Fife and East Lothian with a novice golfer - where to play?

[Lloyd_Cole]

Firstly the good news - Finally, a member of my family wants to play golf with me! My 15 year old is all of a sudden golf mad and he's coming along not badly as a player... but he's not ready for the Old Course, or Western Gailes, etc. Looks like I have a concert in Glasgow around the end of the Commonwealth Games so I'm bringing the boy with and hopefully we'll have 4 days in East Lothian and Fife. I'm looking to play maybe 3 courses and I'm thinking Crail, Lundin and North Berwick and an afternoon at the Himalayas. But nothing is organised yet so I'm looking for suggestions. Where would you take a keen novice? Where are we likely to have most fun and lose the least amount of balls? Elie, for example is great fun unless you hit it off line, and then there can be ages spent in that knee length grass. I'm thinking I'd like to play courses without so much of that in play... ideas anyone? It's been a while since I've been to Crail or N Berwick and I can't recall how much penal rough is in play...

[Jim Sherma]

Eden could be fun and convenient. The new holes aren't great, but not that awful either. There's a lot of fun on the Colt greens.

[Jon Wiggett]

Lloyd,

I would recommend Kilspindie next to Gullane. Cracking down to earth members club that encompasses everything the traditional Scottish Golf Club should be. Super links course with plenty of quirk, not to long yet challenging and fun for the accomplished player yet equally player for the novice. Interesting clubhouse with lots of character and history

If I had to play one course every day for the rest on my life it would be this one.

Jon

[Bill_McBride]

Wherever you play you will have a great time!   Elie, was the rough that bad?  Crail Balcomie, Lundin, Leven, all hard on the sea.  The Glen at North Berwick is fun if you're there overnight.  Kilspindie sounds like a great suggestion. 

[Lloyd_Cole]

Suggestions of where to stay would also be greatly appreciated. Something basic in a town so we could walk to dinner would be ideal. Isn't there supposed to be a great pub opposite N Berwick?

[Carl Johnson]

Wherever you play you will have a great time!   Elie, was the rough that bad?  Crail Balcomie, Lundin, Leven, all hard on the sea.  The Glen at North Berwick is fun if you're there overnight.  Kilspindie sounds like a great suggestion. 

Second The Glen.  Dunbar might be a good choice, too.  What do others have to say about that one?  I'm having a hardtime remembering it.

[Mike Hendren]

Lloyd,

I would recommend Kilspindie next to Gullane. Cracking down to earth members club that encompasses everything the traditional Scottish Golf Club should be. Super links course with plenty of quirk, not to long yet challenging and fun for the accomplished player yet equally player for the novice. Interesting clubhouse with lots of character and history

If I had to play one course every day for the rest on my life it would be this one.

Jon

+1



Bogey

[Chris Shaida]

2 years ago I took my 15 year old (maybe a 28 handicap at the time) to Gullane.  We had coffee and breakfast at Falco (the German baker several blocks from the course) then played #3 (the shortest course) in about 2 and 1/2 hours.  Had Lunch at The Old Clubhouse. Spent an hour with Archie Baird walking through his fabulous collection of golf history.  Then, since my son was hitting the ball pretty well, we played #2.  Had dinner at La Pontiniere.  Hard to beat.

[Jim Sherma]

2 years ago I took my 15 year old (maybe a 28 handicap at the time) to Gullane.  We had coffee and breakfast at Falco (the German baker several blocks from the course) then played #3 (the shortest course) in about 2 and 1/2 hours.  Had Lunch at The Old Clubhouse. Spent an hour with Archie Baird walking through his fabulous collection of golf history.  Then, since my son was hitting the ball pretty well, we played #2.  Had dinner at La Pontiniere.  Hard to beat.

My son is about to turn 7, may I have this day with him in 8 years!

[Bill_McBride]

Suggestions of where to stay would also be greatly appreciated. Something basic in a town so we could walk to dinner would be ideal. Isn't there supposed to be a great pub opposite N Berwick?

