Crail (Craighead Links)

The Craighead Links is one of two courses at the Crail Golfing Society, located on the eastern coastline of Fife in Scotland.

Just a few mere miles from the ‘Home of Golf’, the Craighead Links is a much more modern course, only opening in the late 1990s.

The views at Crail are a joy to behold. The Isle of May met the skyline with a glimmer in the distance. Enjoy them, but then keep your concentration for the 6,650-yard test that lies in wait.

Visit Crail’s website here.

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The history of the Crail Golfing Society dates all the way back to the late 18th Century, but it was more than 200 years before the Craighead Links came to be.

It was the late 1990s when Gil Hanse was drafted in after the club bought more land – at Craighead Farm – which gave the new course its name. It was Hanse’s first course design outside of the United States.

The course also features Danes Dike, a wall that dates back to the 9th Century. The wall comes into play on four holes on the Craighead Course.

The Craighead Links at the Crail Golfing Society is a tough test of modern golf adjacent to the North Sea. The wind often gets up on the coast and is there to stay, providing quite a daunting task. The course has been designed by Hanse to be blend in with the medieval walls and with the clifftop environment. Blind shots, those walls, and plenty of OOB lines come into play, making your line and club selection crucial at all times. From the tips, the Craighead pushes to 6,650 yards – a tough test!

On first glance at the card, a par 5 of just 470 yards seems the perfect way to get a birdie on the card. However, the opening hole on the Craighead Links moves from the right to left around a trio of large bunkers. If you can avoid them off the tee, then there is a chance of making the green in two. A single pot bunker sits in front of the centre of the green. Finding that might cause some trouble to begin with.

You then make your way through a trio of par 4s. The 2nd is a sharp dog-leg right, and your tee shot needs to reach the bunkers on the right side to give yourself the best view of the green, one that is long and narrow. A drive down the left side is best on the 325-yard par 4 3rd. Find the fairway, and birdie is definitely on the cards... The 4th much more difficult prospect. Coming in at 455 yards from the tips, and moving from left to right, the ideal tee shot will cover the bunkers on the inside corner of the hole. Four more traps are down by the green for extra protection.

A run of 3, 5, 3, 5 follows through the middle part of the front nine. The 5th is the first par 3 on the course, and it is also the longest of those at 230 yards. A solitary bunker sits around 40 yards short of the putting surface. The 7th is the other short hole in this run, but again, ‘short’ is not necessarily the right word. It is 197 yards, and played to a funky green that is guarded by four bunkers. The 6th is the longest hole on the course at 552 yards, and once more, the key is avoiding the bunkers on the right side of the fairway. The green is tucked in the corner of the property, with OOB on its right. The third par 5 on the front side is more gettable at 513 yards, and with a very generous fairway. Two bunkers guard the green, but this is reachable in two for the longer hitters.

The front nine concludes with the 375-yard 9th. Another wide fairway sits in front of you, with three bunkers guarding the left side of the putting surface. The slightly downhill par 4 10th kicks off the back nine in style as it offers a dilemma for low and high handicappers alike. With a number of bunkers protecting the front of the green, the wind behind and the North Sea staring back at you, standing on the tee box with driver in hand was a daunting prospect. 11 plays back up the slope and as a slight dog-leg left. The decision off the tee is whether you can take on the burn that runs across the fairway. If you’re unsure, lay up short of it before having a longer approach to the green. 12 brings the quartet of par 4s around the turn to an end. At 344 yards, it is another good birdie opportunity, providing your drive goes down the right side of the hole.

The first of the par 3s on the back nine comes at 13, and it is also the shortest hole on the Craighead Links. The green is large, and sits on an angle from the tee box. The danger comes in the form of a pot bunker in front of the surface, and OOB on the other three sides. 13 is a long par 4, made longer by the fact your tee shot has to avoid the three bunkers on the inside corner of this dog-leg left. There is no more sand by the green, but with a burn down the left, a wall and OOB right, and even more trouble long, good luck! The 15th is the last of the par 5s, and at 550 yards, it is a three-shotter for all bar the longest of hitters. With a good drive, you might fancy getting past the road with your second shot, but laying up before it is not the worst idea.

Six bunkers sit on the inside corner of the dog-leg left 16th. At 375 yards, covering the traps is not necessary, but finding the fairway certainly is. Four more bunkers protect the left side of the green. The last short hole is the 17th, but at 200 yards, it is anything but short. Bunkers front left and front right are the danger, with plenty of space on either side of the green. The final hole is one of the toughest holes on the course. The 18th is a 455-yard par 4, and another hole with six bunkers on one side of the fairway. This time, they’re on the right with plenty of space to the left of them in the short grass. The green is relatively unguarded, but will look small thanks to the length of this hole, which will mean a long iron or even fairway wood is in hand for your second.

Where is the Crail Golfing Society located?

Crail Golfing Society is located at on the eastern coastline of Fife in Scotland. Golfers playing at Crail will enjoy views over the North Sea to the east. It is just a few miles south of Kingsbarns, and within half an hour of St Andrews. Dundee is 25 miles to the north, while the Scottish capital of Edinburgh is around 55 miles southwest of the venue.

The nearest major international airport is also Edinburgh, which is slightly closer to Crail than the capital city. More than 15 million passengers travel through Edinburgh Airport annually. For those travelling by train, the nearest station is in Leven, but that is more than ten miles from the venue.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

With its location in the southeastern corner of Fife, the Craighead Links at Crail is one of several great courses in the region. The venue is also home to the Balcomie Links, while Kingsbarns, the Torrance and Kittocks Courses at Fairmont St Andrews, and the St Andrews Links – with the Old Course, New Course, Castle Course, Eden Course and Jubilee Course, are all within a short drive along the coast.

What golf facilities does the Crail Golfing Society offer?

Along with the two courses – the Balcomie Links and the Craighead Links – Crail has plenty to offer in terms of its practice facilities. There is a driving range with nine bays, along with a beautiful short game area to allow golfers to practice their chipping and putting with those incredible views of the region.

What are the green fees at the Crail Golfing Society?

The price of a green fee at the Crail Golfing Society changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Crail, visit their website here.