The Golf House Club, Elie! Photo tour!

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

This is my kind of club!

Understated yet refined. A wonderful golf course attached.

Many thanks to Mark Pearce from Northumbria for being so kind to invite me up!

I am very unsatisfied with the photos here as I do not think that they do justice to the overall excellence of the grounds.

Of courses I know this one is unique in that it has so many holes with blind shots combined with greens that run away. Definitely you will score better the second time.

Here it is.......


Well Hello, Elie!

DSCN0814 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Clubhouse and starter's house with a periscope peering over the hill at 1st tee.

DSCN0815 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Here we have the starter at Elie and his periscope!

photo by macmalc21, on Flickr

1st hole/ Stacks/ Par 4/ 420 yds

The first tee is a blind shot over an abrupt rise. That is why the starter needs a periscope to signal when the next group can tee off.

DSCN0816 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Top of the hill on 1st hole.

DSCN0817 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Approach to 1st green.

DSCN0818 by macmalc21, on Flickr

1st green looking back.

DSCN0819 by macmalc21, on Flickr

2nd tee/ High Hole/ Par 4/ 284 yds

Up and up!

DSCN0820 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Getting closer...

DSCN0821 by macmalc21, on Flickr

2nd Green

DSCN0822 by macmalc21, on Flickr

3rd hole/ Wickets/ Par 3/ 214 yds

DSCN0823 by macmalc21, on Flickr

3rd green, looking back to tee.

DSCN0825 by macmalc21, on Flickr

4th tee, Provost/ par 4/ 378 yds

DSCN0824 by macmalc21, on Flickr

This Pub offers a pint just off of the 4th fairway!

DSCN0826 by macmalc21, on Flickr

4th approach

DSCN0827 by macmalc21, on Flickr

4th green

DSCN0828 by macmalc21, on Flickr

4th green again

There is a spine that runs directly through the fairway and green that my photos do not do justice to...

DSCN0829 by macmalc21, on Flickr

5th tee/ Doctor. par 4/ 365 yds

DSCN0830 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Huge undulations with bunkers...

DSCN0831 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Undulations and bunkers again...

DSCN083

5th green looking back

[url=https://flic.kr/p/piT7ac]DSCN0833 by macmalc21, on Flickr

6th tee/ Quarries/ par 4/ 316 yds

DSCN0834 by macmalc21, on Flickr

6th approach

DSCN0836 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Closer in on 6th.

DSCN0837 by macmalc21, on Flickr

6th green

DSCN0838 by macmalc21, on Flickr

6th green/ side view showing front to back slant!

DSCN0839 by macmalc21, on Flickr

[Mark Pearce]

Malcolm,

It was a pleasure meeting you.  Actually I think the photos do a pretty good job of showing the shape of the ground.  I think photos often flatten things out and that has, inevitably, happened to some extnt here but I do think the shape of the holes comes through.  I look forward to the rest of the tour.

[Thomas Dai]

Very nice Malcolm. Looking forward to viewing the rest of the tour.

Having a 'Starter' is a costly measure for a private club so I'm curious to know if this is a 'private' club in the sense that the club owns or has sole use of the land or, as with other links in Scotland, is the land owned by the local authority and several 'clubs' in the town have the right to play over the course?

atb

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Malcolm, Thank you. The photos bring back happy memories of the last time I played at Elie. Great fun.

[Mark Pearce]

Brian,

I'd be more than happy to host you, let's get a date in the diary.

Thomas,

I don't know who owns the land but only The Golf House Club (the main Elie club), Elie and Earlsferry Ladies (the associated Ladies club) and Earlsferry Thistle GC (the local Artisans) play on the course.  In summer Elie is very busy and the starter necessary.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I played Eie in July and had a great tiem, such a fun course.
That back nine is a real test and the stretch from 11 to 17 will test golfers of ANY ability.
Superb lay out with great green complexes, simplicity at its finest.

[Mark Pearce]

I played Eie in July and had a great tiem, such a fun course.
That back nine is a real test and the stretch from 11 to 17 will test golfers of ANY ability.
Superb lay out with great green complexes, simplicity at its finest.

There are a lot of half par holes at Elie and a lot of birdie chances.  However, at 6300 yards for a par 70 it's no pushover and for all the birdie chances there are holes like 1, 3, 4, 9, 12 and 12-14 and 16 and 17 which take good golf to make par.  In any sort of breeze it's very rare for even very good players to go very low and a score of 67 or 68 reguires very good golf indeed.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Ok, so lets proceed onward...

7th tee/ Peggy's/ Par 4/ 252 yds

DSCN0840 by macmalc21, on Flickr

7th approach with a few bunkers

DSCN0841 by macmalc21, on Flickr

7th green looking back. A bit of breeze here!

