[Steve Sayre]

Lucky to be aboard a trip early September 2023.


Appreciate expert opinion from this group.


Carnoustie a must? $350 green fee.  Panmure a good sub or "required" add-on?  $175 green fee.


Kingsbarns a must? $450 a little eye-watering.


have Elie, Leven, Dumbarnie. Crail?


Missing something?  (Home of golf not part of the plan by design).


Thanks and wishing you happy golf adventures in the new year.

[Tom_Doak]

Carnoustie a must? $350 green fee.  Panmure a good sub or "required" add-on?  $175 green fee.

Kingsbarns a must? $450 a little eye-watering.

Thanks and wishing you happy golf adventures in the new year.

Jesus, I've gotta lobby for higher green fees at St. Patrick's.  Panmure is $175 now?  And it's $350 to be humbled at Carnoustie?

[Sean_A]

Lucky to be aboard a trip early September 2023.

Appreciate expert opinion from this group.

Carnoustie a must? $350 green fee.  Panmure a good sub or "required" add-on?  $175 green fee.

Kingsbarns a must? $450 a little eye-watering.

have Elie, Leven, Dumbarnie. Crail?

Missing something?  (Home of golf not part of the plan by design).

Thanks and wishing you happy golf adventures in the new year.

You've identified Elue, Leven and Crail.

If seeing Open venues is important to you then Carnoustie is a must. If you do consider Pitlochry.

Kingsbarns is great, but not a must see.

Lundin is very good.

I assume Gleneagles is too dear.

Anstruther is a nice evening game when you stop by for fish n chips.

Is Home of Golf TOC or St Andrews?

Happy New Year

[Jordan Beasley]

I'll step in to submit my passionate plea for you to play Crail Balcomie. It is not as highly regarded in this space or on the lists because the pure architecture of the holes is not first-class, but as a place/walk/sensory experience it is magical.

[jeffwarne]

Lucky to be aboard a trip early September 2023.


Appreciate expert opinion from this group.


Carnoustie a must? $350 green fee.  Panmure a good sub or "required" add-on?  $175 green fee.


Kingsbarns a must? $450 a little eye-watering.


have Elie, Leven, Dumbarnie. Crail?


Missing something?  (Home of golf not part of the plan by design).


Thanks and wishing you happy golf adventures in the new year.

There are no “musts”(TOC a tough Sept get) but if you must play a few marquees, throw in a few affordables such as Arbroath,Anstruther Crail or Forfar to bring down average cost.
The prices will only go higher so may as well see a few you’ve dreamt of

[David_Tepper]

Early September in St. Andrews is likely to be very busy, with the students returning to university and the R&A Fall Meeting taking place. Finding a place to stay and a place to have dinner will not be easy. Book well in advance.

I second the rec for playing Crail Balcomie. Some fun holes and a very pretty spot on a nice day. The New & the Jubilee at St. Andrews are certainly well worth playing too.

[Marty Bonnar]

Seems like an opportune moment to remind fellow GCAers coming to Fife to drop me a PM if you have the time and the inclination for a round at Ladybank.
Happy Hogmanay!
F.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Play Carnoustie. Play Crail Balcomie in place of Kingsbarns.

[Stewart Abramson]

There is so much really good golf in Fife that you can play under $350/round, although even the reasonably priced courses have significantly increased their green fees in recent years. My faves that bubble below the biggest names are Elie, Crail Balcomie, Lundin and the New course. I also would not miss Mr Bonnar's kind offer to host at Ladybank. Those five courses will provide a trip that you'll never forget at a reasonable cost. Add Carnoustie if you are looking for an Open Championship type of challenge and a hefty fee.

[Mike Worth]

Carnoustie a must? $350 green fee.  Panmure a good sub or "required" add-on?  $175 green fee.

Kingsbarns a must? $450 a little eye-watering.

Thanks and wishing you happy golf adventures in the new year.

Jesus, I've gotta lobby for higher green fees at St. Patrick's.  Panmure is $175 now?  And it's $350 to be humbled at Carnoustie?

I’ve seen posts mentioning how some use the cost of the green fee vs the expected experience when deciding which courses to play.   


This factored into my 40 day UK golf trip earlier this year.


I had exactly the same thoughts as Tom expressed when I considered Carnoustie and Panmure. I scratched them off the list for that reason.  In fact of the 28 courses in the UK and Donegal Ireland I decided to play, Carnoustie and Panmure are the ONLY courses I decided not to play due to relative value. 


