Golf has been played on the links between Elie and Earlsferry since at least the 1500s, and royal charters of 1589 confirmed the right of locals and visitors to play over the ground. The Golf House Club has run it since 1875. It is a short course by modern standards, just over 6,200 yards, with no par fives at all, and it suits golfers who care more about variety than length. James Braid learned the game here. The detail everyone remembers is the starter’s hut, where a real submarine periscope is used to check that the first fairway is clear.
The Golf House Club, Elie green fees and tee times.
Visitor tee times are booked online, with weekday and weekend fees shown. Singles cannot book online: phone the Starter’s Office on +44 1333 331207 and staff will try to pair you with other players. Visitor slots run daily from 11:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 16:00, subject to daylight and club competitions. From mid-July to mid-August the course is kept for members and their guests, so there are no visitor times in that window. In summer the full fee is taken at booking, and cancellations more than seven days before the tee time are refunded in full. The club’s visitor notes do not set a handicap limit; they ask for sound etiquette and a good pace of play. Groups of nine or more get society rates in high season.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £90
Adult visitor round, low season (November–March) on the 2026/27 rate card; £165 in April and October, £200 May–September. Juniors half price. Weekly tickets from £300 (low season) to £600 (high season); Open week on application.
Low season, November–March
£90
Shoulder season, April & October
£165
High season, May–September
£200
Weekly ticket, low season
£300
Weekly ticket, high season
£600
Fortnightly ticket, high season
£900
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
The links sits on the East Neuk shore of the Firth of Forth, and the club describes it as having evolved naturally rather than being designed. The Golf House Club formed in May 1875 and finished its golf house two years later; extra land in the mid-1890s took the course to 18 holes. From the white tees it is 6,273 yards, par 70, with just two par threes and sixteen par fours. The 1st, 420 yards, is blind over a rise, hence the periscope, which came from the experimental submarine HMS Excalibur when she was scrapped in 1966. Kel Nagle, the 1960 Open champion, called the 214-yard 3rd one of the best in the country, and the ruins of a medieval chapel on Chapel Ness are visible from its tee. Braid called the 380-yard 13th the finest hole in the country. Revetted bunkers, firm greens and long par fours (the 12th is 466 yards) make it a test of placement more than power.
Know before you go.
Visitor tee windows
11:00–12:30 and 14:30–16:00 daily
Blackout
No visitor times mid-July to mid-August
Single golfers
Phone the starter; no online booking
Buggies
Few, for golfers who could not otherwise play; reserve on +44 1333 330301
Dress
Collared shirts tucked in; no denim, trainers or cargo shorts
Make the trip work.
Visitor parking is at the top of Golf Club Lane; turn left into the marked car park. Check in at the Starter’s Office beside the 1st tee, the building with the periscope on the roof, and leave clubs in the rack next to it rather than taking them into the locker rooms. Trolleys, scorecards, course guides and range balls are sold there. If lightning, fog or frost delays play, the club tries to move you later the same day or to the next day; refunds follow club policy if it cannot. The clubhouse serves bacon rolls through to post-round meals.
Edinburgh Airport is about an hour away by car over the Queensferry Crossing and the A92 and A915. St Andrews is roughly 12 miles north-east, around 25 minutes by road. The nearest station is Leven, reopened in 2024 with direct trains from Edinburgh, roughly ten miles west, so plan a taxi for the last stretch. There is no rail line into the East Neuk itself.
Elie and Earlsferry run into each other along the bay, and the course sits between them, so much of the accommodation is self-catering: stone cottages and flats on the harbour streets, rented by the week, which suits the club’s weekly and fortnightly tickets. The Ship Inn on Elie bay has rooms above a busy pub. Kilconquhar, a couple of miles inland, has a large holiday estate with lodges. For hotels with more choice, St Andrews is around 13 miles away, and Anstruther, ten minutes east, has guest houses near the harbour.
Make a trip of it.
Dumbarnie, the 2020 links on Largo Bay, is about ten minutes west, with Lundin and Leven a little beyond it. Crail’s Balcomie and Craighead courses are 20 minutes east at Fife Ness, and Kingsbarns a few minutes further. Off the course, the Elie Chain Walk is a tide-dependent scramble along fixed chains under the cliffs of Kincraig Point, and the Lady’s Tower on Ruddons Point was built as a bathing house in the 18th century.
Find your season.
The low-season rate runs from November to March, when the price drops to £90; frost can delay or suspend play, and the club then tries to move you to later that day or the next. April and October are shoulder months. Members take the course over from mid-July to mid-August, which matters if your trip falls around The Open at St Andrews in July 2027: book Elie for June or early July instead.
The 1st tee shot is blind over a hill, so the starter uses a Royal Navy periscope from the submarine HMS Excalibur, salvaged in 1966 and given to the club by a member, Gavin Reekie, to see when the fairway is clear. The Starter’s Office with the periscope on its roof is also where visitors check in.
How much are Elie green fees?
On the 2026/27 card an adult round is £90 from November to March, £165 in April and October and £200 from May to September. Juniors aged 12 to 17 pay half and must play with a member or adult visitor. Weekly tickets run from £300 to £600.
When can visitors play Elie?
Visitor slots are 11:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 16:00 every day, depending on daylight and competitions. There are no visitor times from mid-July to mid-August. Single golfers should phone the starter, who tries to pair them with a group.
Is Elie a par 70 with no par fives?
Yes. From the white and yellow tees it is par 70 with two par threes, the 3rd and 11th, and sixteen par fours. Several par fours are long: the 12th is 466 yards and the 9th and 17th are both around 440.
Last checked 11 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.
