Golf House Club, Elie: An East Neuk gem

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One of the differences between a good golf trip back to Scotland and one that is outstanding is the golf courses that are to be played. Try to tackle only the top ranked championship links courses and unless you are a single digit handicapper with a lot of links experience, you could be turning your golf vacation into very hard work. Links golf is quite different to the golf you play back home and for the average player it's always a good idea to start a one week Scottish golf trip involving 5 or 6 rounds of golf with a warm-up round on a layout that is a little less arduous.

Dating from 1875 Elie deserves better recognition.

Elie makes an excellent tutor on the idiosyncrasies of Links golf.

It's not a u-boat commander just Elie's starter doing his job.

Winds of 25 mph are the norm at Elie.

Lundin Links is another East Neuk gem deserving of more attention.

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If you are starting your trip in St. Andrews, there are a wealth of extremely good layouts within a 12 mile radius that are just a tad less intimidating than a Carnoustie or a Kingsbarns and they make an ideal place to get a little refresher course in the idiosyncrasies of links golf with an enjoyable experience thrown in. Some of the best are located around the picturesque fishing villages of Fife's East Neuk region.

One of the most ideal for this purpose just might be the Golf House Club in Elie; it's an unusual name for what I consider one of the most charming golf clubs in all Scotland. The spunky links layout here is certainly no walk in the park; it's just not as cruel on the visitor as some of the better-known monsters that are inevitably on your list.

Adding to Elie's appeal is the amount of golf history it has to tell -- golf has been played over this ground since the 14th century and this is the very course where five-time British Open champion and master architect, James Braid, first learned to play golf in the late 19th century.

But history and charm are only the beginning of the story; the links at Elie also contain a few oddities, sometimes referred to as quirks that you will never find on any other course. It all makes for a truly memorable round, guaranteed to be more fun than most you may have played.

It all begins at the rather unique starters hut that comes equipped with a genuine submarine periscope reaching some 30 feet into the sky. There's a reason for everything at Elie and the periscope is used by the starter to make sure the fairway on the other side of the hill is clear and it's safe for you to tee-off. Welcome to the first oddity of links golf -- blind holes. Receiving the all clear, you are away on a golf adventure.

One of the major hazards to be contended with at Elie is the abundant supply of rather serious pot-bunkers, all placed exactly where you don't need them. Add to the test the humps and bumps, hollows and undulations of the true links fairways and you begin to wonder why anyone would ever suggest this as a warm-up course, but things get even trickier.

The course is very exposed and the winds that gust in from the sea often exceed 25 miles an hour. Now you're beginning to get the real links experience and Mother Nature is your teacher, showing quite clearly the benefits of the bump and run approach rather than flying the ball everywhere -- and everywhere exactly where your ball will go if you don't keep it low.

The 9th is another blind hole, but wait for the bell to ring before you tee-off. The bell sits alongside the 9th green and must be rung by the group ahead as soon as they have completed the hole, just so the following group knows it's safe to tee-off.

There is a quartet of outstanding holes, starting at the 10th and culminating at the 13th a hole James Braid considered the finest in the entire country. It demands a tight drive and a carefully thought out approach shot to the seriously sloped, plateau green, standing 15 feet above a fairway of ridges and valleys. To call this one tricky would be a gross understatement.

By the time you reach the clubhouse, you will know a lot more about links golf than at the start and Elie has shown you in a way that was exciting and great fun -- so much in fact that you'll be tempted to squeeze another round in here before leaving for home.

But the east Neuk has a few other links golfing pleasures that warrant some attention. Nearby Lundin Links is another centenarian with its own brand of a good old fashioned, links testiness, including a railway track running through the middle of the layout. Lundin is used as a qualifying course, whenever The British Open is held at St. Andrews, which should give you a clue that this is serious golf.

The famous, trophy links will certainly be on your must play list, but miss out on a few of these less well known links courses and you will be missing a very important part of the Scottish golf experience. Nowhere will this be as evident than in the clubhouses, where both Elie and Lundin Links excel in friendliness and generously showering the very warmest of warm welcomes on all visitors.

For a few suggestions on how to include Elie or Lundin Links in your Scottish golf trip, click here.

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