Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Country Club

This has always been a good course to play, but if only the they got some more green keepers this course would be fantastic again.

We played on a day when storm force winds and rain showers were forecast. We had a very warm welcome in the pro shop, the lady offered us the option of coming in after nine holes and giving us a voucher to come back! That was before we had even teed off.
The wind was quite strong and gusty but it was playable. The greens were running quite well and we enjoyed the round. There were several of the greetings the back nine which wee were covered in leaves and other debris off the trees, and presumably because the course was very quiet (we saw a few groups coming out a few holes after we had started, there was no effort made tot clear these. It was also a little disappointing to find when we had finished, that there seemed to be no equipment to wash the golf trolley and clean the leaves and light mud off
the wheels or golf shoes. We went into the hotel after the round to get a cup of coffee and maybe a bite to eat, but the bar was very busy, there were no empty seats and a queue at the bar waiting to be serviced. We tried the downstairs bar but no one was serving there.

Course is in great condition for the time of year. Love the layout, the weather was amazing showi g off the superb scenery. Greens were excellent, very fast , but fair.
Only one problem was à 4 ba in front of a number of 2s and single players, caused a bit of a backlog about 5 from home. Not a lot could be done about that.

We have played this course every year for the last 4 years, unfortunately this year was horrible, the greens were completely ruined which spoiled our visit.

I don’t understand how they could be in such terrible condition whilst every other course we have played this year ( which is a lot ) were exceptional.

Have played Cardrona two or three times before but today in dry and warm conditions it was fantastic. It is a relatively long course but some great holes and with dry fairways but good greens it was a great round of golf.

really enjoy this course- bit disappointed that the greens were heavily sanded and not informed when booking...other than this ,fantastic course

If you go prepared for a 5 hour round of golf you will enjoy this course to its maximum. I would highly recommend this course as it has a vast variety of holes. When I played the greens were not there best but could not fault tee’s or fairways. Beware prices in pro shop ie mars bar £1.00.

Played here a few times now using tee off times to get the best deal. Love the setting, & the layout of this course even though it is a long track. Would suit the long hitters, but if you like a challenge then that’s what you’ll get. My only criticism of the course is the greens have suffered from the cold wet/snowy winter we had & I wish they would spray out the daisies on the fairways, as it detracts from how it should look. But these issues aside, I will continue to visit. All the staff I encountered including the greens staff were friendly & helpful.

Was pleasantly surprised when I heard the course was open after all of the rain and snow. The course however was in remarkably good condition with very few areas of standing water. We were a bit disappointed though when we finished and tried to get something to eat in the spikes bar. We were told there was next to nothing available other than a bacon roll and we would have to go upstairs to the main bar/lounge. Considering we were covered in mud from the course this was not really an option. I've no idea why we couldn't have simply ordered something from the bar menu and had it brought downstairs. Pretty disappointing from such a major hotel brand.

Me and my 13-year old son played Cardrona for the first time in late October after heavy rain in the region had resulted in much standing and casual water on surrounding courses. We were amazed that despite the course lying in the river basin that makes up part of the beautiful Tweed valley, the course was in amazing condition. There was some casual water in isolated places on the fairways and one bunker that I noticed but otherwise the course played as though it was mid-summer. The greens had been hollow tined, which is to be expected on UK courses at this time of year, however I was amazed at how 'true' a line putts kept on all greens. I have never putted on hollow tined greens that were this good. Bunkers were very well maintained and evenly filled with good quality sand and the course condition was a credit to the greens staff. We both thought that Cardrona has lots of character and every single hole was interesting. Fairways are wide and generous and the second cut of rough is deservedly punishing. Many well thought out bunker placements capture erroneous shots and reward good course management. Although the course is long measuring in excess of 7000 yards, it is not just for the 'bombers' as long hitters are punished for poor shots by the clever course design and layout, which reminds me a lot of the Centenary course at Gleneagles - high praise but well deserved. Some golfers might not enjoy the long walk between some greens to the next tee but it is not something that bothered us at all, particularly when you are walking through such beautiful scenery.

I was mindful after reading other reviews before playing of some comments made by others regarding "unfriendly course staff". This was not our experience at all, the pro was welcoming and helpful on arrival and the greens staff were pleasant and courteous around the course, as were the hotel staff in the bar etc. We both loved the experience and would play Cardrona again, anytime without hesitation. My son has played golf on lots of golf courses around the UK and Europe ever since he was 5-years old and he told me after our round that he thought Cardrona was the best course he has ever played. I've got to say that I concur as I certainly haven't played on many that are better!

Since playing last year, there has been a massive amount of work done on the bunkers.
Greens ran at a good pace, with nice lines.
The fairways near the river were very wet, but there had been a lot of heavy rain in the days preceding our round.
Look forward to playing again.

First time at Cardrona and enjoyed my round. Maybe not one for the short hitters, good layout and relatively flat. A few areas starting to cut up due to the very wet summer we have had but no real issues with play. Many bunkers in play and par threes are long at the 170 - 200 yard range. Course not to punishing and good shots are rewarded. Would play again but maybe need to be at the height of summer to see the course at its best.

Nice course but devoid of decent signage. Maybe it is the end of summer but the place and staff had an air of 'fed up' ..... the undiscounted cost of a round would be poor value.

Played here again after a poor experience a few weeks ago and sad to say nothing has changed. Staff from Club Pro/shopkeeper to everyone else we encountered were miserable, no smiles, no welcome, no customer service.
I didn't deal with the guy in the golf shop but was told on asking my playing companions he was dour and unhelpful.
The course is poorly signposted, a couple of holes offer a choice of path some of which lead to cycle paths or walkways for hikers.
Lack of litter bins on the course and large amount of un-repaired divots.
Had a drink and snack after round and a similar level of customer service.
Get your act together Cardrona.

We travelled over hr to play and wasn't disappointed just wished the sun came out would recommend buggy though as some holes spaced out I really enjoyed and will play again well worth the money

Nice course, staff friendly and welcoming. Nice layout, great scenery.

On arrival we were met with lack of signposts to tell us where golf shop/reception was. We asked a staff member who was fairly unfriendly but he was outdone by the golf pro/shopkeeper who barely acknowledged us and never once raised a smile or offered anything approaching helpfulness. Clearly not a people person.
Once outside we were again left wondering where to go to the first tee, lack of signposts.
The course itself was in good condition but there are very few signs letting you know where the next tee is.
Groundstaff clearly not golfers as they surrounded our green on stroke index 1 hole as I putted for birdie, raking the bunker in my line of sight and moving about, I made par.
On leaving same golf pro/shopkeeper gave us no acknowledgement at all as we parked and emptied our buggy, experience alsmot ruined by him if it wasn't for the condition and layout of course. Would never pay more than the £12 we paid.

Excellent course, very challenging and provides a real test for good golfers. 3rd time of playing, will be back for a 4th time soon.