Ladybank - Fife - Scotland

We'd managed to secure an early tee time on the Old Course and decided to add Ladybank to our itinerary with a 3pm tee time.

We all felt the front 9 was fairly nondescript, but the course came to life on the back 9.

A good members course that is probably more parkland than heathland in layout, and was in very good condition.

Probably the tougher of the two main non-links courses in the area, (even) more trees than Scotscraig.

Both well worth a visit.

If you’re in Fife and looking for a game away from the links then Ladybank would be as good a choice as anywhere.

In fact few courses away from the coast in Scotland can better what is on offer at this mature and well-conditioned private-members venue.

Most of the holes, some of which have a more parkland feel, bend slightly through the narrow woodland of Scots Pine and Silver Birch although the third is a sharp dog-leg and the par-five seventh is a tricky S-shaped design. Others have a more modest dog-leg and getting in position from the tee at Ladybank is paramount to recording a good score. This is not always easy though due to the slender nature of the playing corridors.

The terrain is quite flat and it isn’t until the ninth that we see any sort of significant movement in the land with a deceiving dip located just in front of the green. The back nine contains some further modest changes in elevation towards the end of the round.

All of the short holes are pretty and have well defended greens but it is the par-fours that are the real strength of Ladybank. The par fives work well too.

Offering good value and with a strong reputation Ladybank is more than very pleasant, provides a fine test and comes highly recommended – especially the warm welcome you receive from the Pro Shop - but it doesn’t quite stir the golfing soul like the links courses of Scotland but then again what does.

Ed is the founder of Golf Empire – click the link to read his full review.

Given all the reviews on this website and its 8th place in the Fife ranking, we went with high expectations to this inland golf venue in Fife.

I felt a bit underwhelmed when arriving at Ladybank, but maybe I did not realise I was not at a venue set-up to accommodate the majority of golfers visiting Fife, but at a typical members course, set-up just to service its members and the occasional visitor.

The calm & peace that this venue radiates, took some time to sink in. It lasted a few holes before I thoroughly enjoy the surroundings and the tranquillity of this venue. It offers the ideal setting for playing a relaxing round of golf. And despite my mediocre score, I had a very satisfied feeling when we left the last green.

The course offers a nice collection of holes that charmingly meander through the pines. The design is fairly mature, not overly difficult or spectacular, but very well maintained. I found the green complexes very good in design: a challenge to approach and I enjoyed to subtle breaks of the putting surfaces.

So if you are looking for a golf course offering all the bells and whistles of a spectacular round of golf, maybe Ladybank does not meet all your expectations.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a charming & tranquil golf test at a welcoming members club, Ladybank will not disappoint.

OCB

I´ve been playing Ladybanks twice. First time on my first visit to Scotland (for golf) in 2006 and the second time last summer during the Open. I must say it surprises me that Ladybanks has slipped through the rankings and is now outside the top 100. Perhaps it´s should not be compared to the great links-courses that sits above it in the ranks. But for me it should beat Dukes any day of the week. Last summer on the morning of the last day of the Open me and my son played and I found it to be the same as it was almost 10 years earlier. A very very good - what you see is what you get - heathland course with holes that mostly runs by themselves (even if its a small amount of land) and just feels pleasant to play. For me it´s the opposite to Dukes and in a good way. A perfect members course and a lovely way to spend a few hours on. We played it in around 3 hours without any rush. It was in great shape and the greens were the best I played all last year. I can agree that the holes are not super-memorable but that´s ok because there not one bad golf hole on the course and that's rare. Played Leven on the same trip and I would put Ladybank ahead of that as well - even if it´s not fair to compare 2 such diffent courses. So do it right and put Ladybank back in the top 100. It belongs there as an example of that a course does not need to have great view or billion dollar investments to be a good course. For everyone who loves to play a great course without the rush and hype of Carnoustie or Old Course, perhaps as a day off the links in high winds or just to take a breather. Go here - you won´t be disappointed.

played this course a few times over the years and after a spell away returned in August for a round with friends to whom i had explained would be in for a treat.What a disappointing day we had. The fairways and greens were in very good condition but the rough was terrible. Being in the trees which line the fairway is punishment enough but having to look for your ball every time just becomes tedious and slows down play. Our group lost a number of balls some 6 - 12 inches from the fairway, and while we understand that its the fairways that are to be hit, it still rankles to lose a ball just off the fairway. Members didnt seem overly keen on the rough either when speaking to them, although they were very friendly and helpful.Overall the course itself is a great layout and a challenge to all levels of golfer but i think that the members should perhaps advise their committee to their views as i believe that the presentation of the course was much better when the rough was managed better.

