Balbirnie Park - Fife - Scotland

The Kingdom of Fife is renowned for its many links offerings but for those who might prefer to play further inland then the well-manicured course at Balbirnie Park is very reasonably priced parkland alternative. Laid out in two distinct 9-hole parcels around the upmarket Balbirnie House hotel, the course pitches and rolls across rather hilly terrain, with plenty of land movement on every hole.

It’s tree-lined all the way here (apart from the 5th and 6th where there’s housing to the right of either fairway) and a few holes are a bit tight off the tee, especially on the shorter front nine. Sad to say, none of the four short holes are visually appealing, especially the uphill 14th where a thin narrow strip of fairway appears to have been gouged from the hillside between tee and green.

A couple of small ponds have been introduced in recent years at both the 3rd and 12th holes but they’re purely ornamental water features; nice to look at but offering no strategic value whatsoever to either hole. The downhill 18th is lauded as the “signature hole” and it’s a great way to finish the round but the left doglegging 16th is a far better hole, which its stroke index rating of 3 suggests.

A previous reviewer mentioned the tree in the fairway of the long par four 12th but made no reference to a similar obstacle on the following hole – which is even an even crazier arboreal abomination, allowing a gap of less than ten yards on either side for an uphill approach to the green. I’m surprised nobody has yet succeeded in having both trees removed, either by fair means or foul!

Still, a round at Balbirnie Park is an enjoyable experience overall and you’ll do well to return a nett score on or below the par of 71. Tees, fairways and greens were all in great condition at a welcoming golf venue which you can tell right away on arrival is a “proper” golf club – and well worth the effort to seek out for anybody looking for a change of pace away from the coast.

Jim McCann

Played two rounds yesterday. In the morning was very wet and heavy rain for the full round was very surprised it was still open. In the afternoon the rain subsided and after a few holes it drained superbly.

A few holes are very challenging with strategically placed bunkers on the fairways and green side. Greens were in fantastic shape and were quick even after the heavy rain. A stunning finish with the 18th being a great signature hole. Would definitely return on a warmer and sunnier day.

I played it last year as part of the SGU academy winter series and it was unfortunately very wet (October) and not in great condition. Like many parkland courses in Scotland it's not that great to play during the period October to March due to wet underfoot conditions. The course website describes it as 'Fife's finest parkland' but no matter that there are more links courses than inland ones in Fife I still find the 'finest' claim hard to believe. The layout is nothing great although the 12th hole is a reasonable challenge and the downhill 18th is tricky with a stream in front of the green and OOB a few yards behind it but tackled as a 3-shotter it's not that difficult to come off with a par 5. The course could do with some warm-up practice facilities but there's probably not enough space to accommodate and instead there's a couple of nets set on a slope with worn out mats; could do better. I really couldn't give it more than two or three for a rating. If Fife parkland is what people want then Pitfirrane at Dunfermline is a better option in my opinion.

After my previous review (less than complimentary) I felt I owed Balbirnie Park a return visit. While I will never be a fan of tree-lined parkland layouts, I was too severe in my earlier view. There is plenty to enjoy here and an especially fine hole at the 12th with a tree in the centre of the fairway - always a feature I like. None of the par 3s will linger long in the memory but the 18th certainly will. A long downhill par 5 with a river in front of the green, it poses a real threat to any scorecard. ( It is also, incidentally, remarkably similar to the 17th at nearby Kirkcaldy Balwearie).

The epitome of dull parkland golf. Balbirnie Park may be well-presented but there is a distinct lack of imagination and challenge in the layout. Far too many tee shots are blind and there is little that remains in the memory.

Balbirnie Park is laid out superbly and you wouldn’t know its a relative youngster. With plenty of variation and a number of tight drives, especially at 12 and 13, and some fairly open holes it is full of interest. Approach shots into well protected greens call for careful course management and the single shot holes, most notably the 7th are good too. With a superb par 5 downhill finishing hole to a green that is guarded at the front by a burn, this course will tick most boxes except that it’s not a links course. But with a great clubhouse behind the closing green it almost seems irrelevant that the sea is nowhere to be seen!