace the front cover of any golf magazine.

While it looks dramatic, playing it is another matter. With most of the holes perched on headland and a parkland section on the other side of the railway line, Stonehaven is not your typical coastal course. It is, however, a unique challenge and the views are simply glorious. It's not a long course but, for the first-timer, care should be taken, especially on the front nine where the cliffs do often come into play.

To illustrate this, friends of ours took their boisterous young laddies on a walk along the beach just below the course and found more than 50 "lost-without-trace" golf balls. If the wind is up on this section of the course or your accuracy is off, the penalties are severe. The parkland that exists on the other side of the tracks is a little kinder.