The Golf House Club, Elie
A links lost in the gentle Fife coast where golf has been played since 1589. Elie is pure, old fashioned seaside golf: a par 70 with no par 5s, sixteen par 4s, blind tee shots over grassy hills, and a starter who peers through a salvaged submarine periscope to make sure the first fairway is clear. It is the boyhood course of James Braid and one of the most charming rounds in the kingdom of golf.
Photo: Elie Golf House Club via Google.
The verdict
Elie is one of those Scottish links that the wider world has somehow overlooked while every architect and travelling purist quietly adores it. Golf has been played over the Earlsferry ground since at least 1589, when a royal charter granted the villagers the right to the links, and the present routing was drawn together by Old Tom Morris in 1895. What he and the centuries left is a course of rare character: a par 70 made up of sixteen par 4s and just two par 3s, with not a single par 5, so the test is all about angle, wind and the deft pitch rather than brute length.
This is the cradle of James Braid, the five time Open champion born next door in Earlsferry in 1870, and you feel his presence on every firm fairway. The famous first tee is blind over the Elie hill, so the starter watches the fairway through a periscope rescued from a Royal Navy submarine, a piece of golfing theatre found nowhere else. For the travelling golfer building a Fife week around St Andrews and Kingsbarns, Elie is the round that everyone comes home talking about, and at a fraction of the marquee green fees.
Elie at a glance
- Founded
- 1875
- Designer
- Old Tom Morris, 1895
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 70
- Yardage
- 6,273 yds
- Green fee
- Around £140
Founding of the club in 1875, the Old Tom Morris routing of 1895, par 70 and a length of about 6,273 yards verified June 2026 from the club and course databases. Golf has been recorded over the Earlsferry links since 1589. The green fee is indicative, roughly 55 pounds in winter rising to around 140 pounds in peak summer 2026, with twilight and day rates available. Always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Elie is not a course of one or two postcard holes so much as a continuous, beautifully judged round, though several stand out. The opening drive is the signature curiosity: blind over the hill, with the periscope starter your only assurance the way is clear. From there the links unfolds along the Firth of Forth, the sea rarely out of view, the ground firm and running, and the wind the constant author of how each hole plays from one day to the next.
The two short holes are gems, small natural greens that demand the right club and a steady nerve once the breeze is up, and the long par 4s gathered near the turn ask for genuine ball striking into greens that repel the loose shot. Throughout, the defence is angle and judgement rather than yardage: at 6,273 yards Elie will never overpower you, but it will quietly pick off the player who stops thinking, with humps, hollows and clever green sites doing the work that length does elsewhere.
The closing stretch brings you home past the handsome clubhouse and the village rooftops, on greens that ask for touch rather than power. What lingers is the texture of the place: the periscope, the honesty boxes, the children playing the wee links next door as Braid once did, and the sense of golf carried on exactly as it has been for centuries on this stretch of Fife coast.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A members club that warmly welcomes visitors through the season; Elie is far easier to get on than St Andrews or Kingsbarns nearby and a wonderful contrast to both |
| Green fee | Roughly 55 pounds in winter to around 140 pounds in peak summer 2026 (indicative), with twilight and full day rates and a separate fee for the nine hole wee links |
| Booking | Book ahead in summer; midweek mornings are quietest, and the club keeps single visitor times more readily than the Fife giants |
| On the day | Walking course; a friendly, traditional clubhouse; mind the blind opening drive and wait for the starter's periscope signal |
| Getting there | On the south Fife coast about twelve miles south of St Andrews and an hour from Edinburgh, an easy pairing with Crail, Kingsbarns and the Old Course |
| Best months | May to September for the firmest turf and the longest days; late spring and early autumn are quiet and rewarding |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from the club; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with the Golf House Club or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base for an Elie round is St Andrews, twenty minutes north, with its hotels, the resort and the full sweep of Fife golf within reach. Many golfers simply add Elie to a St Andrews and Kingsbarns week as the relaxed, characterful change of pace it is built to be.
Elie itself is a pretty seaside village with inns and guest houses a short walk from the first tee, ideal for those who want to slow down and play the wee links in the evening light. Edinburgh, an hour away across the Forth, offers the fuller range of luxury hotels and the airport for those flying in.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts across St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife.
Play Elie and the best of Fife
We build Fife golf weeks around St Andrews, Kingsbarns, Elie and Crail, secure the tee times that are hardest to get and sort a St Andrews base with the transfers. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Elie questions
Who designed the Golf House Club at Elie?
Golf has been played over the Earlsferry and Elie links since at least 1589. The course played today was drawn together to eighteen holes by Old Tom Morris in 1895, building on earlier shorter layouts. James Braid, the five time Open champion, was born in neighbouring Earlsferry and learned the game here, though he did not design the course.
What is the par and length of Elie?
Elie is a par 70 of about 6,273 yards. It is unusual in having no par 5s at all: sixteen par 4s and just two par 3s. The challenge is angle, wind off the Firth of Forth and the firm running links ground rather than sheer length.
Why does Elie have a submarine periscope on the first tee?
The opening tee shot at Elie is blind over the Elie hill, so the starter cannot see whether the fairway ahead is clear. To solve this, the starter's hut is fitted with a periscope salvaged from a Royal Navy submarine, which lets the starter watch the first fairway and wave players off safely. It is one of the most charming rituals in golf.
How much does it cost to play Elie?
Indicative 2026 visitor green fees run from around 55 pounds in winter to about 140 pounds in peak summer, with twilight and full day rates and a separate fee for the short wee links. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Where is Elie and what is nearby?
Elie sits on the south coast of Fife, about twelve miles south of St Andrews and an hour from Edinburgh. It pairs naturally with the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Crail on a Fife golf week, offering a relaxed, historic contrast to the marquee links to the north.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Hidden links, Fife value rounds and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Founding year, designer, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.