Check out the Glebe House in North Berwick, gorgeous Georgian manse turned B&B.  Walk to either course, and a block above the High Street.

[Mark Pearce]

Lloyd,

Balcomie must be on your list.  Very little deep rough and a blast.  Elie really isn't that bad, rough wise.  My now 17 year old has loved playing there since he was 12 and has never had a problem with losing balls.  Even better, as a kid he was able to make lots of pars and even birdies at Elie.  It's a brilliant course for juniors and should be on the list.  

I'd put Eden on the list.  Leven and Lundin are really good but, I suspect, might be a bit tough.  In East Lothian only Kilspindie really hits the mark.

[Sean_A]

Firstly the good news - Finally, a member of my family wants to play golf with me! My 15 year old is all of a sudden golf mad and he's coming along not badly as a player... but he's not ready for the Old Course, or Western Gailes, etc. Looks like I have a concert in Glasgow around the end of the Commonwealth Games so I'm bringing the boy with and hopefully we'll have 4 days in East Lothian and Fife. I'm looking to play maybe 3 courses and I'm thinking Crail, Lundin and North Berwick and an afternoon at the Himalayas. But nothing is organised yet so I'm looking for suggestions. Where would you take a keen novice? Where are we likely to have most fun and lose the least amount of balls? Elie, for example is great fun unless you hit it off line, and then there can be ages spent in that knee length grass. I'm thinking I'd like to play courses without so much of that in play... ideas anyone? It's been a while since I've been to Crail or N Berwick and I can't recall how much penal rough is in play...

Consider Gullane #3. 

http://www.thewing.co.uk/home.html for the East Links side of town.

The Nether Abbey too is decent - on the West Links side of town.

Ciao

Ciao

[Stewart Abramson]

Rather than drive 90 minutes from Glasgow to East Lothian and Fife, you might consider some of the west coast links such as Irvine (Bogside)  and Kilmarnock (Barassie) which are about 35 or 40 minutes away. If you do end up driving east,  Dunbar is a great choice.  Gullane #3, Kilspindie,  Luffness and Longniddry are good choices too. If your son is really a novice you might consider Winterfield, located in Dunbar.  It is short and forgiving (except for the first hole) and a very good course for a beginner.   Although I love North Berwick, I think it is a very tough course for a novice. Same with Lundin and Leven.  For a nice B&B in North Berwick, front door facing the firth of forth, try Seaholm B&B walking distance to North Berwick West Links and the Glen. In any event, enjoy the time with your son. It will be great!


P1010222 - Dunbar GC #15 approach zoomed r

http://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/sets/72157633702212806/  Dunbar photo tour


P1010156 - Winterfield GC #11 bunkers are hidden until you get close r

http://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/sets/72157633690671790/  Winterfield photo tour


Bass Rock, Firth of Forth view from front door of Seaholm B&B, North Berwick Scotland1010408

http://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/sets/72157642025310973/  Seaholm B&B/ North Berwick Beach

[Niall C]

Lloyd

Hopefully we will have a good summer over here which will mean there won't be too much rough anywhere. Fingers crossed.

If it was me, playing with a beginner, I would go for the shorter courses with little by way of carry of the tees, that perhaps are a little more tolerant of golfers with L plates on and the obvious course to my mind is Gullane No. 3. Relatively open, short, great fun and some captivating views which hopefully will inspire you and your son. For similiar reasons I'd also go with Jon's choice of Kilspindie. After that Balcomie, Crail seems a good shout with perhaps the Eden as an introduction to St Andrews.

Niall

[Lloyd_Cole]

Thanks very much everyone. This is very helpful and I will take the advice and go with, if we can get on.... Kilspindie, Balcomie, and maybe Gullane 3 and Eden. Very exciting for me too, as I've only played Crail, of the four.

[Mark Pearce]

Lloyd,

For what it's worth I just discussed this with Cameron, who is 17 and has played all of these except Kilspindie as a teenager.  He  reckons from his perspective that Elie is more fun and easier than all four!

