Humpin and HeavIn on the InterLeven!!

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Just got a message from Mike Malone (Mayday) on aftermath his round at Leven Links. Loved it!!


He liked it! Crazy land undulations on sandy soil by the sea seduce with wind off the North Sea and Forth River ever a factor, not to mention the Largo Law looming over it all!


For years I studied the links of Scotland. Bought Robert Price's book on Scotland's Golf Courses, etc. But kept coming back to thinking that perhaps the most fun links land I have seen is the Interleven.


Not a sea barrier dunes at all. Just sandy humpy, bumpy, gorsey, crazy terrain that is easily walkable with a bit of Old Tom Morris and James Braid tossed in.


You leave from town out to the links and return back again.


Perfection!!

[Marty Bonnar]

Malcolm,
Not Interleven, but Innerleven, although that course is long gone:
http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/scotland-63/scotland-central-east/fife/1408-sco-innerleven-golf-club-fife
Nice post though and I’m glad that Mayday enjoyed it!
Leven is a good, not great golf course, spoiled by the deeply-flawed routing. Maybe one day, it might be reunited with Lundie over the wall and one of Scotland’s very best golf courses would be reborn.
Not holding my breath, though...!
Cheers,
F.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Agreed Marty and Cheers!


It provided the lumpiest links land within a one hour drive of my flat in Morningside, Edinburgh even with the Forth Bridge construction going on. Therefore it became a fave. Also reasonably priced as the Americanos have not put it on their golf tourism itineraries yet.

[RJ_Daley]

Thanks to Neffers Marty for having me as a guest at Leven.  I could easily settle there and that be my home course and only one I play on a regular basis.  It is just a very fun course in a great little place. 

[Ally Mcintosh]

Marty,


Would be interested in your take on the flawed routing?


Clearly it’s out, back, out, back with a few awkward crossovers at the wall and only one hole playing perpendicular to the sea... but other than that, it flows quite well. OK so it has tight, dangerous spots and a couple of places where playing off adjacent fairways is the desirable line... maybe the routing isn’t the best.... but what land movement. Brilliant...

[Marty Bonnar]

Marty,


Would be interested in your take on the flawed routing?


Clearly it’s out, back, out, back with a few awkward crossovers at the wall and only one hole playing perpendicular to the sea... but other than that, it flows quite well. OK so it has tight, dangerous spots and a couple of places where playing off adjacent fairways is the desirable line... maybe the routing isn’t the best.... but what land movement. Brilliant...

Ally,
The main problem is with the stretch from 6th green to 10th tee. It’s squeezed into way too tight a bit of land. Not normally a huge issue, but come medal days it chokes up horrendously.
First of all, the tee shot at 7 is beyond dangerous, with even a minor slice endangering life and limb on the 6th green.
I’ve been standing on the eighth tee, seeing a group in the fairway, a group on the green and TWO groups standing on the ninth tee! That indicates that there’s another group on the (short) ninth green and another on the tenth tee. You just know then that the next three holes are going to take about an hour to play. I’ve walked off from the eighth tee a few times...It’s such a shame because they are a good set of holes.
Cheers,
F.