It’s a mystery as to why the Craighead course at Crail did not feature in any golf course ranking tables since it came into play in 1999 until we first ranked it in 2008...
Crail Golfing Society (Craighead)
It’s a mystery as to why the Craighead course at Crail did not feature in any golf course ranking tables since it came into play in 1999 until we first ranked it in 2008...
The Crail Golfing Society may be over 200 years old but they do know how to move with the times. Due to the pressure of an increasing number of visiting golfers, a decision was made in the mid 1990s to acquire a relatively modest 114 acres of land next to their Balcomie course and transform the cliff top setting into a modern, seaside golf course.
Many eyebrows were raised when American Gil Hanse, an unknown architect in the British Isles, was appointed to design the new 18-hole layout. His small firm was established in 1993 following his departure from Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design team and he set out to design courses that were “simple and elegant in appearance yet sophisticated in strategy and interest.”
Hanse may have been a surprise overseas selection as architect but he was no stranger to UK shores as he had spent a year during his Cornell studies with the famous English golf course design firm of Hawtree so he was well aware of what would be expected of his inaugural design in Britain.
His interpretation of a Scottish links is very good, despite the fact that the terrain is more pasture and headland than true sandy soiled links land. An interesting challenge for Hanse was to incorporate several stonewalls – and one of particular archaeological importance, “Danes Dyke” – into the design. This elevated track cuts across five holes, presenting a formidable barrier from the tee on the uphill 11th hole and creating a blind approach to the green at the 15th hole.
It’s obvious that some earth moving was carried out on the property – particularly, for example, at the 2nd where an almost island green has been created at a 45-degree angle to the fairway – but the finished holes never appear out of sync with their surroundings.
The most striking design elements at the Craighead are the bunkering and green complexes. The bunkers were created under the watchful eye of Walter Woods, a former green keeper on the Old Course at nearby St Andrews. So it should come as no surprise that some have likened them in quality to those at Muirfield. Putting surfaces were constructed to USGA standard, running very true and fast, with many contoured greens providing a real test for putting skills.
It’s a mystery as to why the Craighead did not feature in any golf course ranking tables since it came into play in 1999 until we first ranked it in 2008 – are golfers so enthralled with playing at the traditional links along the Fife coast that they are overlooking a genuine, modern day golfing gem that is staring them in the face?
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
No golf destination carries quite the same weight as the Kingdom of Fife. This peninsula jutting into the North Sea between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay is where the game was born, where its rules are written, and where golfers have been making pilgrimages for six centuries. It is Scotland's most densely packed region for quality golf. The Old Course at St Andrews sits at the very summit of the world rankings, but Fife's strength goes far beyond one famous address. Kingsbarns ranks among the finest modern links on the planet; Dumbarnie has shot to prominence since opening in 2020; the Castle Course, New Course, and Jubilee provide championship-level variety without leaving the St Andrews links complex. Venture further south into the East Neuk and you find Elie, Crail, Lundin Links, and Leven – courses that serious golfers return to again and again. Venturing inland to Ladybank and Scotscraig rewards those willing to look beyond the coast. A week in Fife barely scratches the surface. A fortnight leaves you wanting more. This guide covers everything needed to plan a trip that does justice to Scotland's most extraordinary golf region. Fife Golf: Why It Should Top Your Travel List 🌟 Unmatched Golf Density Fife leads Scotland's regional breakdown with the most courses in the Top 100, ahead of East Lothian and Ayrshire. Within a 40km (25-mile) radius of St Andrews, golfers can access more world-class links than on any comparable stretch of coastline anywhere. The concentration is genuinely remarkable… drive 20 minutes east from St Andrews, and you are playing Kingsbarns; 30 minutes west and you are at the East Neuk classics; an hour north and Scotscraig awaits. The quality also spans every price point and every course style. The range means golfers on any budget can build a serious itinerary. A Golf Trip Unlike Any Other Home of Golf heritage – it is the home of golf and where the R&A still governs the global game from Championship pedigree – the Old Course alone has hosted 29 Opens; Kingsbarns co-hosts