Can visitors play at weekends?

Visitors are welcome but mid-week is markedly easier and quieter. Confirm a weekend tee time as far ahead as you can — popular Saturdays book up first.

How early can I book a tee time?

Phone or email the pro shop to confirm. Most Scottish clubs accept visitor bookings 7–30 days ahead; group bookings of 8+ can be arranged further ahead.

Is there a dress code?

Smart casual, collared shirts. Soft only.

Buggies are not generally available — the course is walked. Hire a trolley at the pro shop if you'd rather not carry.

What's the best time of year to play?

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for full conditions. Late May and early Sep are quietest with fair value. Year-round, best Apr–Oct.

Fife

Anstruther Golf Club

Anstruther, Fife

Plate I — Links course — coastal exposure, firm running turf

Holes

—

Par

—

Type

Links

Fife

Walkability

★★★★☆

Confirmed 3/5

Best Season

May–Sep

Year-round, best Apr–Oct

Visitor Access

Open

Mid-week ideal

Nine-hole links above Anstruther harbour. The 5th is reputedly the shortest hole in Scottish golf.

From the Notebook

Anstruther Golf Club is a nine-hole links course on the clifftop above the East Neuk fishing harbour of Anstruther. The course was established in 1890 and occupies the ground above the town — nine compact holes on links-style terrain, with the Firth of Forth and the Isle of May visible from the higher points. Par 32, just over 2,000 yards.

The 5th hole at Anstruther — known as the Scamp — measures around 69 yards and is claimed to be the shortest hole in Scottish golf. A short iron from a clifftop tee to a small green perched at the cliff edge, with the harbour and the East Neuk rooflines below: a hole that is simultaneously trivial and memorable. The course makes no pretence to championship ambition; it exists because a fishing village of this quality deserves a golf course, and that is sufficient justification.

Green fee £15–20. Anstruther is the natural base for an East Neuk golf day — the Scottish Fisheries Museum is 10 minutes walk from the first tee, the harbourside fish-and-chip shops at Anstruther are among the best in Scotland, and the East Neuk villages of Pittenweem, St Monans, and Elie are within cycling distance. A morning nine at Anstruther followed by lunch and an afternoon walk to St Monans is a complete Fife coastal day.

Visit Website →

One Hole Worth Talking About

The hole everyone remembers.

5Par 3 · 69 yards

The Scamp

Sixty-nine yards. From a clifftop tee to a green perched above Anstruther harbour. The hole is short enough to be comic and positioned well enough to be genuinely difficult in any wind off the Firth. In dead calm this is a half-wedge; in a north wind off the May Island it becomes anything up to an 8-iron and a prayer. Whether this is the shortest par 3 in Scottish golf depends on which claims you accept, but it is certainly the shortest that requires a real decision about club selection. The Scamp is the correct name for a hole that is small, located on the edge of something larger, and entirely capable of ruining your card.

The Full Scorecard

Everything else you might want to know.

Course

Designer: Old Tom Morris, advised 1896
Founded: 1890
Style era: Contact club
Yardage (W): Contact club
Yardage (Y): Contact club
Yardage (R): Contact club
Course rating: Contact club
Slope rating: Contact club
Bunkers: Contact club
Greens: Contact club
Walking time: Contact club
Open season: Year-round, best Apr–Oct

Visitor

Dress code: Smart casual, collared shirts
Spikes: Soft only
Booking: Contact club
Twilight: Contact club
Winter rate: Contact club
Senior: Contact club
Junior: Contact club
Buggy: Not available
Trolley: Contact club
Caddie: Contact club

Practical

Address: Anstruther, Fife, KY10 3DZ
Phone: 01333 310956
Nearest train: Leuchars
Nearest airport: Edinburgh (EDI) (90 min)
Parking: Free
Wi-Fi: Yes, clubhouse
Card payment: Yes
Membership: Contact club
Joining fee: Contact club
Waiting list: Contact club

Fields marked “Contact club” aren’t public-facing in a way we’ve been able to verify. Call the club directly for these — we’ll update the entry when we have it from source.

