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— Center of the Golfing Universe —

— Crail Golfing Society —
Balcomie and Craigshead Links
Crail, Fife Coast, Central Scotland

BALCOMIE LINKS ON THE NORTH SEA COAST    

Length & Par: 
Balcomie Links:
    White Tees:   Par 69, 5922 yards
    Yellow Tees:  Par 67, 5453 yards
    Red Tees:      Par 69, 5230 yards
Craighead Links:
    White Tees:   Par 71, 6728 yards
    Yellow Tees:  Par 70, 6250 yards
    Red Tees:      Par 71, 5372 yards


Greens Fees per ROUND:
        Weekdays April thru September: £52
        Weekends April thru September: £65

Greens Fees per DAY:
        Weekdays April thru September: £72
        Weekends April thru September: £92

Credit Cards Accepted: AMEX, VISA, MasterCard

Open and Playable Year Round

Advance Booking of Tee-Times Strongly Recommended; Visitors welcome any day
from 9AM-12noon and from 1:30-4:30PM

Facilities:
Changing rooms for men and women
        Club Shop
        Instruction: coaching clinics
        Practice area and putting green
        Full bar and restaurant

Rentals:
        Clubs: £12 ($18)
        Pull carts (trolleys): £3 ($4.50)
        Golf carts: None
        Caddies: £20 ($30)

LOCATION: 11 miles southeast of St. Andrews, Scotland, on A917, then two miles from Crail to Fifeness on Scotland's legendary Fife Coast.

Address:  Crail Golfing Society
                 Balcomie Club House
                Fifeness, Crail
                Fife, KY10 3XN Scotland

Bookings (from the USA):   TEL:  011 44 (0)1333 450686
                                          FAX: 011 44 (0)1333 450416

Minimum Handicap Required: NONE

Special Rules and Regulations:    Smart golfing attire required; No headwear or golf shores allowed in club house.

Nearest HOME AT FIRST lodgings:
    In Dairsie, Fife, Scotland, 25 minutes drive northwest.
    More information about HOME AT FIRST's SCOTLAND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS travel program.

THE WORLDS 7TH OLDEST GOLF CLUB
        The Crail Golfing Society organized February 23, 1786, by creating a golf course on the coast just outside the picturesque Scottish fishing village of Crail, not far at all from St. Andrews and Edinburgh, on Scotland’s Fife Coast, cradle of the sport.
        In 1895 golf legend Old Tom Morris (British Open winner 1861, ’62, ’64, & ’67; and father of 4-time winner Young Tom Morris: ’68, ’69, ’70, ’72) designed for the Crail Golfing Society an extension to an existing 8-hole course at Fifeness, the point where the Firth of Forth meets St. Andrews Bay. The resulting course, Balcomie Links, has become one of the classic Scottish links courses along the dramatic Fife coast on the North Sea. The November, 2000, issue of Golf World included Balcomie Links on its list of the top 100 golf courses in the British Isles.
        One hundred years later, the society added a second links: Craighead. American designer Gil Hanse created Craighead and incorporated many of the best aspects of Scotland's classic links, especially featuring panoramic seascapes and country views with wide sweeping fairways, large greens, and treacherous bunkers.

BALCOMIE LINKS:
        The first five holes are located on the bluffs overlooking the North Sea. Golf here is breathtakingly beautiful, especially on the front nine at the second, fourth and fearsome fifth ("Hell's Hole"). Each hole on the course has its own character. The uphill par 3’s, especially the back-to-back 13th and 14th, will test any golfer. Balcomie is not a flat links. There are a couple of severe changes in terrain, especially after hole 18 heading back to the clubhouse.

THE NEW CRAIGHEAD LINKS:
        Like Balcomie, Craighead features stunning views across the North Sea to the distant mountains of Angus. Craighead, at 6,728 yards, a Par 71 (SSS 73), is both longer and rated more difficult than its venerated older brother. And it maintains the Balcomie tradition of many large bunkers and no two consecutive holes facing the same direction to make playing the wind a constant challenge. High rough on both sides of every fairway, heavy bunkering of fairways and greens as well as very undulating and elevated greens make Craighead a very difficult course.

CRAIL'S NEW CRAIGHEAD LINKS: POT BUNKERS ARE SOMETIMES
THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF THE WIND 

CRAIL GOLFING SOCIETY:
        Despite its long history steeped in Scottish golf traditions, the Crail Golfing Society makes visitors from all over the world feel at home. Its clubhouse is very relaxing with more than one way to warm golfers after a round in North Sea weather. No visit to Crail is complete without a tour of clubhouse cabinets—a round of golfing history almost unparalleled in the sport.

Want to learn about other courses throughout the British Isles
including some of the greatest tests of golf in the world?
See our SCOTLAND, IRELAND, ENGLAND, and WALES Course Guides for more information.