Dumbarnie Links

Dumbarnie Links opened in 2020, designed by Clive Clark on the north shore of the Firth of Forth between Lundin Links and Elie. The site looks south across the Forth towards Edinburgh and East Lothian, and on a clear day the views take in a long stretch of the coastline that produced the game. The design uses wide fairways and genuine links turf to establish the character of a traditional seaside course, while the elevation of parts of the site gives certain holes a panoramic quality that older links in the area, built on flatter ground, cannot match.

At this price point, comparisons with Kingsbarns are unavoidable. Both are relatively new courses on the Fife coast, built to deliver the aesthetic of a links that feels as if it has been there longer than it has, and both charge visitor fees that reflect their positioning as destination courses. Dumbarnie's fairways are wider, the exposure to the Forth wind is consistent, and the course is one of the few Scottish links to permit buggies — a practical detail that makes it accessible to golfers who need one and unremarkable to those who don't.

Green fees run £195 to £225. Tee times are bookable in advance through the club website. Caddies are available. The course pairs naturally with Lundin or Leven for visitors spending several days on the Fife coast, offering a contrast between a modern, higher-budget links experience and the more traditional, lower-key golf next door. It is not the oldest or the most historically weighted course on this stretch of coastline, but it was designed by someone who understood the form, and it shows.