the Dunhill Links each autumn Modern excellence – Dumbarnie (2020) and the Castle Course (2008) prove Fife's ability to produce world-class new designs Diversity of terrain – links, heathland, parkland, and clifftop golf all within an hour's drive Infrastructure – St Andrews supports international golfers with world-class hotels, caddies, equipment rental, and year-round play Fife's Finest Golf Courses ⛳ The Top Eight – Essential Fife Golf 1. The Old Course at St Andrews The Old Course at St Andrews – The most famous golf course in the world sits at the very heart of the town, its fairways woven into the fabric of St Andrews itself. The course divides opinion among architects and purists – the blind shots, shared fairways, and vast double greens are either baffling or revelatory depending on the round – but no golfer leaves unmoved. A guaranteed tee time requires booking many months in advance through an authorised operator. The daily ballot offers a more affordable route but demands flexibility; the ballot draws 48 hours ahead, and results are announced after 5 pm. Caddies are strongly recommended to complete the experience. 2. Kingsbarns Golf Links Kingsbarns Golf Links – Opened in 2000, Kyle Phillips's design transformed flat farmland 11km (7 miles) southeast of St Andrews into one of the most celebrated links in existence. The North Sea is visible from every part of the course, and six holes play directly along the shoreline. The par-5 12th, sweeping around the bay, and the par-3 15th, demanding a carry over a rocky inlet, are among the most photographed holes in Scottish golf. Kingsbarns co-hosts the Dunhill Links Championship with the Old Course and Carnoustie each autumn. The club's caddie operation is excellent, and the post-round hospitality matches the best in Scotland. 3. Dumbarnie Links Dumbarnie Links – Clive Clark's 2020 creation on the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate has made one of the most dramatic entrances in recent Scottish golf history. Set on the Fife coast overlooking the Firth of Forth, with 14 of 18 holes offering sea views, Dumbarnie stretches to 7,600 yards from the tips and can be set up with up to three drivable par-4s depending on conditions. The 10th, defending itself with a large water feature, is the hardest hole on the course; the 17th, a short par-4 climbing over a stone wall and wetland, captures the Scottish links spirit perfectly. Dumbarnie hosted the Women's Scottish Open in 2021 and has quickly established itself as one of Scotland's finest pay-and-play venues. 4. St Andrews Castle Course St Andrews Links (Castle Course) – The newest addition to the St Andrews Links Trust portfolio was designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2008. Laid out on a clifftop above the town with over 1.6km (a mile) of waterfront. The Castle Course divides opinion within the St Andrews family as it lacks the 'natural' links character of its famous siblings, but the clifftop setting delivers drama that few courses anywhere can match. The closing three holes of each nine are strung along the coastline, and the wind at this exposed elevation makes the Castle Course play more difficult than its yardage suggests. Closed from November to February. 5. St Andrews New Course St Andrews Links (New Course) – Created in 1895 by Old Tom Morris and Benjamin Hall Blythe to relieve pressure on the Old Course, the New Course is considered by many locals to be the finest test in St Andrews. Tighter and more defined than its famous neighbour, the New rewards precision over creativity and has hosted national championships for over a century. It is outstanding value for a course of this quality and heritage. 6. Golf House Club, Elie Golf House Club, Elie – James Braid was born and raised at Elie, and while it was Old Tom Morris who laid out the current 18 holes in 1895, Braid made his revisions in 1921, and the course has remained largely untouched since. Elie is famously quirky. For example, the starter uses a submarine periscope salvaged from HMS Excalibur to check that the opening hole is clear before sending groups on their way. Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson called it the most enjoyable course he knew, and the layout of 16 par-4s and two par-3s, with fiery greens and constant Firth of Forth views, makes the claim easy to understand. Visitor access is limited in the summer due to member priority, so early booking is essential. 7. St Andrews Jubilee Course St Andrews Links (Jubilee Course) – Often described as the most challenging of the St Andrews courses, the Jubilee was built in 1897 and sits between the New Course and the sea. The Jubilee is considered excellent preparation for anyone hoping to play the Old Course. 