Conditions This Week

What's the weather doing?

Fetching conditions…

Scored 0–10 for golf — wind, rain, conditions · Full 7-region forecast →

Location

Anstruther Golf Club on the map

Anstruther, Fife · KY10 3DZOpen in OpenStreetMap →

While They Golf

For the non-golfer in the party.

Fife isn't only for the golfers. Walks, drives, distilleries, castles, a long lunch — five picks within thirty minutes of the first tee.

The Fife companion guide →

Plan This Round

Three things to sort before you tee off.

Where to Stay

Beds in Anstruther

Hotels, lodges and self-catering near the first tee. Map-style search via Stay22 covering Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and Vrbo.

Hotels & lodges nearbyfrom £89/nt Self-catering & cottagesfrom £140/nt Bed & breakfastfrom £85/nt

via Stay22 / Booking.com

How to Get There

From Leuchars or Edinburgh (EDI)

Edinburgh (EDI) is 90 minutes away by car. Train + onward taxi works for the carless visitor.

Train to LeucharsLNER / ScotRail Hire car at Edinburgh (EDI)90 min drive Local bus from towncheck timetable

via Trainline & airport hire

Insure Your Round

Cover for clubs, cancellation, hole-in-one

Most home contents policies don't cover golf clubs in transit. The picker matches you to the right kind of cover in two minutes.

Day cover — single roundfrom £4.99 UK annual policyfrom £35 European trip coverfrom £15

Birdie Brae picker

Played here? Consider

Three things worth packing.

Picked for links rounds on the Scottish coast.

Outerwear

Galvin Green Andres jacket

Wind off the firth changes club selection two irons. A breathable, fully-waterproof shell that's light enough not to swing in is the single biggest upgrade for Scottish links golf.

Layer

Sunderland of Scotland half-zip

Scottish-made merino — the locals' choice for shoulder-season rounds. Warm enough for a 7am tee time in October, light enough for the back nine when the sun comes out.

Tech

Garmin Approach S70 GPS

Handles blind tee shots and exposed-coastal yardage cleanly. Battery lasts a 36-hole day; the wind-direction overlay justifies the price on its own.

Stays Nearby

Where to stay near Anstruther

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Anstruther. Tap any property to check rates.

Prefer a list? Compare hotels & B&Bs in Anstruther →

Rates and availability via Stay22. We may earn a small commission if you book — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work.

Frequently Asked

Visitors usually want to know.

Can visitors play at weekends?: Visitors are welcome but mid-week is markedly easier and quieter. Confirm a weekend tee time as far ahead as you can — popular Saturdays book up first.
How early can I book a tee time?: Phone or email the pro shop to confirm. Most Scottish clubs accept visitor bookings 7–30 days ahead; group bookings of 8+ can be arranged further ahead.
Is there a dress code?: Smart casual, collared shirts. Soft only.
Are buggies allowed?: Buggies are not generally available — the course is walked. Hire a trolley at the pro shop if you'd rather not carry.
What's the best time of year to play?: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for full conditions. Late May and early Sep are quietest with fair value. Year-round, best Apr–Oct.

Nearby courses

Browse all Fife & Angus courses →

Fife & Angus golf hub

Browse all Fife & Angus courses →

The Home of Golf, plus the Angus links circuit visitors forget. St Andrews gets the headlines; the rest of the coast deserves the trip on its own merits.

While they golf — Anstruther

For the non-golfer in Anstruther →

Eat at the Anstruther Fish Bar — twice UK Fish Shop of the Year — then cross to the Isle of May on the May Princess for puffins, seals, and a lighthouse.

Pair the round

On TasteSCOT

Kingsbarns Distillery

A fifteen-minute drive south along the Fife coast. Kingsbarns' Dream to Dram is a sherry-cask Lowland that rewards the patient — ideal post-round dram.

Getting there by train

On TripSCOT

Leuchars station

About 25 minutes by taxi from Anstruther. Edinburgh Waverley in 50 min; Dundee in 10 min.