To answer the original poster’s question, I think you scratch Kingsbarn off the list. I played it in 2007 and I’m glad I did but sorry $450 can be better spent elsewhere.


I think you play TOC, St. Andrews (new), Elie, Lundin, and both Crail courses. Having played all those courses except Lundin, I feel you would return home thinking quite good about yourself and your trip.


If you have a hole in your schedule AND you’re having a real good year in the stock market, then add Kingsbarn to the loop


I may be wrong here, but I glanced at TOC’s website a few weeks ago and I thought it was something like £280 to play TOC, which is not absurd. Someone tell me if I have the incorrect green fee.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I've been round Anstruther twice and don't get the love. One or two curious holes do not a a game of Golf make.




Kinghorn ticks ALL the boxes.


Chance to play with FBD at Ladybank? Sell your sister.  You'll thank me.




PS I will pay whatever when the time comes to paly Carnoustie. But I have played C. Burnside and really liked it. Been told its the smaller version of the main course.  just sayin'.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I've been round Anstruther twice and don't get the love. One or two curious holes do not a a game of Golf make.




Kinghorn ticks ALL the boxes.


Chance to play with FBD at Ladybank? Sell your sister.  You'll thank me.




PS I will pay whatever when the time comes to complete my 'Open' bucketlist and play Carnoustie. But I have played C. Burnside and really liked it. Been told its the smaller version of the main course.  just sayin'.

[Thomas Dai]

If you’ve never played them before and have the time and the cash then not taking the opportunity to play the likes of Carnoustie is imo a mistake. Panmure and some others less so.
You never know what’s around the corner in life and the opportunity may never come again. And if you do play them you’re unlikely to ever forget the experience.
Atb

[Alex Miller]

On a trip that included TOC, Muirfield, and NBW, Crail Balocomie + Elie was my favorite day. Highly recommend that double and a certain fish and chip shop for lunch (or at Crail for the views)!

[Mark Pearce]

On a trip that included TOC, Muirfield, and NBW, Crail Balocomie + Elie was my favorite day. Highly recommend that double and a certain fish and chip shop for lunch (or at Crail for the views)!

Whisper it quietly but the fish and chips in Pittenweem is every bit as good as Anstruther.


I don't get the love for Kingsbarns and wouldn't dream of paying that sort of money for it.  It's very good but in a part of the world with so much great golf doesn't merit the price, unless you're desperate to have your game flattered.


If you're really not playing at all in St Andrews (and thus taking the New and Eden out of the equation) then I'd certainly have Carnoustie on the list.  I'm biased but Elie would be my next choice.  There's not much between Leven and Lundin on quality.  Lundin looks better and Leven is quirkier and tougher.  Be aware that the last couple of times I have been at Leven the condition of the fairways has left a lot to be desired.


Balcomie has great views and I have a lot of time for the Craighead.  I'm with Tony on the 9 holer at Anstruther.  It has a couple of really quirky holes but there are at least a dozen better courses in Fife.  Kinghorn is bonkers but great fun.

[Sean_A]

Anstruther was suggested by me as an evening game before fish and chips and why not? Quick game with lovely views and a handful of good holes. It's a good evening out.

Ciao

[Mark Pearce]

Anstruther was suggested by me as an evening game before fish and chips and why not? Quick game with lovely views and a handful of good holes. It's a good evening out.

Ciao

It's a fun cheap 9.  I question "a handful of good holes", though.  I'm not convinced it has any good holes.  Though there's some interest.  For regular visitors, yes, a good evening out.  But for a visitor to the country who may not return more than a handful of times?  I'd be elsewhere, I think.

[Ken Moum]

I'm assuming that At. Andrews is off the schedule because of September's difficulty with getting on at all.


I've played Crail Balcomie, Elie and Lundin.  Recommend them all. Rick Shiels has new videos of:


Elie https://youtu.be/GgI_odRDUfE, and :


Crail https://youtu.be/H8M2hJobnQM (including a hell of round by Iona Stephen)


I walked Kingsbarns, during the Women's Open a few years ago and agree with Pearce.  Too much money for what looks like, to me, a manufactured links course.  Of course that's what it is, so maybe I'm biased but there are too many real links around to spend that cash for a faux links.


Besides, as I told every American I ran into on my first trip in 2006, all of whom asked, "Have you played Kingsbarns?"


I haven't gotten out of the 1890s yet, not ready for the 1990s.

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