Crail Golfing Society Balcomie

About the course

Balcomie occupies the rocky headland of Fife Ness, the easternmost point of Fife, a couple of miles beyond the fishing village of Crail. It is a compact, old-fashioned links squeezed between the shoreline and the farmland behind it, and the sea is in view from every hole, with the rocks and the Fife Ness lighthouse never far from the line of play.

The Crail Golfing Society was founded in 1786, and golf was already being played on these links by the middle of the nineteenth century. The present course was laid out by Old Tom Morris in the 1890s and still follows much of his routing. A second layout on the same headland, the Craighead Links, was the first solo design of the American architect Gil Hanse.

The card shows six par 3s and only three par 5s, yet the routing rarely lets you settle. The 5th, known as Hell’s Hole, is a long par 4 that doglegs around the shore, with the beach waiting for anything that drifts too far. The 14th is the hole most visitors photograph: a short par 3 played from a high tee down to a small, sloping green guarded by six bunkers, with the beach beyond it out of bounds.

Only the 6th is sheltered from the prevailing westerly wind, so most holes change character with the weather. The turf is firm and fast running and the greens are small, which means a reliable bump and run and a sharp short game are worth far more here than extra yards from the tee.

Why we recommend it

Balcomie is pure traditional golf at the eastern tip of Fife, played by one of the oldest golf clubs in the world. The opening holes drop to the sea and follow the shoreline, and the North Sea wind is almost always part of the day. It is short on the card but asks for good club selection and accuracy, which makes it enjoyable for most handicaps. About 10 miles from St Andrews, it is a relaxed, characterful contrast to the busier town courses.

Photo gallery