Lundin Golf Club

The verdict

Lundin is the quietly great links of Fife's southern shore, the kind of course that travellers chasing only St Andrews and Kingsbarns drive straight past and later wish they had not. It sits at Lundin Links on the curve of Largo Bay, founded in 1868 on ground first associated with Old Tom Morris, then remodelled in 1909 by James Braid, the five time Open champion and architect whose hand shaped so many of Scotland's best inland and seaside holes. The result is a compact, fast running links that rewards thought over power.

What gives Lundin its character is the split personality of the routing. A disused railway line once ran through the property, and the holes still divide loosely around its line: the stretch nearest the sea plays as authentic, rumpled links, while the inland holes climb a touch and bring a more parkland feel. At about 6,371 yards it never overpowers you, but the wind off the Forth, the firm turf and Braid's clever greens make it a genuine test that stays fun. For a golfer building a Fife trip, it is the smart addition that turns a famous itinerary into a memorable one.

The holes worth the trip

The opening stretch sets you out along the shore of Largo Bay, the ground close to the sea running fast and true, with the Firth of Forth and the silhouette of the Bass Rock filling the view. These early links holes ask for control of flight more than length, because the breeze rarely sits still and the greens shed anything overcooked.

The signature is the par 3 14th, named Perfection, carded around 177 yards but tumbling downhill toward the water so the right club is always a guess. Braid himself reckoned it about as good as a short hole gets, and standing on the tee with the Forth beyond the green it is easy to agree. From there the closing holes lift back toward the clubhouse, the inland character returning, and a strong finish rewards anyone still swinging well into the wind.

Throughout, the joy of Lundin is variety: a links opening, a more sheltered middle, and greens that reward the player who studies the slope before pulling a club. It is a course that asks questions all the way round rather than throwing one famous hole at you and coasting.

Where to stay nearby

Lundin sits in the East Neuk of Fife, so the natural bases are the seaside villages strung along the coast or the larger hubs of St Andrews and the resort hotels around it, all within easy reach. Many golfers anchor a Fife trip in St Andrews and play out to Lundin, Elie and the Crail links as day trips along the shore.

For a more relaxed week, the small towns of Largo, Elie and Anstruther offer characterful inns and harbour restaurants, putting you minutes from the first tee and the kind of evening that makes a Fife golf trip feel like more than a tick list.