8. Crail Balcomie Links Crail (Balcomie Links) – Golf has been played at Crail since 1786, making it one of the oldest clubs in the world. Old Tom Morris designed the current Balcomie Links layout in the late 1890s, with the course positioned right on the craggy East Neuk coastline. With stone walls, railway sleeper bunker faces, and natural hollows as hazards, Crail has an authenticity that newer courses spend fortunes trying to recreate. Crail is 15km (9 miles) from St Andrews and serves as an ideal companion round to Kingsbarns, just minutes away. Worth Every Minute: Fife's B-Side Courses 🎯 The Supporting Cast That Steals the Show One of Fife's great secrets is how well its mid-tier courses compare to headline acts elsewhere in Scotland. The following seven are ranked 9–14 in Fife's Top 100 regional listing, and each one earns its place in any serious Fife itinerary. 9. Crail Craighead Links Crail (Craighead Links) – Gil Hanse's 1998 design at Crail occupies higher ground than its older sibling, Balcomie, and offers more dramatic elevation changes and sweeping views in multiple directions. Craighead's tall fescue rough is among the most demanding in Fife, and the green complexes require careful thought. Playing both Crail courses in a single day is entirely achievable and gives a fascinating contrast in approach and character. 10. Lundin Golf Club Lundin Links – Lundin's unusual origins. The club shared a course with Leven Golf Club until 1909, when James Braid was brought in to create a separate layout, giving the course a character unlike any other in Fife. The front nine is classic links; the back nine crosses an old railway line into a different style entirely. Lundin hosted Open Final Qualifying when the Championship was at St Andrews for many years, which says everything about the quality of the test. Six holes play adjacent to the beach, and the 18th, at 450 yards, is one of the toughest finishers in the Kingdom. 11. Leven Links Leven Links – Sharing the same stretch of coastline as Lundin, Leven is the more traditional of the two and offers one of the most honest links tests in Fife at a price that feels increasingly rare for a course of this calibre. The par-3s can be particularly devilish, and the two closing holes are as strong as any in the East Neuk. The golf club dates to 1820, making Leven one of the older clubs in Scotland. 12. Ladybank Golf Club Ladybank Golf Club – Ladybank is Fife's only heathland course is a pine-lined inland gem that offers a completely different experience from the coastal links dominating the rest of the Kingdom's roster. Old Tom Morris designed the original layout, and the course has hosted Open qualifying and top amateur events, including the Scottish PGA Championship. The contrast with a day on the links is deeply refreshing, and the course's compact, strategic nature rewards intelligent play over raw power. 13. Scotscraig Golf Club Scotscraig Golf Club – Founded in 1817, Scotscraig is among the 20 oldest golf clubs in the world and sits in the north of Fife near Tayport. The hybrid course, partly heathland, partly links, sits close to the sea without actually playing along it. James Braid redesigned the layout in 1923, and his accuracy-focused design rewards careful course management over aggression. Scotscraig hosts Open qualifying when the Championship is at St Andrews and held the Scottish PGA Championship in 2023. 14. St Andrews Eden Course St Andrews Links (Eden Course) – The Eden sits within the St Andrews Links complex, tucked between the estuary of the River Eden and the more celebrated courses. Redesigned by Harry Colt in 1913, it is a genuine links test at an accessible price point and makes an excellent warm-up round for groups visiting St Andrews for the first time. Where to Stay: The Fairmont St Andrews 🏨 The Golf Resort of Choice for Fife For golfers seeking a single base that combines world-class accommodation with on-site golf, the Fairmont St Andrews stands apart from every other option in the Kingdom. The five-star resort occupies a dramatic clifftop position 3km (2 miles) from the Old Course, with views across St Andrews Bay that set the mood from the moment of arrival. The Fairmont's 209 rooms and suites range from golf-view standard rooms to sprawling spa suites, and the hotel's Esperante restaurant has earned consistent recognition for its Scottish menu. The leisure facilities, including an indoor pool and spa, provide welcome recovery between rounds on days when Fife's weather has taken its toll. For golfers not staying at the Fairmont, St Andrews town centre offers a substantial choice. The Rusacks Marine Hotel occupies one of the most coveted positions in Scottish golf, overlooking the 18th hole of the Old Course from just beyond the boundary. Its recent renovation has brought it back to the standard the location demands. The Old Course Hotel, directly adjacent to the 17th Road Hole of the Old Course, remains the most famous golf hotel address in Scotland and serves as the unofficial meeting point for serious golfers visiting St Andrews. In the East Neuk, the small fishing towns of Anstruther, Pittenweem, and Crail offer characterful B&B and self-catering accommodation that puts golfers within minutes of Elie, the two Crail courses, Lundin, and Leven. For golfers making Elie or Lundin Links