Crail Golfing Society - Balcomie Links

For the past two years I’ve been saying to myself, “I’ll go play Crail soon. Not today, but soon.” It was a very spontaneous decision to hop on the bus to Crail yesterday with my good buddy Matt, and I only wish we had made the short journey sooner.

After taking the bus along the coast to the village of Crail, we sat down in The Golf Inn for a hearty lunch before walking the two miles out to the course. Little did we know at the time, it was in the Golf Inn in 1786, 227 years ago, that the Crail Golfing Society was born. This establishes Crail as the 7^th oldest golf club in the world.

The walk out to the golf course was short lived as local farmer and Crail member Allan Steven offered us a ride in the back of his truck. Allan turned out to be invaluable during the day as he signed us in as his guests (drastically slashing our rates), offered his local course knowledge, and then showed up at the end of our round to drive us back into Crail. Ellen had been living in the East Neuk of Fife since 1937 and an entire blog post could be written solely on the stories he had to offer.

The Balcomie Course at Crail was laid out by the old Tom Morris and was opened in 1895. The course serves as a textbook for utilizing the natural shape of the land to dictate the design. The Balcomie links is fairly short with a par of 69, and as with any classic links course, the true defense lies with the wind. During our round we had nothing but a nice breeze, and low scores were to be had. 

Nearly the entire front 9 can be seen from the first tee. It is a breathtaking view and it instills an anxiousness to play the round and explore the course. The first hole is a downhill par 4, easing the golfer into the round. 

The second hole is seen hugging the coast line past the lifeboat shed on the right in the above picture. The medal tee is just to the right of the shed. The fairway follows the natural contour of the coast, leading to the green 493 yards away in the back right corner of the picture. 

The 5th, "Hell's Hole," requires a forced carry over a section of peninsula to reach the fairway, something seen on the 4th hole as well. It is the number one handicap hole and was one of my favorites. The first five holes all have the sea on the right and work very naturally along the coast line. 

The 9th hole is a short 309 yards, but the approach can be deviously difficult with the bunker on the left and wall hugging the green on the right. One has to wonder if Old Tom Morris had Prestwick's first hole in mind when he incorporated the wall as a hazard right of the green. I loved this green complex.

The 13th hole was one of the most difficult holes, and certainly the most difficult par 3 on the course. It was 215 yards uphill and into the wind during our round. The green is very undulating, making the blind tee shot even more difficult. The pin can be made out just to the left of the dark stone building in the picture. 

The 147 yard fourteenth hole could be considered the "signature" hole with its stunning tee box view. It is reminiscent of the 7th hole at Pebble Beach. The hole can be seen from the first tee and both Matt and I were very eager to play it from the onset of the round.

The 16th hole is one of four par 3s on the back nine on the Balcomie Links. It is another uphill, blind hole measuring 162 yards from the medal tees. The green is much less severe than the 13th, making it a good, but unquestionably easier, par 3.

The closing hole is a long 205 yard par 3 in direct view of the clubhouse. You can almost feel the members watching, and after our round during a conversation with some members, our suspicions were confirmed. It simply takes a very solid shot to hit this small green. End with a par and you'll be very happy.

I look forward to more rounds at Crail, including a round at their Gil Hans designed Craighead Links. I would strongly encourage anyone on a St Andrews golf trip to make the short journey out to Crail. It is a taste of traditional Scottish links and the traditional Scottish golf club. It requires "linksy" shots and creativity to play well. I'll be making sure my next round is with Ellen Steven!

Prestwick Golf Club

My rounds at Prestwick were early during my time in Scotland, and I hope to make it back to the course soon to write a more extensive hole-by-hole review.

Prestwick Golf Club is one of my favorite courses in Scotland. The club exudes golfing history and the course embodies the meaning of quirky Scottish links. The course was bred in its infancy by one of my heroes, Old Tom Morris. Prestwick hosted the first eleven Open Championships and its members were responsible for creation of the championship belt and claret jug. There are few courses with more early golfing history. Prestwick hosted its last Open in 1914.

I have been to Prestwick twice for a total of three rounds. My first visit was during a University of St Andrews Men’s Golf Club match against Prestwick Golf Club. The traditional match began with tea and coffee before a morning foursomes round. After the morning round, players put their coat and tie on for a large traditional lunch followed by kummel. After lunch it is back to the course for a second afternoon foursomes round. The traditional Scottish golf club match is a great full day experience. After many drinks, two rounds, and a great lunch, you have made friends at another club that can last a lifetime.

My second visit to Prestwick was three weeks later and I expected to be treated as an average anonymous visitor. Instead, upon arriving at the course, the club secretary immediately came out to personally greet Matt and myself. Recognizing my name from the starter sheet he said, “You just had to come back for more!?” We were served coffee in the members’ smoking room and then allowed to use the members’ locker room during our stay. It is this personal touch, matched with great golf, which makes Prestwick one of my favorite courses in Scotland.

I did not manage to take many photos during any of my rounds at Prestwick. The course gets mixed reviews from guests who come expecting great views and a modern championship track. This is the wrong attitude to adopt when playing Prestwick. Instead, embrace the history and quirkiness of the great place, and prepare yourself for plenty of blind shots.

I remember nearly every hole at Prestwick very well, but certain holes stand out in my memory. A stonewall runs down the entire right side of the first hole, making for a challenging opening tee shot. The 5th hole is a truly blind par 3 with a large hill standing between tee and green. Golfers know which section of hill to hit over using stone markers on the horizon line and a box on the tee marking pin positions. The 17^th hole is another blind approach to a well bunkered and sloping green. These quirky holes add to the experience and the whole club has an ambience harkening back to the days of Old Tom Morris. The 18th hole is short and can be driven depending on the wind. It’s not the most challenging finish, but it leaves a great taste in your mouth to finish with a birdie! 

Dundonald is a  Kyle Phillips design on the Ayrshire coast. The course has a distinctly American feel, while also featuring the burns, dunes, and firm turf of a links course. It stands in stark contrast to Prestwick both in design and history, having only been built in 2003. It is owned by, and is a designated sister course of, Loch Lomond Golf Club. If in the Ayrshire area and looking for a very challenging and long course, check out Dundonald. We played the course on a very windy day, and we were beaten into submission on the back nine.

The picture posted below is a bunker behind a par 3 green on Dundonald. It was one of the deepest and smallest bunkers I have ever seen.