ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

Crail Golfing Society (Craighead Links)

Modern clifftop golf overlooking May Island, Bass Rock, and North Berwick.

ST ANDREWS Location
LINKS Course type
18 HOLES Holes
PAR 72 Par

Beyond the Scorecard

Course established: 1998
Course designer/s: Gil Hanse
National ranking: #60 in Scotland
Known for: Gil Hanse's first design outside the USA
Defining feature: Danes Dike woven through the routing

Between Danes Dike and the Forth

Craighead Links at Crail Golfing Society opened in 1998 after the Society purchased neighbouring farmland to create a longer companion to Balcomie. Designed by Gil Hanse, it became his first course outside the USA and introduced a modern clifftop challenge to one of Scotland's oldest golfing societies.

The course sits on headland and pasture rather than traditional sandy linksland. Hanse worked its medieval stone boundaries into the routing, with Danes Dike repeatedly shaping sightlines, carries, and approach choices. Bold bunkering and contoured, fast-running greens bring another layer of strategy, particularly when the coastal wind changes direction across the varied layout.

From the higher ground, views extend towards May Island, Bass Rock, and, in clear conditions, North Berwick. Different tees alter both length and angle, allowing the course to remain playable while revealing a much sterner examination from the back markers.

Its championship credentials include the 2018 Ladies' Senior British Open Amateur Championship and part of the 2019 Scottish Amateur Championship.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

This course offers a useful contrast within a St Andrews-based itinerary. It feels broader, more elevated, and more modern than Balcomie, yet still belongs unmistakably to Crail's exposed coastal setting. The shifting wind and sloping greens keep the round engaging without relying on extreme length.

It is particularly well suited to golfers who enjoy strategic tee choices and expansive sea views. Kinfern can add the course to a tailored golf experience that balances traditional links heritage with a distinct clifftop challenge.