The Old Course, Old Course golf course
Ranked · 10 courses · reviewed June 2026

The Best Golf Courses in St Andrews and Fife

No corner of the earth holds more great links in so small a space. The Home of Golf and the kingdom of Fife give you the most famous course in the world, two of the finest modern links anywhere and a string of ancient East Neuk gems, all within half an hour. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Old Course, Richard Grobben, via Google

How we chose them

Fife is the densest concentration of links golf on the planet, and ranking it means honoring both the history and the modern era. At its heart is St Andrews itself, where the Old Course and its sibling layouts spread across the same shared turf that has hosted golf for six centuries. To the south lie two of the best new links built anywhere in a generation, Kingsbarns and Dumbarnie, and along the East Neuk coast sit the small, ancient clubs, Elie, Crail, Lundin and Leven, that serious golfers return to again and again. We weighed design quality, conditioning, history, the pleasure of the round, and how readily a visiting golfer can get on, then ranked accordingly.

Every fact here, from designers and opening years to host history, was checked at the time of writing in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. The Old Course runs a daily ballot and the famous private clubs need arrangement, so we say how to play each. Green fees move with the season and the year, so treat any figure as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours, and reasonable people will reorder the top five. If you want a Fife week built and the Old Course ballot navigated, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The 10 best golf courses in St Andrews and Fife

01

The Old Course, St Andrews

St Andrews · Open venue · the Home of Golf

The most historic and celebrated course in the game, and a genuine pilgrimage. Golf has been played on this shared common land for six centuries, the rules of the game grew up here, and the Open returns more often than to any other course. The vast double greens, the unseen pot bunkers, the Swilcan Bridge and the Road Hole make it like nowhere else, a course that can look benign and play ferociously in the wind. Tee times come through a daily ballot or limited advance booking, and standing on the first tee remains one of sport's great moments.

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02

Kingsbarns Golf Links

Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen, 2000 · near St Andrews

One of the finest modern links on earth, built by Kyle Phillips with developer Mark Parsinen along nearly two miles of shoreline a short drive south of St Andrews, and opened in 2000. So natural is the routing that it is hard to believe the dunescape was largely engineered, with the sea in view from every hole and several played hard along the rocky coast. It co hosts the Dunhill Links each autumn and is among the rare premium green fees that feel worth every penny. The standout modern round of any Fife trip.

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03

Dumbarnie Links

Clive Clark, 2020 · Largo Bay, Fife

The newcomer that shot up the rankings the moment it opened in 2020, a Clive Clark design on rolling, elevated ground above Largo Bay with sweeping views over the Firth of Forth. Generous fairways, big greens and dramatic changes in level make it both playable for the visitor and a genuine test from the back tees, and the welcome, a dram on the first tee and a fine caddie corps, is among the warmest in the kingdom. A relaxed, panoramic counterpoint to the intensity of the Old Course.

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04

The New Course, St Andrews

Old Tom Morris, 1895 · St Andrews

The locals' favorite and, to many St Andreans, a purer test of links golf than the Old Course beside it. Laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895 and now well over a century old itself, the New runs out and back across classic links ground with tighter, more defined corridors of gorse, firm greens and a quieter, more honest character. It is far easier to book than the Old and a fraction of the fuss, which makes it one of the best value great links in Scotland and a must on any St Andrews itinerary.

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05

The Castle Course, St Andrews

David McLay Kidd, 2008 · St Andrews

The boldest and most modern of the St Andrews Links courses, opened in 2008 to a David McLay Kidd design on dramatic clifftop ground east of the town, with Kingsbarns as its acknowledged inspiration. Wild, heaving greens, tumbling fairways and big views back to the St Andrews skyline make it a thrilling, sometimes divisive round, more spectacle than the subtle old links. Plenty of golfers love it and a few find it too fierce, but no one forgets it, and on a clear day the setting is magnificent.

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06

The Golf House Club, Elie

Old Tom Morris, 1895 · East Neuk · 1589 charter

A quirky, joyous links in the East Neuk village of Elie, on ground with a documented golfing history reaching back to a royal charter of 1589 and shaped by Old Tom Morris in 1895. It famously opens with a blind drive over a hill, the starter peering through a submarine periscope salvaged from a warship to check the fairway is clear, and there is not a single par 5 on the course. Pure, charming, old fashioned seaside golf of the best kind, and a highlight of the coastal villages south of St Andrews.

