As the only(?) GCAer who's also a member of a Leven club, I'm only too painfully aware of its shortcomings! However, it's also my belief that the original pre-split layout would today be considered to be top ten Scotland easy. It's that good. Getting to play it once a year is beyond fabulous. What we have nowadays of course are two seriously flawed golf courses instead.
Leven, as a golf course on publicly owned land, suffers from a severe lack of investment and it's testament to the greenkeepers just how good it can be. Of course, that's also due to being built on pure, deep sand. There been some minor reshaping recently to improve visibility and playing qualities, so I've been observing very intently!
I also reckon it wouldn't take much to elevate it from its current Doak 4 to an easy 5, maybe even 6. That might involve a bit too much change for the membership who are lovely old reactionary Fifers in the main!
Leven is what it is. A simple, fun seaside course which caters for its market perfectly. Sure, there's room for improvement, but would it be worth the time/money/pain?
Come play it! Several GCA Folks have tried it and, I think, enjoyed it hugely. I doubt that was solely down to the scintillating company of their host..!
Love,
F.