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— Center of the Golfing Universe —

— Elie Golf House Club —
Elie Golf Club Links
Elie, Fife Coast, Central Scotland

Ancient seaside links near St. Andrews.
One of Scotland’s classic courses

Length & Par: 
    Par 70, 6273 yards

Greens Fees per ROUND:
        Weekdays May thru October: £70
        Weekend May thru October: £80

Greens Fees per DAY:
        Weekdays May thru October: £90
        Weekend May thru October: £100

Credit Cards Accepted: VISA, MasterCard

Open and Playable Year Round

Advance Booking of Tee-Times Required September through June;
Visitors welcome any day except Sunday. Advance tee-times not possible during July and August, when daily ballot (lottery) in operation. Call for details.

Facilities:
        Changing rooms for men and women
        Club Shop
        Driving Range
        Practice area and putting green
        Full bar and restaurant

Rentals:
        Clubs: YES
        Shoes: NO
        Pull carts (trolleys): YES
        Golf carts: None
        Caddies: YES—pre-bookable

LOCATION: 12 miles south of St. Andrews, Scotland, 2 miles west of Pittenweem, on the coast road, A917. From St. Andrews take the A915 to Largoward, then the B941 and B942 to Elie. From Edinburgh, follow the signs for the Forth Road Bridge—A92. Leave Kirkcaldy on the A021/A915 to Leven, Lundin Links, and Upper Largo. Then follow the A917 east to Elie.

Address:  Elie Golf House Club
                Golf Course Lane
                Elie
                Fife, KY9 1AS Scotland

Bookings (from the USA):   TEL:  011 44 (0)1333 330301 (Club Secretary)
                                  TEL:  011 44 (0)1333 330327 (Club House)
                                          FAX: 011 44 (0)1333 330895
                                          e-mail: sandy@golfhouseclub.freeserve.co.uk
  or, have Home at First book a tee-time for you as part of your Scotland travel itinerary—it's FREE!

Minimum Handicap Required: Men—24, Women—36;
all players must provide handicap certificates.

Special Rules and Regulations:    Smart casual wear is acceptable on the course and in the clubhouse other than in the smoking lounge, where jacket, collar and tie are required. Jeans and collar less tee shirts are not permitted while shorts must be tailored and worn with knee length hose.

Nearest HOME AT FIRST lodgings:
    In Dairsie (near St. Andrews), Fife, Scotland, 20 minutes drive north of Elie. Other Home at First lodgings are located in Edinburgh, 30-40 minutes from Elie, and in the Central Highlands (Perthshire and Stirling) about 90-110 minutes from Elie.

More about HOME AT FIRST's SCOTLAND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS travel program.
More information about HOME AT FIRST's EDINBURGH travel program.

THE HISTORY: Golf around Elie and neighboring Earlsferry villages began during the earliest days of the game—probably in the 15^th century. When Earlsferry received its new royal town charter to replace that lost in a fire in 1589, the new document reaffirmed the right of the locals to play golf on the village-owned links land.
        Originally, golf was a casual pastime played on common coastal wasteland without uniform rules. But, as neighboring communities began to organize golfing societies or golf clubs—such as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield—Elie and Earlsferry enthusiasts created their own, the Elie and Earlsferry Golf Club, in 1832.
        For forty-three years the club met at a local tavern before finally deciding to build a clubhouse (a "Golf House") on their links ground. The men very democratically agreed to share their course with the Elie and Earlsferry Ladies Golf Club, which formed in 1884 and remains large and active to the present day.

THE COURSE AND SOME NOTABLE HOLES: Elie links are set on a wide, open bay overlooking the broad Firth of Forth. Immediately across the firth to the south is Muirfield, where the British Open is regularly played. An equal distance to the north across Fife is St. Andrews Old Course, most famous of all golf courses and "Home of Golf". Like Muirfield and St. Andrews, Elie is an ancient links course that wasn’t so much "designed" as "evolved". Its logical use of the natural lay of the links land provides it with some excellent holes, some mediocre holes, and some unusual holes, and gives the course the accidental "character" that architects try—but so often fail—to design into carefully crafted modern courses.
        The best known character element at Elie is the starter’s use of a periscope relic from a World War II Royal Navy submarine to see over a blind rise to the first fairway.
        Oddly, one of golf’s greatest and most prolific course designers, Scottish legend James Braid, was born and raised at Elie/Earlsferry, but had no hand in the course design. Still, Braid was so fond of the course that he nominated its 13^th hole, tucked beneath the cliffs at Kincraig Point, as golf’s finest hole.
        Like many links courses, Elie is not especially long, being just under 6300 yards. With no par 5’s and only two par 3’s, Elie could suffer from a lack of variety and, therefore, challenge. But true links courses get their challenge as much from the weather as from their distance, undulations, and natural hazards. And the winds—which at Elie are known to shift 180 degrees during a round—and the rain—which at Elie only occasionally falls vertically—add all the challenge of the wild links.
        But it’s not just the weather that helps make Elie a memorable course. There are wonderful views over the Firth of Forth, and seals within sight of the 11th tee. And then there’s the smell of tradition that pervades the place. While most Americans wouldn’t abide quirkiness like periscopes and jacket-and-tie in the smoking lounge at home, there’s something strangely appropriate to such holdovers from the 19^th century—and, likely, much earlier—here at Elie.

THE REGION: The Kingdom of Fife is a realm where golf is king. Within a few minutes drive of Elie are several other classic Scottish links courses: Lundin Links and Leven Links near Leven, to the west, Crail to the east, and, of course, the great St. Andrews to the north. Visitors could easily play a different great links course here for a week and not stray far from home. Even golfers whose handicaps don’t make the cut for places like St. Andrews and Elie still can play golf on true links courses that don’t have the restrictions—there are 4 fine courses at St. Andrews, and only the Old Course has handicap restrictions.
        If Golf is The Thing in the Kingdom of Fife, it’s not the only thing. The coast is well worth exploring for its fishing villages, like Pittenweem and Crail, its coast roads, and its seafood. St. Andrews town—even without golf—is a worthy attraction, with a grand and fascinating history and a proud, upscale present, with shops and restaurants for all tastes and pocketbooks. Not far from Fife is Scotland’s most captivating city, Edinburgh, with its great castle, important museums, quality shops and restaurants, and vibrant festivals—all set on a rocky perch fit for Prometheus. Not far west is Scotland’s center, the start of the Highlands, a land of lakes and mountains and small villages full of friendly people eager to show off their traditional hospitality—traditional Scottish scenery and customs, and a great center for touring throughout much of Scotland.

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.