Fife Advice

[Ira Fishman]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?


As always, thanks.


Ira

[Tom_Doak]

Eden.


Then probably Lundin.


Note:  I have not played Dumbarnie, but that's a whole different price category.

[Marty Bonnar]

Ladybank.
PM me.

[Sean_A]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

[Jeff Schley]

Assume you will enter the daily ballot for TOC, or make a great evening by standing in line the night before. Always a good memory.

[Ira Fishman]

Jeff,


A correct assumption.


Sean,


Castle Stuart and Kingsbarns were my two least favorite courses respectively on our two trips to Scotland so far. And that is not a price-based evaluation. So yes, modern so far has not been appealing. However, I am curious about Dumbarnie because it has gathered some favorable comments on here.


Thanks to all.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Find time to play Kinghorn and spend rest of day wondering how such a course in Fife is so overlooked that you can easily get tee times.
Then spend next 6 months wondering if you missheard them when they said the green fee was £25?

[Mark Pearce]

Kinghorn is worth seeing.  Of the links, New, then Eden, then Lundin would be my preference but it's all just opinion in the end.

[Philip Caccamise]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

Leven was in playable shape but not great when I was there 4 years ago. Has it gotten worse? An absolute blast of a 17 hole golf course.

[Sean_A]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

Leven was in playable shape but not great when I was there 4 years ago. Has it gotten worse? An absolute blast of a 17 hole golf course.

There have been consistent reports of poor fairways since I was there. I am told things are on the turn. Who knows, maybe the fairways will be decent this summer. However, given the options, and thinking New is better anyway, I would wait a year or so.

Ciao

[Philip Caccamise]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

Leven was in playable shape but not great when I was there 4 years ago. Has it gotten worse? An absolute blast of a 17 hole golf course.

There have been consistent reports of poor fairways since I was there. I am told things are on the turn. Who knows, maybe the fairways will be decent this summner. However, given the options, and thinking New is better anyway, I would wait a year or so.

Ciao

Ah, bummer. Agreed, the New is far better anyways for only a slight premium.

[Marty Bonnar]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

Leven was in playable shape but not great when I was there 4 years ago. Has it gotten worse? An absolute blast of a 17 hole golf course.

As a former member, I thought it was more of a 15 hole course. Which one are you discounting?
F.

[Philip Caccamise]

We will be in St Andrews this summer for our second visit. We already are booked for return visits to Elie and Crail Balcomie. We are not interested in a second visit to Kingsbarns. Among the New, Leven, Dunbarnie, and Lundin, which would you most recommend?

As always, thanks.

Ira

For me it's hands down New. You don't seem overly interested in modern Scottish designs. Leven is good, but needs a bit of time to recover from poor conditioning. Lundin is posher than Leven, but for that, not really in a higher quality bracket. It's very much worth playing if the New is a hassle to organise.

Ciao

Leven was in playable shape but not great when I was there 4 years ago. Has it gotten worse? An absolute blast of a 17 hole golf course.

As a former member, I thought it was more of a 15 hole course. Which one are you discounting?
F.

#18. Partially because I felt it was somewhat out of character from the rest of the golf course that could be played entirely on the ground, but also because that's where I tore my sacroiliac joint revealing a ton of spine issues that has required 4 years of hard physical therapy to get through.


I loved the course otherwise. Just good fun pure links.

[Marty Bonnar]

Ouch. That must have been incredibly painful, but you're the first person I've ever heard from who didn't like the 18th. Yes, it's got an outrageously penal finish, but I've seen it parred and birdied and bogied and doubled often enough to believe it's a good hole!
F.
PS Our very own Niall Carlton hit driver, three-wood to the middle of the green.

[Mark Pearce]

I'm surprised to see 18 picked out as the weakest hole on the course.  I think it's a good finisher.  Leven gets a bit peculiar in the middle of the round but for me it's overall strength is better than Lundin.  Of the non-St Andrews traditional courses in Fife, I might have it behind only Elie.  If we're discounting condition.  On my last two visits the fairways have been in awful shape.

[Josh Bills]

When I played there in 2016 Lundin and Leven were both wonderful places to play with Lundin having a few more quirky, less desirable holes, in my opinion, but in better shape.  I would go back to either without hesitation for cost (I have no idea current costs) and lack of crowds. 


Lundin
















Leven

[John Handley]

our group played Dumbarnie and all of the guys liked it.  I know there is a bias against new courses but I think Dumbarnie, Castle Stuart and Kingsbarns are all good courses.  So I think it really depends on your preference.  My finding is that if you are in Scotland and playing golf, life is good no matter what course you are on.

[Niall C]

Ouch. That must have been incredibly painful, but you're the first person I've ever heard from who didn't like the 18th. Yes, it's got an outrageously penal finish, but I've seen it parred and birdied and bogied and doubled often enough to believe it's a good hole!
F.
PS Our very own Niall Carlton hit driver, three-wood to the middle of the green.

I understand where Philip is coming from. Unless you are long enough it is a bit of a dolly of a drive, a dolly of a second and a chip on. Nothing to set the pulse racing.


I've had a go at getting on in two twice and succeeded both times by the skin of my teeth. The second time playing with Bill McBride and Rich Goodall, they goaded me into having a go and I had a lash with my 2-wood which landed at the front and ran to the back of the green. A solid 3-putt later we made our way to the bar to cap off a great day. Happy memories of two fine gentlemen.


Niall

[Bernie Bell]

Carnoustie.  I don't think you'll be sorry for the experience.

[Niall C]

Bernie


Unless my knowledge of geography fails me, Carnoustie is not in Fife.


Niall

[Mark Pearce]

Ignore, wrong thread

[Bernie Bell]

Yes, I know Niall.  But if you've gone across the ocean already and you're less than hour away . . . . I think it's a mistake to skip it . . . . don't get psyched out by the overdone TV coverage of "Carnastie," you don't need to play it from 7400 yards

[Mark Pearce]

Yes, I know Niall.  But if you've gone across the ocean already and you're less than hour away . . . . I think it's a mistake to skip it . . . . don't get psyched out by the overdone TV coverage of "Carnastie," you don't need to play it from 7400 yards

It's a great course.  But Fife has a good few of those, too.....