The Ryder Cup likes its pomp and circumstance.
There’s all those ceremonies, with the teams and their respective significant others all dressed up in complementary colours. There’s the drama of the televised rounds. And there are the golf courses.
The problem is that last bit. The courses where the Ryder Cup is played—especially in Europe—are almost all homogenized, generic and dull.
That is the case with the Centenary Course at Gleneagles, which held the Ryder Cup this past week. A North American parkland effort designed by Jack Nicklaus, the course lacks the charm and proximity to the ocean to make it a true representation of Scottish golf.
That’s why I skipped Gleneagles on a recent trip to Scotland and instead went to Elie—I wanted to find the soul of links golf. It isn’t found in the big British Open courses, or the tracks like the Centenary Course that host big events. It is found in the wandering fairways of the small towns of Scotland, where quirky elements are embraced and where greatness abounds.
With that in mind, if you’re not trophy hunting, and can bring yourself to drive by Carnoustie to play Montrose, or seek Brora instead of Royal Dornoch, here’s five lesser-known courses to search out when you’re in Scotland. And like fine wine, there’s a pairings suggestion for the name courses they sit nicely with:
Golf House at Elie:
Heading up the hill towards the start’s hut at Elie, an age-old golf club just south of St. Andrews, isn’t a typical walk to the first tee.
For starters, the opening hole is a monster, a 420-yard beast that plays over a hill to a runway slope of a fairway that is invisible from the tee. But it isn’t the hole that captures your eye. Instead, it is the periscope sticking out of the starters hut. And yes, it is as cool as Johnny Deep in wayfarers, and it allows you to peer over the hill to see whether you’re good to go.
Elie was the surprise of my tour of Scotland in the spring. I expected it to be good, but I didn’t have a sense of just how strong it would be.
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Best paired with: Old Course at St. Andrews; Kingsbarns
Eden Course at St. Andrews:
Everyone wants to play the Old Course. That makes plenty of sense, but to pass on the lesser-known Eden Course, a brilliant sporty design by Harry Colt, would be a shame. Though alterations have changed Colt’s vision, the front nine, with its plunging greens that play right alongside the Old Course, is as good as it gets. Of particular note were two one-shot holes (5 and 8) with crossing tee shots. Five is a pitch hole, requiring little more than a 9-iron, but plays to a green set on the right of a small dune. The eighth is interesting because it crosses over the 5th, playing to a wild green with a false front that is more than 8 feet in height. It cards at 178 yards, but it is fascinating to not quite navigate the slope at the front and see the ball come rocketing back to your feet.
Short? Sure. Inexpensive? At $90 this is a steal. Enjoyable? Without question.
Best paired with: Carnoustie; New Course at St. Andrews
Lundin:
Within a short drive of St. Andrews is Lundin, a course that I’ve long wanted to see and which shares a boundary with nearby Leven. Starting hard along the ocean, Lundin is a bit of a hybrid, with holes running away from the beach and into a strand of trees at the top of the hill in a stretch of holes that feels, well, not very links-like. But the 18th hole, with its fairway rambling right next to the entrance road (“Watch for cars” should be emblazoned on the yardage book) and its green tucked into a hill below the clubhouse, it’s about as good as it gets.
Best paired with: Leven, Crail
Fraserburgh:
A lot of people travel up the east coast of Scotland to play the trophies—the wonderful Royal Aberdeeen, and Donald Trump’s hyped Trump International Scotland. But it is a must to drive a little father north and tackle Fraserburgh, which contends it is the seventh oldest course in the world. It starts conservatively, but by the back nine, where it wanders through a series of small dunes, there is some wondrous golf to be found at Fraserburgh. That’s the key to these lesser-known courses—they may not be great throughout all 18 holes, but there are elements of tremendous golf, sparks and charm that make you recognize there’s great golf within. And sometimes, like Fraserburgh, they are just out of the way enough that not enough people seek them out. If you like to chart your own path, Fraserburgh is for you.
Best paired with: Trump International Scotland; Royal Aberdeen
Fortrose and Rosemarkie:
Like a visit to Aberdeen will surely include a round at Trump’s modern links, a visit to the Inverness area about two hours west will likely entail a round at Castle Stuart, the course created by former Kingsbarns owner Mark Parsinen and designer Gil Hanse. But for $80, be sure to drive a half hour around the bay and see Fortrose and Rosemarkie, a true example of a course likely played by the average Scot. On a bold sunny day dozens of people were using the perimeter of the course to walk to the lighthouse that sits on the southernmost tip of the property. It made hitting our opening tee shots a bit daunting, but after that the land grew rumpled and the golf became pure links. Thankfully the stretch of holes with pedestrians nearby only occurs on the opening holes, and by the time you make the turn at the 5th, a cute par-3 over an active roadway (so typical of these unusual links), the course takes on a different tone, mixing wide links holes with short and smart ones. The general theme is straightforward—simple greens, plain bunkering and easily routed holes over natural land. The result was never overly difficult and very cool in places, especially the 17th hole where a stone marks the reputed site of the last witch burning in Scotland.
Best paired with: Royal Dornoch; Castle Stuart
Brora:
Located just north of Dornoch, the famed golf town in north Scotland, Brora has a cult following among golfers who like their links untouched by time. You’ll find sheep and cattle wandering the common land at Brora, with the greens protected by small electric fences to keep the animals from ruining the greens. That said, it is as enjoyable a round as you’ll find in Scotland, rustic, rugged, with the ocean in view throughout and a tough par three closing hole tucked right beneath the clubhouse. Great fun.
Best paired with: Royal Dornoch
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