If your chipping and putting is as bad as mine, you may have often wished to find somewhere private to practise, so that you might be saved from the guffaws and humiliations as you repeatedly duff, chunk and chop your shots all over the place.
Perhaps you might actually already be good at golf, but just hate other people, and want to have your own course where the membership is so exclusive that it stands at the ideal number of one.
What I am getting at is that there is a house with its own 9-hole golf course for sale. It is called Kelly Castle, near Arbirlot, and if you ring up Strutt and Parker, it is available for offers above £2.3 million.
‘Its position and layout will suit a variety of buyers, particularly as a large family home and those with an interest in golf’, say the agents.
I would suggest that an interest in golf is an absolute minimum. Although anyone with an interest in wonderfully craggy old castles with turrets, spiral stone staircases and wood-panelled rooms might also wish to apply.
It’s quite the home for entertaining. Listed Grade B by Historic Environment Scotland, the property offers eight bedrooms and is arranged over four storeys in an L-plan. Along with the golf course, the castle features a basement bar, a snooker room and a cinema room — all very handy if you, like me, do not want to play golf in the rain.
Should you get bored of your own golf course, the castle is in close proximity to both Carnoustie and St Andrews, both of which I’ve heard are half-decent tracks.
Those with a passion for Scottish history will be taken with Kelly Castle too. Archives suggest that Philip de Moubray, a Norman settler, obtained lands in Angus from William the Lion, king of Scotland. It is likely that he was the first builder of a castle or tower on the south bank of the Elliot water, although the current castle was probably begun in the 15th century.
Since then, a plethora of Earls and Lords owned the property, which was purchased by the current owners in 2001, who undertook a sympathetic renovation and made ‘significant improvements and modifications’.
As well as the castle, the sale will include 33.47 acres of land, and the title of ‘Baron of Kelly in Angus’ is available for separate negotiation.
‘As castles come, Kelly Castle is certainly a special one,’ says David Law, head of Strutt and Parker in Edinburgh. ‘In immaculate condition, the present owners have worked tirelessly to create a practical family home within these turreted walls.
'Not only does a potential buyer have the opportunity to acquire a 16th century castle, and with this manageable 33 acres of grounds including a golf course, but the title of “Baron of Kelly” to go with it.'
‘The prime country house and estates market in Scotland has always held strong appeal, particularly to overseas buyers who are drawn to our romantic landscapes, ancient buildings, and historic tales. With Kelly Castle close to airports at Dundee and Edinburgh, I expect strong levels of interest from overseas buyers looking for their own slice of Scotland.
'With an estate manager's flat on site, and the knowledge that the building is in excellent condition — it’s a castle you really can just “lock up and leave” if you suddenly need to catch a flight.’
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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