The Golf House Club at Elie
22 June 2014
Is there a better way to spend the summer solstice than teeing off for a round of golf at 5pm?
I was at once skeptical and intrigued by the course at Elie; I had heard very good reports but could not fully imagine how a layout with two par 3s and 16 par 4s could hold my attention.
With blind tee shots, textbook undulation, sweeping vistas of beach and water and crags, the braying of sheep, the odd local on a well placed bench and varying lengths of holes (the shortest par 4, the 7th, being a measly 252 yards whereas the monster 12th hole covers 466 yards), the course more than holds the golfers attention and generates excitement for what lies over the next rise.
The layout zigs and zags its way across the land, first leading past woodland, back to the town, along the rocky coast, right across the base of hill covered in sheep and back inland to the town. The bunkers are well placed to defend the course and it is advisable to steer well clear as they are overly deep.
The greens must get a mention, as they are clearly the best I have played on in Scotland — genuine roll to the hole with just the right amount of borrow to deceive an amateur.
It really is easy to sum up a round at Elie; hugely fun. I concur, this really is the ‘hidden gem’.
