KINGHORN GOLF CLUB - 14 POINTS
The spectacular view from the second green at Kinghorn is one of the best in Scottish golf
It’s not often I play a course that I know next to nothing about. Normally I have a fair idea in advance of what is to come and a course’s reputation proceeds it. Not so with Kinghorn. When I turned up to play I was much ignorant of what was to come, and the treat I was in for.
Kinghorn is one of the quirkiest, and fun, courses you will find in Scotland. The original 9 holes were designed by Old Tom Morris in 1887, although much has changed on the course since then. The first 10 holes play over rumpled, fast moving, links-type land (although you are set some way back from the coast). So, is this a true links course? I’m not sure to be honest, but it certainly plays with a sporty bounce and there are undulations galore. The course then goes on to more open land on some of the newer holes.
The routing isn’t very intuitive, so much so that the lady who was starting me even let me take a photograph of her laminated route map before I headed out!
From the yellow tees the course is a 4,637 par 65. There are no par 5s and only three of the par 4s come in over 400 yards, with 5 under 300 yards. That gives you a flavour of the fun that is to be had at Kinghorn. The course is packed full of idiosyncrasies which will leave you scratching your head at times but you will be smiling as you remember them later. Some courses fade quickly in the memory after playing, but not Kinghorn; this is a place you will remember for a long time!
The first hole takes you up a hill away from the clubhouse, and the crumpled fairway gives you a good idea of what to expect for the rest of this nine. The second is a long par 3 (190 yards) to a blind, bunkerless green which is no more than a dozen paces left to right, and not much more deep. It is perched on a hillside and the view when you get there is one of the best in Scottish golf.
It then takes quite a while to orient yourself for the third - one of the most perplexing holes you will ever play. It’s a 180 yard par 3 down a steep slope with a wall in front of the angled green and trouble long. I would suggest that getting the club right on this hole first time out is almost impossible!
The fun and games keep going. The 6th hole plays uphill as a 255 par 4 or a 167 par 3. The green is tucked out of sight on the left with a burn short and trouble on a mound to the left. I think I’d rather play it as a four than a three but either way you will need to have your wits about you as danger lurks everywhere.
The 6th is another perched green with trouble all around
The par 4 ninth is another unusual driving hole. You actually hit over a ravine that is the 6th fairway, but a good drive will have a shot at finding the reachable green.
It would be impossible for this level of quirk to be maintained and the back 9 is a little more conventional, although what comes at 18 is one of the most unusual closing holes anywhere in golf. If you play off the back tees you will descend a very steep slope to find yourself confronted with a cliff to hit up, with only a pole for a marker. It’s 195 yards and my 4 iron just barely made it over the mound with a couple of feet to spare. A very bizarre finishing hole!
Kinghorn won’t appear on too many traditional itineraries for golf trips to Fife. But if you are looking for something fun, which will require shot-making and imagination, then I would definitely recommend a stop off here. At just £15 for 18 holes this is one of the best value rounds you will find in the whole of the Kingdom!
BOOKING THE COURSE
Kinghorn is run by the body which looks after all of the council owned courses in Fife - The Fife Golf Trust. Tee times are available 7 days a week and in the peak of summer you can expect to pay between £14 and £23! You can book online here.
TOUR TIPS
Kinghorn is just to the east of Burntisland which makes it a good place to stop off if you are heading from Edinburgh along to the more traditional Fife courses such as Lundin, Elie or St Andrews. You can walk to it from Pettycur caravan park if you are looking to combine a motorhome or caravan holiday. Aberdour is only 20 minutes to the west and Leven half an hour east so you have plenty of other golf options in the area.
CONTACT DETAILS
Kinghorn Golf Club,
MacDuff Crescent,
Kinghorn,
Fife
KY3 9RF
Web - https://fifegolftrust.co.uk/kinghorn-golf-course
Phone - +44 (0) 1592 890978