the centrepiece of a visit rather than St Andrews, basing in the East Neuk avoids the traffic and crowds of the town while keeping the top courses within easy reach. Getting There and Getting Around 🚗✈️ Reaching Fife Edinburgh Airport is the primary international gateway, with direct flights from London (1 hour), most major European cities, and transatlantic services from New York, Boston, and Toronto. The drive from Edinburgh to St Andrews takes approximately 75 minutes via the Forth Road Bridge and the M90. Dundee Airport serves regional UK routes and sits 35km (22 miles) from St Andrews. Trains from Edinburgh to Leuchars station (the stop for St Andrews) take approximately 1 hour; the connecting bus into town adds 15 minutes. For golfers planning multiple East Neuk courses, a rental car is essentially mandatory. All the key courses are within 45 minutes of St Andrews by car. Getting Around Fife A hire car is the practical choice for any golfer playing more than two or three courses. The road network in Fife is straightforward and largely free of congestion outside St Andrews town centre. Distances are compact: Kingsbarns is 11km (7 miles) southeast; Elie is 24km (15 miles) south; Lundin Links is 30km (19 miles) southwest; Ladybank is 32km (20 miles) west; Scotscraig is 26km (16 miles) north. Most golfers based in St Andrews can reach any course in Fife within 45 minutes. Clubs, Equipment, and Caddies Caddies are strongly recommended on the Old Course. The local knowledge on the Old Course is genuinely invaluable and transforms an enjoyable round into a memorable one. Weather and When to Visit Golf in Fife is a year-round proposition, though the experience varies significantly by season. May to September offers the longest days, the best weather reliability, and peak green fees. Late April and early October provide excellent conditions at shoulder-season pricing, with fewer crowds and the same course quality. Winter play (November to March) is possible on most courses, with green fees dropping substantially. The Dunhill Links Championship in early October is a significant draw for Fife at that time of year, with the Old Course, Kingsbarns, and Carnoustie all hosting the pro-am. The Open Championship at St Andrews – next scheduled for 2030 following the 150th edition in 2022 – creates enormous demand for the entire year in question and the year before. Booking Golf in Fife 📅 Securing Tee Times at the Top Courses The Old Course requires the most planning. Guaranteed commercial tee times through authorised operators sell out many months in advance – for peak season, 12 months ahead is not excessive. The daily ballot is drawn 48 hours before play and offers a more affordable route but demands flexibility and a willingness to adjust the day's schedule. Entering the annual private ballot in late August for the following year is the most popular approach. Kingsbarns releases tee times well in advance, and the booking process is straightforward through the club's website. Dumbarnie's visitor tee times are bookable directly via email or phone and the club is responsive to inquiries – booking 2–3 months ahead for peak summer is prudent. The East Neuk courses of Elie, Crail, Lundin, and Leven generally have more availability and bookable time slots within a 4–6 week window in summer. Elie is the notable exception: member priority severely limits visitor access at weekends in high season, and weekday play is strongly advisable for non-members. Ladybank and Scotscraig are the most accessible of Fife's top courses and can often be booked within days during the summer. The St Andrews Links Trust courses (New, Jubilee, Eden, Castle) are bookable through the Links Trust website or via authorised operators. Package deals combining two Links courses on consecutive days are offered and provide meaningful savings over individual bookings. Beyond the Fairways 🏰 When the Clubs Are Put Away St Andrews is a complete destination beyond golf. The University of St Andrews, founded in 1413 and the oldest in Scotland, gives the town an intellectual energy that distinguishes it from most golf destinations. The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral – once the largest in Scotland before the Reformation – and the adjacent St Andrews Castle are worth a morning's exploration. The British Golf Museum, adjacent to the R&A Clubhouse, is the finest golf heritage museum in the world and an essential context for any serious golfer visiting the Kingdom. The East Neuk villages – Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, and Crail – reward exploration on any day away from golf. The Pittenweem Arts Festival each August transforms the village into a gallery town; the working fishing harbour at Anstruther is active year-round; Crail's harbour, with its distinctive red pantile rooftops, is among the most photographed spots in Fife. Scotland's Secret Bunker near Anstruther, a Cold War nuclear command centre preserved underground, provides a genuinely surprising afternoon for the curious. Walking