DSCN0842 by macmalc21, on Flickr

8th tee/ Neuk/ par 4/ 382 yds

DSCN0843 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Approach to 8th green

DSCN0844 by macmalc21, on Flickr

8th green

DSCN0845 by macmalc21, on Flickr

9th tee/ Martin's Bay/ par 5/ 440 yds

DSCN0846 by macmalc21, on Flickr

9th nearer the green

DSCN0848 by macmalc21, on Flickr

9th green looking back

DSCN0849 by macmalc21, on Flickr

10th tee/ lunar Law/ par 4/ 288 yards

A blind over the hill hole to the sea.

DSCN0850 by macmalc21, on Flickr

10th Green

DSCN0851 by macmalc21, on Flickr

10th Greeen with North Berwick Law in the background across the fourth.

DSCN0852 by macmalc21, on Flickr

10th again

DSCN0853 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Side view of 10th and Mark

DSCN0854 by macmalc21, on Flickr

11th tee/ Sea Hole/ Par 3/ 131 yds

DSCN0856 by macmalc21, on Flickr

11th green

DSCN0857 by macmalc21, on Flickr

12th hole/ Bents/ Par 4/ 466 yds

Fairway view

DSCN0858 by macmalc21, on Flickr

13th tee/ Coupie/ Par 4/ 380 yds

DSCN0860 by macmalc21, on Flickr

13th fairway

DSCN0861 by macmalc21, on Flickr

13th approach with bunkers

DSCN0862 by macmalc21, on Flickr

View of 13th green from right

DSCN0863 by macmalc21, on Flickr

13th looking back

DSCN0864 by macmalc21, on Flickr

13th looking back and seaward!

DSCN0865 by macmalc21, on Flickr

More later!

[John Cowden]

Elie is a must play every trip over.  If I were to join a club in the UK, this could well be it.  If they would have me, of course. 

No small feat, that.

Cheers.

[Thomas Dai]

Very nice Malcolm. May I suggest using [img width=800].........for the photos.

Thanks Mark for the detail that it's four 'clubs' that can play over the links.


atb

[Jason Topp]

Thanks Malcom.  Good memories there.  Disher was a great partner in foursomes and some women's college golf team was playing the course as we went round.  .km

[Mark Pearce]

Thomas,

Three clubs.  I don't know where the fourth comes from!

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Let's go home!

Thomas, Flickr was having problems last night and I had to redo 7-13 three times to get it right. It was infuriating! I kind of like the larger format but will downsize to 800x600 between here and the clubhouse. Let me know what you think.

14th tee/ Suckielea/ par 4/ 414 yds

Mark takes command of the tee!

DSCN0866 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Another view from 14th tee

DSCN0867 by macmalc21, on Flickr

14th approach

DSCN0868 by macmalc21, on Flickr

14th green

DSCN0869 by macmalc21, on Flickr

14th green looking back!!

DSCN0870 by macmalc21, on Flickr

15th tee/ Coalhill/ par 4/ 338 yds

Another blind drive!

DSCN0871 by macmalc21, on Flickr

View from the stake on 15.

DSCN0873 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Approaching 15th green

DSCN0874 by macmalc21, on Flickr

15th from short and right

DSCN0875 by macmalc21, on Flickr

15th from back right with 12 and 13 in the background!

DSCN0876 by macmalc21, on Flickr

16th approach/ Grange/ par 4/ 407 yes

DSCN0877 by macmalc21, on Flickr

16th looking back

DSCN0878 by macmalc21, on Flickr

17th tee/ Ferry/ Par 4/ 439 yards

DSCN0879 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Bunker on 17

DSCN0880 by macmalc21, on Flickr

17, getting closer

DSCN0881 by macmalc21, on Flickr

17 looking rearward

DSCN0882 by macmalc21, on Flickr

18th tee/ Home/ par 4/ 359 yds

DSCN0883 by macmalc21, on Flickr

18th approach

DSCN0884 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Bunker and 18th green

DSCN0885 by macmalc21, on Flickr

Let me know if you find the larger format photos in the middle of the course annoying and I can scale them down.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

[Thomas Dai]

Thomas,
Three clubs.  I don't know where the fourth comes from!

Mark - I read "Elie and Earlsferry Ladies" as being two. I guess not however!

Malcolm - the larger format is rather awkward to view.

atb

[Bill_McBride]

Thanks Malcom.  Good memories there.  Disher was a great partner in foursomes and some women's college golf team was playing the course as we went round.  .km

The lovely ladies were Cal Bears.  A couple of our younger lads bought pints to share with them.