Crail GF: 18 holes: Balcomie £160, Craighead £125; day ticket: £220
Just a short drive along the Fife coast from St Andrews, Crail Golfing Society very successfully combines the best of the new with the best of the old. Its roots date back to 1786, and its original Balcomie Links is both traditional and unusual.
It’s not a long course overall and this is partly because there are no fewer than four par 3s in the closing six. There are also several short par 4s and a fair number of holes that hug the shoreline. The Craighead Links opened in 1999 and is substantially longer, working its way over the cliffs and some higher ground. It makes for a very different alternative, with the whole package an excellent 36-hole venue.
Blairgowrie GF: 18 holes: Rosemount or Lansdowne £140; both courses in a day: £200
This story is from the February 2025 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2025 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
My golfing year
Rob Smith looks back on his packed 2024 diary and reflects on the many and varied adventures of a dedicated golf course writer
Blackmoor
The A3/M3 corridor heading south-west out of London is graced with many cracking heather-lined courses that rank among the best in the country.
How should I adjust for compacted sand?
At this time of year, we face a lot of bunker shots from compacted sand and need to make the necessary adjustments to change how the club enters the sand.
Johannes Veerman
The winner of December's Nedbank Golf Challenge shares his thoughts on some of the best ways to lower your scores
PUTTING MATS
While you may think all putting mats are created equal, there are many factors a golfer should consider before taking the plunge, from price and size, to speed and the number of different features a product offers.
OZARKS NATIONAL
This outrageously attractive course, which opened in 2019, is one of five brilliant and very different designs at the expansive Big Cedar Lodge resort in Missouri.
FOR THE LONG RUN"
Ludvig Aberg has made quite a start to his professional career, with his eyes now set on climbing higher still in 2025 following a slight pause for surgery last September
PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2025
There is perhaps greater strength in depth in both men’s and women’s elite golf today than at any point in time.
A GRAND ESTATE
Goodwood in West Sussex may be steeped in ancestral history, but about 20 years ago it elected to take its golf offering down a very different route...