the Fife Coastal Path, which stretches 117km (73 miles) from the Forth Road Bridge to the Tay Bridge, is increasingly popular with non-golfing partners. The section from Largo to St Andrews is particularly rewarding and passes several of the region's best courses. The village of Falkland, home to Falkland Palace, a Renaissance royal hunting lodge that served as a retreat for Mary Queen of Scots, is worth the 30-minute drive inland for a complete change of pace. Insider Local Knowledge 💡 What the Guidebooks Miss The Old Course is closed every Sunday – a fact that surprises first-time visitors Ballot tee times on the Old Course are actually cheaper than commercial guaranteed times Elie's periscope starter system is worth arriving early for The Craigtoun Course (formerly Duke's) is now a St Andrews Links Trust property and offers a heathland experience completely unlike the links courses Lundin Links and Leven Links share the same stretch of coastline and are most rewarding played together; the contrast between Braid's hybrid Lundin design and Leven's traditional links format is instructive and thoroughly enjoyable Ladybank is easily overlooked but consistently surprises visitors who expect a 'lesser' inland course Pack waterproofs regardless of the forecast; Fife weather changes rapidly, and even the best forecasting is unreliable on the coast Golf in The Kingdom of Fife Awaits 🏴 Fife rewards planning but forgives those who arrive without much of it. The sheer density of outstanding golf means that a trip here produces memories that last a lifetime. The Kingdom of Golf earned its name long before marketing departments existed, and the courses that fill this guide prove it still deserves the title. Book the Old Course as early as possible, be flexible with everything else, and trust that Fife will deliver. It always does.
Book review – Divine Fury of James Braid: Professional Golf Standard Bearer We publish golf book reviews occasionally and this time we’re bringing to your attention a rather weighty tome from George E. Payne, an international Senior Amateur player from Scotland who’s married to a great-granddaughter of James Braid. It’s a meticulous chronicle of Braid the man, the professional golfer and the golf course architect whose legacy lives on today with the hundreds of golf courses that he designed and remodelled during his lifetime. The book is spread over three A4-sized volumes, totalling 1395 pages which are embellished with more than a thousand illustrations comprising photographs, anecdotes, snippets and old golf-related adverts. If you’re into records, statistics and golfing minutiae then this Braid opus is one you’ll not want to miss, even if it does come with a hefty price tag. Divine Fury was how writer Horace Hutchinson described the Braid golf swing back in the day and this book examines in great detail every little facet of the man behind it. The author spent more than 20 years researching the information for this book, cross-referencing the facts and figures contained in Braid’s Ledger Book with book quotations, newspaper clippings and supporting material from a myriad of other publications. It’s as comprehensive an account as anybody could ever wish to read about one man’s unique contribution to the game of golf and its development during the first half of the 20th century. Volume 1 The life of James Braid is closely scrutinised in Volume 1, starting out in the humble surroundings of Earlsferry, Fife in 1870 and ending eighty years later in a London nursing home when he sadly failed to recover from a routine appendix operation performed three weeks earlier. Along the way, we learn of his family background, his progression to work in London then his various exploits as a golf professional around the British Isles up until the start of World War II. The author describes Braid as “reserved to the point of shyness” but “his opinion, if he could be persuaded to give it, carried immense weight and his wisdom and judgement were universally recognised”. Fond of the odd glass of port and partial to a pinch of snuff in later life, we discover he was “a grand gallery player and crowd pleaser” who didn’t travel well, hence his lack of overseas play on the other side of the Atlantic. As an example of the many interesting anecdotes spread across the book, the author writes of Braid taking part in a fund-raising cricket match at Lord’s in 1903 when a team of Cricketing Golfers played a team of Golfing Cricketers. He managed to score seven runs during the match but his real moment of glory arrived when he was asked to bowl and he proceeded to take a wicket with his first ball bowled – underhand, full toss and at head height! Along with his close friend J.H. Taylor, Braid was instrumental in establishing The Professional Golfers’ Association in 1901, when both men were elected Joint Treasurers, and the following year he participated in the first edition of international matches between the Scottish and English members. In 1921 he played in an International tournament