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07

Crail Golfing Society, Balcomie Links

Old Tom Morris · founded 1786 · East Neuk

The home of the seventh oldest golf club in the world, founded in 1786, on a spectacular spit of land at Fife Ness where the Balcomie Links by Old Tom Morris wraps around the very tip of the coast. Short by modern standards but rarely out of the wind, with the sea in play and seals on the rocks below, it is one of the most scenic and atmospheric rounds in the kingdom. A second course, the Craighead, adds length, but the historic Balcomie is the one to play.

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08

Lundin Golf Club

Tom Morris and James Braid · Largo Bay · Open final qualifier

A characterful Largo Bay links shaped by Tom Morris and later James Braid, and a regular final qualifying venue when the Open is in Scotland, which tells you the test holds up. It is a course of two halves, a links nine along the shore and a more inland, heathery stretch divided by an old railway line, that asks for the full range of shots. Less famous than its neighbors and all the better for it, Lundin is a connoisseur's round and pairs naturally with Leven next door.

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09

The Jubilee Course, St Andrews

St Andrews Links · the toughest of the town courses

The most demanding of the St Andrews Links courses, laid out on the dune land closest to the sea and named for Queen Victoria's jubilee. Reworked over the years into a stern, full length links, it has tighter lies, firmer greens and a more exposed line to the wind than the Old or the New, which makes it the locals' pick when they want a real fight. Easy to book and excellent value, it rounds out a multi day St Andrews stay for golfers who want more than the headline course.

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10

Leven Links

Largo Bay · ancient links · East Neuk

An old and underrated links sharing the long sweep of Largo Bay with Lundin, the two having once formed a single course before being split. Leven runs out along the shore and back, with a burn guarding a memorable closing hole and the firm, fast turf and unpredictable bounces that mark true links golf. It has its own long history as an Open final qualifier and remains a friendly, affordable, genuinely good links, the kind of hidden gem that completes a thorough tour of Fife.

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Designers, opening years and host history verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. The Old Course operates a daily ballot and several clubs require advance arrangement. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Where they are, and indicative costs

Everything sits within about half an hour of St Andrews. The town itself holds the Old, New, Jubilee and Castle courses on shared links land, Kingsbarns is a ten minute drive south and the East Neuk villages of Crail and Elie a little further along the coast, while Dumbarnie, Lundin and Leven cluster around Largo Bay to the southwest. Most visiting golfers base in St Andrews and play out from there, with Edinburgh airport about an hour and a half away by road, which makes Fife one of the easiest great golf trips to arrange.

ItemIndicative 2026Notes
Green fee, Old Course (high season)Premium, set by St Andrews LinksTee times via daily ballot or limited advance booking
Green fee, Kingsbarns and DumbarniePremium modern linksBook well ahead, especially around the Dunhill
East Neuk clubs and town coursesMore moderateElie, Crail, Lundin, Leven, the New and the Jubilee offer fine value
A week, all inAround £2,500 to £5,000+ per personHotel, several rounds including a premium links, a car, excluding flights

Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.

Play the best of St Andrews and Fife

Tell us which courses are on your list and roughly when. One concierge navigates the Old Course ballot, books the premium links and the East Neuk clubs, costs the whole trip to the head, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.

St Andrews and Fife golf questions

What is the best golf course in St Andrews and Fife?

The Old Course at St Andrews is the most famous and historic course in the game and sits at the summit of any list for its sheer significance. On pure modern design, Kingsbarns runs it close and some rate it the better golf. Our ranking puts the Old Course first, with Kingsbarns and Dumbarnie leading the modern links. Reasonable people reorder the top five.

How do you get a tee time on the Old Course?

The Old Course allocates many of its visitor tee times through a daily ballot, entered by two o'clock the day before, with the rest by limited advance booking that opens months ahead and fills fast. Singles can also try the walk on list early in the morning. It is closed on Sundays. A trip planner can build a Fife itinerary that maximizes your chances. Always confirm current procedures directly before booking.

When is the best time to play golf in St Andrews and Fife?

May, June and September offer the best mix of long days, settled weather and firm links turf, with the Dunhill Links Championship taking over Kingsbarns and the Old Course in early October. High summer is busy and bright, while spring and autumn give better value and space on the tee sheet. The links play year round but winter daylight is short. Always confirm conditions before you travel.

Related

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The Tee Sheet

Old Course ballot tips, the best links tee times and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.

Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and host history verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.