Dumbarnie is the newest links on the Fife coast, opened in 2020 on the north shore of Largo Bay between Upper Largo and Elie. It is a pay-and-play course with no members’ timesheet to work around, and it has climbed quickly: it hosted the Women’s Scottish Open in its second season and collected a best-new-course award at the 2021 World Golf Awards. It sits about half an hour from St Andrews, so it fits easily into a Fife week, and it suits golfers who want the firm ground of a links without the narrow corridors of an old one.
Dumbarnie Links green fees and tee times.
Reservations for 2027 go through the club by email (info@dumbarnielinks.com) or by phone on +44 (0)1334 845 945. The full green fee is taken when you book, by Visa or Mastercard, and bookings cancelled less than 30 days before play are neither refunded nor transferable. No handicap certificate is required, although the club prefers men not to exceed 28 and women 45, and slow groups may be asked to let others through. A half-price replay round can be added to a full-rate visitor booking within seven days of the first round. Buggies are only for golfers with a disability or permanent condition, on a medical certificate or blue badge, cost £40, and must be driven by a caddie whose fee is added.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £256
2026 visitor rate, 3–30 April; £350 from 1 May to 29 October 2026, with a replay round at half price. 2027 rates had not been published when checked; the reservations team quotes them on request. Range balls are included.
Visitor, April 2026
£256
Visitor, 1 May–29 October 2026
£350
Replay round, 1 May–29 October 2026
£175
Junior, 1 May–29 October 2026
£94
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
Clive Clark designed the course on part of the Balcarres Estate, using around 345 acres and a mile and a half of shoreline. Clark set out to give golfers more width off the tee than most links, putting the questions into the angle of approach and the bunkering around the greens. He also included three short par fours that strong players can try to drive, which makes the risk obvious on the tee. Par is 72, and the tees can stretch to around 7,600 yards for professional events, though visitors play much shorter sets. Almost every hole looks out over the Firth of Forth, and the course plays firm and fast once the turf dries in early summer.
Know before you go.
Handicap
Not required; men ideally 28 or lower, women 45
Payment
Full fee at booking; no refund inside 30 days
Buggies
Medical certificate or blue badge only; caddie drives
Arrival
Check in at the pro shop about an hour before
Dress
Golf attire; knee-length shorts allowed
Make the trip work.
Arrive about an hour before your time, as the club suggests: check-in is at the pro shop, and range balls come with the green fee, so you can warm up properly. The clubhouse has a bar, restaurant, changing rooms with showers and lockers, and a cash machine in the shop. If you plan two rounds on the same trip, book the full-rate round first and add the replay within the seven-day window. Because cancellations inside 30 days lose the full fee, settle flights before you pay.
The course is on the A917 between Upper Largo and Elie; use postcode KY8 6JQ for satnav. St Andrews is about 11 miles away, and the club suggests allowing 30 minutes. Edinburgh Airport is roughly an hour by road via the Queensferry Crossing and the A915. Leven station, which reopened with the Levenmouth line in June 2025, is the nearest railhead, about seven miles west by taxi.
There is no accommodation at Dumbarnie, and the club points visitors to the Stay in St Andrews site. The villages either side make a quieter base than St Andrews. Elie has The Ship Inn on the bay and holiday cottages along its harbour streets; Lundin Links and Lower Largo have guest houses within a few minutes of the course. Golfers combining Dumbarnie with the Old Course ballot are usually better off in St Andrews itself and driving down.
Make a trip of it.
The Golf House Club at Elie, with its periscope by the first tee, is the closest partner and a short drive east. Lundin and Leven Links share a stretch of coast just west of Lower Largo and can be played on the same day. Kingsbarns and the Castle Course are both within 35 minutes. Off the course, Lower Largo was the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the castaway behind Robinson Crusoe, and his statue stands in the village; at low tide the Elie Chain Walk scrambles along the cliffs.
Find your season.
Dumbarnie closes for the winter. The 2026 season ran from 3 April to 29 October, and the course and clubhouse reopen on Friday 2 April 2027. April carried a lower visitor rate in 2026, and the course is at its firmest from June to September, when the light lasts well into the evening.
No certificate is checked. The club asks that men are ideally 28 or lower and women 45 or lower, and it reserves the right to ask slow groups to stand aside. Higher handicappers are better served by the forward tees, which keep the course well under 6,000 yards.
How much are Dumbarnie green fees?
In 2026 the visitor rate was £256 in April and £350 from 1 May to 29 October, with a replay round at £175. Lower rates apply to Fife and Scottish residents within 21 days of play. The club had not published 2027 prices when we checked, so ask the reservations team.
Can you hire a buggy at Dumbarnie?
Only on medical grounds. You need a medical certificate or a blue badge, sent before the day. The buggy costs £40 and a caddie must drive it, so you also pay the £80 caddie fee.
How far is Dumbarnie Links from St Andrews?
About 11 miles, and the club advises allowing 30 minutes by car along the coast roads. Edinburgh Airport is about an hour away, which makes Dumbarnie a practical first or last round of a Fife trip.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