played at Gleneagles between professionals from Great Britain and the United States, which many consider as the precursor of the Ryder Cup matches which got under way six years later. Braid’s surname does not live on as he had no grandsons but his golfing legacy certainly endures and modern professional golf has a lot to thank him for. Volume 2 Who’d have known that James Braid would play in matches with a Prime Minister (Arthur Balfour at Kilspindie in 1904); female aristocracy (the Countess of Wemyss at Craigielaw in 1906); a famous contemporary architect (Harry Colt at Stoke Poges in 1911); and with golfing great Bobby Jones at Walton Heath in 1926 and 1930? Volume 2, running to 465 pages, provides the details for all of these games and the many hundreds of others that Braid played between 1891 at Braid Hills and 1940 at Sundridge Park (when he withdrew from an event for the only time in his playing career). The overall statistics for these matches is truly astonishing: playing more than eighteen hundred 18-hole rounds in matches, tournaments and qualifying events in various formats (singles, foursomes, four-ball better ball and stroke play) and setting the course record at 115 of the courses he played along the way. Braid qualified for twenty-eight of the thirty-nine Opens he entered between 1894 and 1938 (winning the championship five times) and he played in thirty-two consecutive News of the World match play tournaments, starting in 1903, winning what was at the time a very big event on the calendar four times. And his playing record against his big rivals Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor – the other two members of the Great Triumvirate – was also impressive (55 wins, 12 draws and 49 losses against the former and 41 wins, 11 draws and 36 defeats against the latter). Volume 3 Volume 3 extends to 661 pages so it’s by far the biggest of the three, with information on more than 550 course design projects that James Braid was involved in over 55 years, starting at his first club Romford in 1896. Over 130 golfing venues are listed for new 18-hole designs and another 80 are mentioned in relation to designing a 9-hole course or extending nine holes to an 18-hole layout. The remainder of Braid’s commissions were made up of course appraisals, modifications, re-modelling assignments and offering general advice. Unfortunately, some of Braid’s designs never got as far as construction, while others were eventually abandoned. All too sadly, a lot of work carried out has either disappeared over time or been much altered. Prominence is given to Braid’s best works at Gleneagles (1913-1924), Royal Aberdeen (1925-1935) and Carnoustie (1926 & 1930) in Scotland. South of the border, early designs are examined at the likes of Henley (in 1907) and Pennard (in 1908) then there’s coverage of later engagements at places such as Langland Bay in 1926 and Royal Blackheath the following year. Across the Irish Sea, Braid redesigned Bangor and reworked Mullingar among others in the mid-1930s. This might be the most interesting section of the book for students of golf course architecture, with painstakingly researched summaries of club histories and extensive newspaper and magazine accounts – from publications such as Golf Illustrated and Nisbet Golf Year Book – bringing the provenance of all these courses to life. Postscript If you’ve read and liked recent golf books like Derek Markham’s A Matter of Course: The life of Herbert Fowler 1856-1941 and Keith Cutten’s The Evolution of Golf Course Design then you’ll love this one too. You will have to dig a little deeper in your pocket to enjoy it – as the book costs £250.00 plus postage, which is not an inconsiderable amount of money– but we think it’s absolutely worth paying the price for such an important contribution to golf literature. Just a thought… if the purchase price is maybe a little beyond your means then you might consider asking your golf club to buy a copy – especially if its course is a Braid design – for general perusal of the membership. The James Braid story certainly deserves to be known by as many committed golfers as possible and it would be a real pity if the cost of acquiring this colossal undertaking hindered the telling of the tale to as wide an audience as possible. The book is available from YPD Books. Click this link to go to the order page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
