Balbirnie Park Golf Club

Balbirnie Park Golf Club is a beautifully manicured parkland golf course 20 minutes south of the Old Course, St Andrews. The course is laid out in two nine holes, each being a good test of golf for all levels of golfer.

The course was used for the war effort between 1939-1945, and although it was reformed after the war, lack of funds caused it to fold in 1947. In 1976, a public meeting was called, and the club was reborn.
Club outings took place at various golf clubs throughout Fife until Glenrothes Development Corporation bought Balbirnie Estate and started the construction of an 18-hole golf course.

The course is a par 71 and 6,313 yards off the medal tees. No. 1 is a 397-yard par 4 that sweeps left. Trees are at either side of the tough hole, and the two-tiered green is guarded by bunkers. No. 6 is the course's first par 5, one of three. Don't let its length, 481, fool you. It plays long because there's a valley in the middle of the fairway. If you can make it to the long, narrow green in three, you're in good shape.

No. 8 is perhaps the toughest hole at Balbirnie Park Golf Club, especially on a windy day. The tee shot is demanding, with a tree at the right side of the fairway. Your approach will be to a two-tiered green.

No. 16 is a true dogleg, at a 90-degree angle. It's 395 yards, but you have to navigate past trees up the left-hand side, which prevent you from cutting off the corner. There's also a lone bunker to complicate things further. The course closes with a 496-yard par 5. No. 18 is arguably one of the finest par fives in Fife. It's all downhill to a green framed by the clubhouse.

That clubhouse features food, drink and changing rooms, as well as a pro shop. However, there are limited visitor times on the weekends.