Golf Club Lane,
Elie, Fife KY9 1AS
Office
+44 (0)1333 330 301Pro shop
+44 (0)1333 330 955Fax
+44 (0)1333 330 895Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Michael Bradfield (Head PGA Professional).The Course:
18 holes. Seaside links. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb
Surroundings:
Seaside and rural countryside.
Designer:
Old Tom Morris and later James Braid are thought to have had the biggest influences on the design of the current Elie course.
Above distances are for the Elie course. Also at The Golf House Club is the nine-hole par-32 Elie Sports Club course (also known as the Ladies' course) (2080 yds).
56.191615
-2.829092
13 miles S of St Andrews
Elie is located on the south coast of Fife, on the A917, between Anstruther and Leven. In the center of Elie, where the A917 turns sharply, head west on Bank St. After o.4 mls yards turn right into Golf Club Lane. After 100 yds Visitor Parking is on your left.
Elie
The Golf House Club - Elie: Although generally referred to in golfing circles as Elie, members and visitors to the Golf House Club (see Did You Know section below) ply their golfing skills on what are known locally as the Earlsferry links. With its fabulous views, enjoyable layout and bucketfuls of fresh sea air, this beguiling seaside gem is tantalisingly located just 13 miles south of St Andrews.
Out here on this wonderfully open and often windy course, young James Braid developed the skills that would see him become one of Scotland's greatest ever professional golfers and course designers. From the opening hole, where a blind tee shot requires the starter to use a 30ft periscope (from HMS Excalibur) to ensure the way is clear, the layout's idiosyncratic charm becomes apparent.
Located beside the sea at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and occupying a wide and open expanse of treeless terrain, the layout is characterised by smooth undulations rather than towering sand dunes.
The real character of the course is found in its middle section, from the par-4 6th to the par-4 16th. This stretch of holes takes you out to the Firth's rocky shoreline, embracing some of the layout's most exciting holes.
Pick of the holes: the short, blind par-4 10th, stunning par-3 11th and beach-hugging par-4 12th are Turnberry-esque in their seaside beauty. This sublime trio of holes, offer views across the Firth to the pudding-bowl shaped hill that sits behind North Berwick, out to the gannet colony of Bass Rock, and closer to home, a line of rugged cliffs that form a dramatic headland to the west.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
Players generally walk this course. Caddies available if pre-booked.
Good
Golf has been played on the Earlsferry links, possibly as early as the 15th century. By 1896 enough land had been leased allowing an 18-hole course to be laid out, which bar a few minor alterations is the course played today.
The first official club to use the links was the Elie & Earlsferry Golf Club, formed in 1832 and later disbanded in 1912. To provide permanent facilities for local and visiting players, a "golf house" was built in 1875. In that same year a new club was also formed, adopting the name The Golf House Club. Other clubs also still enjoy playing rights on the Elie course, notably the Earlsferry Thistle Golf Club (1875) and Elie & Earlsferry Ladies Golf Club (1884).
James Braid, five times winner of The Open Championship was born and grew up in the village of Earlsferry, developing his golfing skills on the Earlsferry links.
Scotland's 26th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 85th best course (Golf World, 2024).
Bankwell Road, Anstruther, Fife KY10 3DA
+44 (0)1333 310 691
Visit websiteThe Craw's Nest Hotel & Restaurant is located in the small coastal town of Anstruther, one of the beautiful Royal Burghs in the East Neuk of Fife. The hotel is a former manse (Church Minister's house) and is the perfect base from which to explore the breathtakingly beautiful rugged scenery of the Fife coastline. A member of the Symphony Hotels group.
No
Elie;Crail (both 6 mls, in opposite directions)
St Andrews Links (x7 courses); St Andrews (Dukes course); Fairmont St Andrews (Devlin and Torrance courses); Kingsbarns; Ladybank; Lundin; Leven.
Elie, Fife KY9 1DT
+44 (0)1333 330 246
Visit websiteRockview Guest House offers five twin bedded ensuite rooms, four of which have stunning views overlooking Elie Bay whilst the other room looks out over the garden towards the lighthouse.
No
Elie
Lundin; Leven; Ladybank; St Andrews (Dukes course); St Andrews Links (x7 courses); Fairmont St Andrews; Kingsbarns; Crail.
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