When visiting golfers come to the area around St Andrews on the Scottish east coast they tend to focus on links course – of which there are certainly many! Ladybank Golf Club offers an interesting contrast.
Ladybank is a quality, championship standard, heathland course with holes bounded by heather, pine trees and silver birch. This is regarded as one of the best golf courses in the area and is amongst the best inland layouts in Scotland. Despite being a heathland course Ladybank has also featured as a Final Qualifying venue for the Open Championship on 7 occasions since 1978.
The fairways tend to be flat, avoiding the undulations of links courses, but positioning with your tee shot is more important than distance. Greens are small making the approach shot testing. A review in the Dundee Evening Post of June 1903 stated "But woe be unto the Man with the exaggerated slice or pull! He may not again see his ball, and the only consolation will be that probably nobody else will find it!" There have been many changes to the golf course since this but the penalties remain in tact.
Ladybank Golf Club was established in 1879, with the original 6-hole course laid out by Old Tom Morris. The course extended to 9 holes in 1910 with the existing 18 hole course finally established in 1961.
The course signature hole is the Par 4 9th where a large tree guards the corner a right to left dogleg. If the golfer can hit the raised two tier green with a long iron than they may have a chance of par.
For an interesting and good value selection of enjoyable yet testing courses, Ladybank have combined with Crail, Scotscraig and Lundin Golf Clubs to offer reduced fee passes for some or all 4 courses. Each is quite different to the other and all are within a 40 minute drive of St Andrews. Links with History has all the booking information required.
* For guidance only - all timings are traffic dependent.
Options we suggest:
Holiday Inn Express Glenrothes
Glenrothes
Glenrothes
Budget Hotel
Dundee
Dundee
Dundee
4 Star Hotel
Dundee
Budget Hotel
St Andrews
3 Star Townhouse Hotel
St Andrews
3 Star Hotel
St Andrews
5 Star Hotel
Edinburgh
Holiday Inn Express Dunfermline
Dunfermline
3 Star Hotel
Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh - City West
Edinburgh
Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh
3 Star Hotel
Perth
3 Star Hotel
St Andrews
4 Star Town House Hotel
St Andrews
5 Star Hotel - AA Inspectors' Choice
Perth
4 Star Small Hotel
Premier Inn Dundee (Monifieth)
Monifieth
Budget Hotel
Broughty Ferry
Budget Hotel
Dundee
Budget Hotel
Dundee
Budget Hotel
Dunfermline
Budget Hotel
Premier Inn Edinburgh (South Queensferry)
South Queensferry
Budget Hotel
Premier Inn Edinburgh Airport (M9, Jct1)
Edinburgh
Budget Hotel
Premier Inn Edinburgh Park (Airport)
Edinburgh
Budget Hotel
Larbert
Budget Hotel
Falkirk
Budget Hotel
Falkirk
Budget Hotel
Kincardine
Budget Hotel
Premier Inn Livingston (M8 Jct 3)
Livingston
Budget Hotel
Perth
Budget Hotel
St Andrews
Budget Hotel
Premier Inn Stirling South (M9 J9)
Stirling
Budget Hotel
St Andrews
Auchterarder
5 Star Hotel - AA Inspectors' Choice
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Heathland, 10 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 9 holes
Links, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Heathland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Coastal, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Gleneagles PGA National Academy course
Heathland, 9 holes
Heathland, 18 holes
Parkland, 12 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Inland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Heathland, Parkland, 18 holes
Coastal, 18 holes
Inland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Inland, 27 holes
Heathland, Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Woodland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Strathtyrum Course, St Andrews
Links, 18 holes
Parkland, 9 holes
Coastal, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Inland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes
Parkland, 18 holes