[Rich Goodale]

Lloyd

Firstly, good to hear from you again, and hope all is well.  Secondly, unless you have a gig in Edinburgh and/or want to show your son a bit more of Scotland, think about staying in the west e.g. (Glasgow Gailes, West Kilbride and then a real treat at Prestwick).  Unless your son is extraordinarily wild off the tee, any of those courses would enthrall him, and you too!

If you must go east, forget about East Lothian this time, but if you must go there, stay at Gullane and play #2, #3, #4 and even #1.  If you can, slip him onto Muirfield and make sure he carries 20-30 balls with him.  Possibly the best golfing experience in Scotland.  If you want to go to Fife, stay in St. Andrews and play the Strathtyrum (superb for a beginner and challenging enough to be a regular stop on the Scottish Seniors Golf Society's Winter Tour) and the Eden.  Save a day to allow Mark P. to comp you at Elie, and don't give him and Cameron any strokes.

Bon Voyage

Rich

[Lloyd_Cole]

Lloyd,

For what it's worth I just discussed this with Cameron, who is 17 and has played all of these except Kilspindie as a teenager.  He  reckons from his perspective that Elie is more fun and easier than all four!

Ha! OK... Well, my old manager may be there so it's still on the agenda. Maybe it was a wet Summer last time I was there because the fescue was very high in places.

[Ian Andrew]

Hi lloyd,

I played Highlands Links with my youngest son two years ago.
It's a tough course for a 13 year old beginner - but it worked out fine.
So play where you like and don't worry.
 
We choose to walk by all the forced carries and he would start on the other side at the start of the fairway.
I encouraged him to play from wherever, pick it up if he wanted and use a tee in the fairway if frustrated.

this was wonderful Gene Greco advice for oldest boy

He "just played" and we didn't bother with score.
My only request was he hole out on the greens to practice putting.

btw ... we always include a throw somewhere in the round ... usually its my ball into a bunker! (pond and OB were ruled out after he used the tactic!)

It will be fun no matter what ... enjoy!

[Mark Pearce]

Lloyd,

If you do go to Elie then Rich's offer is definitely on the table.  Same for Balcomie, if dates suit.

[Bill_McBride]

Thanks very much everyone. This is very helpful and I will take the advice and go with, if we can get on.... Kilspindie, Balcomie, and maybe Gullane 3 and Eden. Very exciting for me too, as I've only played Crail, of the four.

Surely you must remember what a fun course Elie is.  We had a great four ball match there, you and Andrew Mitchell vs. Mike Whitaker and me.  All those par 4s and the ocean/firth!

[Ken Moum]

Thanks very much everyone. This is very helpful and I will take the advice and go with, if we can get on.... Kilspindie, Balcomie, and maybe Gullane 3 and Eden. Very exciting for me too, as I've only played Crail, of the four.

Lloyd, you've got plenty of good suggestions.  But if you want to have a fun afternoon with your son, take him to the hickory course at Kingarrock. It's outside of Cupar, only a few minutes from St. Andrews. Last August my wife and I played it after a round on Eden.

We went there on the recommendation of Gordon Moir, Director of Greenkeeping Operations on St. Andrews Links. The whole experience is a delight.

http://www.kingarrock.com/index.html

Ken

[Mark Chaplin]

Kilspindie and Gullane 3 tick the boxes and you do not have to rob a bank to play either.

[Thomas Dai]

Lloyd, your idea of having an afternoon with him on the Himalayas is a brilliant idea. Have a great time wherever you go.
atb

[Jason Topp]

My son probably fits the same profile as yours - he hits it a mile but it can go anywhere.

Playing Gullane 3 with him and his sister a few years ago in the late evening was a magical experience.  We had the course to ourselves and there are plenty of interesting holes.  The kids in particular loved the par 3 that runs straight down the hill. 

Crail also seems like a good choice but it has been a long time since I played there.  I suspect your son could shoot a good score there if the weather is reasonable which he will like.