I took advantage today of a special October twilight green fee rate to revisit the course at Ladybank for the first time in seven years. It’s wasn’t nearly as flat as I remembered as there are some lovely subtle changes in elevation during the round, particularly on the testing stretch of par fours between the 14th and the home hole.

Excepting the four par threes – which are rather disappointing, apart from the beautifully bunkered 10th – all the holes kink one way or the other, placing an absolute premium on ball placement off the tee.

Greens are understated, lie of the land affairs with a few multi-tiered examples thrown into the mix for good measure – I particularly liked the stepped green at the 9th which lies behind a cunning dip in front of the putting surface.

Every single links-like fairway was in pristine condition, allowing plenty of roll for tee shots and running approaches to pin positions. All in all, Ladybank’s one of the best inland tracks in the country however, if I look at the current Top100 chart positions for Fife, I really cannot see how it is placed higher than four others in the district, namely the Duke’s, Jubilee, Lundin and Leven.

For me, it punches way above its weight in the rankings but good luck to the club for doing so in such a competitive region of outstanding golf courses.

Jim McCann.

A pretty inland heathland course which I played in winds the likes of which I have only previously experienced on a coastal links. The course conditioning was excellent in September. Despite the flat land, the course offers a strong challenge with doglegs and dead ground aplenty and abundant heather. Unlike at other heathland courses finding your ball should not be too difficult, but not expecting too much of a shot played from the heather is best. From the 8th onwards the holes are excellent, with a particularly strong finishing stretch.

Claims that this course is the greatest in-land course in Scotland are absolute non-sense. Admittedly it is very well manicured and excellently presented but these attributes alone do not elevate it to such a status. Given the lofty ranking I expected a very solid and memorable golf course but I am afraid that is not the case in the slightest. It was just over a month that I played and all I can remember are the 1st and the 18th holes. I have played approximately 20% of The Scottish top 100 courses and to date this has been the biggest disappointment by far. What augments my disappointment is that I am very pro “in-land course” and often find many of the traditional links courses to be overrated. After viewing the website and reading some of the previous reviews I did not expect Ladybank to be such a bland affair. If you want to play some fine in land courses head to the moorlands of North Glasgow.

I strongly suspect that the Council/Committee meetings at Ladybank GC are very boring and uneventful. If not, what the heck could possibly be causing controversy or complaint? The course is lovely, the condition is tip-top, the setting is relaxed and secluded, the practice facilities are extensive and well-maintained, the pro-shop is well stocked, the changing facilities are spacious, the environs of the club are meticulous, the clubhouse is comfortable and welcoming and the bacon rolls are yummy. Everything about Ladybank radiates a quiet, and utterly justified, confidence. However, there ‘s no hint of complacency - for example, the young chap in the pro-shop (the assistant pro I guess?) was very professional and helpful with his “meet and greet” info. The Ladybank course is not massively long and it’s pancake flat but if you think it’s going to be easy just check out the qualifying scores for this year’s Open – the course was hardly ripped to shreds with two 68s qualifying, and a glance further down the score sheet shows Ladybank was more that a match for many of the aspiring Open competitors. Much as I appreciate the course I can’t quite bring myself to award six balls. There are many very good holes but I think two or three outstanding holes are required to take the course into the six ball category and the lack of natural elevation changes does lessen the impact a little. It’s a comfortable and strong five-baller – and when I was organising a wee birthday treat for my old man I took him to Ladybank knowing he would be impressed. He was. Anyone who isn’t impressed here is inhabiting a different golfing planet from me and my old man. Derek, Edinburgh, September, 2010.