THE KING OF FIFE

The excitement following last year’s 150th edition of The Open at St Andrews has just started to dissipate, but not people’s appetite to visit the legendary track

TEEING OFF:

Don’t fret if you can’t get on The Old Course. Some nine miles south of St Andrews is Britain’s newest golfing jewel, Dumbarnie Links (dumbarnielinks.com). Designed by Clive Clark (a member of the 1973 Great Britain and Ireland Ryder Cup team), this newcomer occupies the last great piece of coastal land in the area: a 1.5-mile stretch of waterfront on the south coast of Fife featuring panoramas over the Firth of Forth from every hole. Studded with more than 600 dunes and playing as a 6,905-yard par 72, the unique two-tiered site has already played host to the 2021 Women’s Scottish Open and, thanks to its daily fee model, has become an instant must-play with devotees of the game who have rushed from mainland European and the US to see what all the fuss is about. “There are magnificent views from every hole – if one considers the courses on The Open Championship rota, many have little or no water views,” says Clark, aptly, of the sure-toclassic track with a mix of gently swaying risk-reward doglegs, holes with split-fairways, punishing pot bunkers juxtaposed with the natural sandy variety which are “surrounded by tall fescue grasses waving in the wind,” according to Clark, and more than a handful of memorable holes. These include the par-three eight: a 157-yard devilish downhiller which puts the emphasis on target golf into a well-protected postage-stamp green framed by the Firth of Forth in the background.

Another track that puts the premium on accuracy is the often overlooked and little-known heathland track called The Duke’s Course (thedukescourse.co.uk), located a couple of miles inland. Designed by five-time Open Champion Peter Thomson, it stretches to 7,512 yards from the tips and flows from pockets of forest through farmlands to the hilltop par-four 13th, which affords spectacular panoramas of the town and bay of St Andrews towards the Firth of Tay and Carnoustie. A fun, fair and fearsome (depending on which of the five tees you choose) test of parkland golf where smart execution is a must and where the challenge, unlike in some of the links in Scotland, is uncomplicatedly presented before you.

WHERE TO EAT:

Whatever you do, don’t forgo a meal at Restaurant 18 (18standrews.co.uk), where reservations are not only encouraged but recommended. Helmed by Derek Johnstone, the eatery boasts stunning views over the Old Course and West Sands Beach from its fourth-floor perch, not to mention a vast terrace featuring a mini putting green, for pre-prandial frivolities. But the vistas and the fun take a backseat to the deft cookery of Johnstone, the inaugural winner of MasterChef The Professionals. Purveyed with precision in a clubby wood-panelled space is a mostly surf-and-turf openflame menu consisting of locally sourced beef, game and freshly caught seafood, all skilfully prepared on the state-ofthe-art robata grill. If you can’t score a table at Restaurant 18, make your way to Balgove (balgove.com), a farm shop with a trio of eateries on the outskirts of town. While you will have to queue, as it operates a no-booking policy, a seat at the Steak Barn is fêted among locals and visitors alike for its superlative steaks, hung for no less than 28 days, as well as burgers and home-made sausages, all of which are cooked on a huge open wood-fired barbecue and served with twicefried chips, or crispy beer-battered onion rings, wine and local beer. Just don’t tell your cardiologist.