Scottish Design Masters 2017 A report on the Scottish International Golf Course Architects Conference in Inverness Organised bytheGolf Tourism Development Group, a consortium including VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Scottish Golf Ltd and the PGA, the Scottish Design Masters conference in Inverness last week was aimed at improving the development, delivery and promotion of golf tourism in Scotland. Intended to showcase Scotland’s role in helping to shape golf course architecture from a global perspective, the conference also provided participants with the opportunity to debate the future direction of the industry based on a sustainable approach to golf course design and maintenance. Delegates and speakers arriving a day early visited the UHl Dornoch Campus for a tour of the Degree Programme, followed by an evening reception in the Royal Dornoch clubhouse. When this introductory session concluded, it was back to the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness for the main proceedings. Adam Lawrence, Golf Course Architecture Editor, hosted the conference and after a brief introduction to remind everyone that the theme for the day was “Celebrating Scotland’s Global Legacy” he invited Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary at the Scottish Government for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, to formally open the event. Dr Paul Miller from Elmwood College in Fife was first onto the podium to talk about “the modernisation of places for golf” and he spoke about how the game had evolved from using agriculturally unsuitable land around the coastline to building courses away from the links, closer to centres of population. His main concern was the danger of modernisation leading to standardisation and to illustrate this he quoted the situation where a group of foreign golfers had chosen to play a course with a conventional layout (four par threes, four par fives and ten par fours) instead of Elie, which has only two par threes and sixteen par fours – “eliminate random and lose the point” was his message. American Bradley S. Klein – author, design consultant and senior writer for Golfweek magazine – was the next keynote speaker. A former professor in international relations and political theory, he had previously caddied on the PGA Tour during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Brad spoke at length on the works of the prolific Dornoch-born architect Donald Ross, who was turning out new designs at the rate of twenty-five a year by 1920. From more than 400 courses that were fashioned during a prodigious career, Brad reckoned Whitinsville in Massachusetts and Teugega in New York were probably the best two untouched examples of his craft. Architect Martin Ebert, whose design firm now advises at seven of the current nine Open venues, spoke on the architectural influence that Scotland – and the Old Course at St Andrews in particular – has had down the years on the rest of the golfing world. Starting with Old Tom Morris then ending with Tom Doak, he catalogued a dozen golf course designers over more than a century who have had their thoughts shaped by the golfing ground in Scotland. Martin also gave a brief outline of some changes that he made recently to the Ailsa course at Trump Turnberry, where an extensive renovation has cemented the layout’s status as a World Top 100 track. Speaker number four was golf historian and clubhouse architect Mungo Park, the great-grandson of Willie Park Snr who won the first Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860, and it was his contention that Musselburgh – where more than a hundred clubmakers, ballmakers and keepers of the green made their mark on the golfing world in the late 19th and early 20th century – is as important to the development of the game as St Andrews. Mungo talked about several of Willie Park Jnr’s many designs at home and abroad, with a large number of these overseas courses laid out across Canada and the USA. International Golf Course Consultant Gordon Irvine, who learned his greenkeeping skills at Turnberry during the 1980s, told the tale of how the long-abandoned Old Tom Morris course at Askernish was rediscovered. Along with several others who felt like him that it was an opportunity “to give something back,” they met up on the island of South Uist to go in search of the old course on Lady Cathcart’s estate. After “looking for clues as they went along” they eventually identified twenty-one possible green sites for the course. Gordon then led the attempts to “beg, steal or borrow” assistance from the wider golfing community, resulting in the non-sanitised, irrigation-free layout which is now in play. Winding up business on the first day of the conference, Stuart McColm, the General Manager at Castle Stuart – where four of the last six Scottish Opens have been held – gave a talk entitled “If it isn’t difficult, it can’t be good.” His assertion that courses can be designed with plenty of fairway width, minimal carries and sensible green contours is one that surely resonates with many golfers who will also agree that courses can “test the best yet be playable for the rest”. Difficult course setups (where “eye of the needle golf” is considered to be “character building”) rarely allow the means to play a recovery shot, begging the question: where’s the fun in that sort of golf for the ordinary golfer? Day 1 of the conference over, it was onto Inverness Town House – which is currently hidden behind specialist material decorated with a full-size image of the building’s frontage whilst it undergoes a £4.5m refurbishment – for a civic reception and dinner hosted by the first-ever female Provost in the city, Councillor Helen Carmichael. Unfortunately, there was no chance of a late night out on the town because Day 2 of the event was scheduled for another sharp start so it was off to bed at a reasonable hour for the delegates with an early morning alarm set… Tom Mackenzie got things under way at the start of Day 2, where the theme for the session was “future approaches to sustainable golf course design”. Tom, who is Martin Ebert’s design partner and outgoing President of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, spoke about the importance of green sites (both the putting surfaces and surrounds) when designing a course. He also talked about a small club in Slovakia where a 9-hole course had been built within a modest budget for an enthusiastic group of ordinary golfers who saw the Scottish model of inclusive, accessible golf as being totally relevant to what they wanted to achieve. Thad Layton, senior architect from the Arnold Palmer Design Company, was next up and he talked about the four main components of his firm’s operation: variety, beauty, strategy and context. The second course he’s designing at Castle Stuart will have its own identity and Thad mentioned a few of the elements to be incorporated into the routing, such as the Castle garden (at holes 3 and 4), oak tree copses (at holes 8 and 9), the shoreline (at holes 7 and 14) and stone dykes (at holes 2 and 12). A 65-bedroomed lodge is also due to be completed by the summer of 2020, further enhancing Castle Stuart’s credentials as a golf destination. Richard Windows, official Agronomist to the R&A Championship Committee, works for the Sports Turf Research Institute, an organisation that offers independent advice for the design, construction and management of all types of playing surfaces, including football, rugby, tennis and cricket. As he explained, a large part of his work with golf courses (especially during the Open) involves testing green speed, firmness, moisture content and trueness then recording the results for performance measurement. Richard spoke in some detail of his attempts to assist clubs restore the running game and deliver authentic playing surfaces in a sustainable manner with minimal inputs. Sam Thomas from the Golf Environment Organization was the next speaker on his feet. For the last four years, Sam has been banging the drum about sustainable golf development with an international working group that includes leading golf industry figures, academics and government bodies. He told the conference that “sustainability is not a crazy revolution,” and that courses should be respectful of their surroundings,” citing the case at Bandon (Preserve) where net proceeds from this 13-hole par three circuit go directly to the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, an organisation which supports conservation, community and economy in the local area. Last, but certainly not least, Australian architect Bob Harrison gave the conference a wonderful insight into the 18-hole course that he’s been involved with on the Isle of Jura at Ardfin over the past five and a half years. The layout has been built on a difficult coastal site by Irish contractor SOL, with holes 1 to 6 completed eighteen months ago. Sand and gravel had to be shipped in from Ireland, along with turf from Yorkshire, making this one of the most onerous golf projects ever undertaken in Scotland. Ardfin House and nearby farmhouse buildings (soon to become a 15-room lodge) are also being renovated with a compact pitch and putt course sited in front of the guest accommodation. In many ways, Ardfin epitomises the fact that golf is played all over the mainland and islands of Scotland, no matter how remote or demanding the location. With business on Day 2 drawing to a close, it was only a few hours until the Highlands & Islands-sponsored closing dinner took place in one of the Kingsmills Hotel’s formal dining rooms, preceded by a highly entertaining whisky tasting presentation from the sales manager at the community-owned craft whisky distillery at Glenwyvis. Reflecting on what had been said at conference over the preceding two days, host Adam Lawrence commented: “It was a fantastic event. I learned something new from every single presentation. In my 12 years in the golf industry, I feel it was the most informative conference I have ever attended.” Gordon Todd, from the Golf Tourism Development Group, added: “This was a conference of its time with a lot of discussion ongoing at the moment about how to attract more people into golf. It was a privilege to host such a distinguished line-up of speakers who provided educational and inspiring talks which could influence thinking for years to come.” Thanks to conference sponsors Highland Council, Visit Inverness Loch Ness, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Toro Ltd and Highland Golf Links for their generous support and to Cecilia Gregor at Planit Scotland for all her help. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
