Beauty, Tradition
And Pedigree

Eleven good gentlemen met in the Crail Golf Inn and talked golf. Quill was put to paper, and on the 23rd of February 1786 the Crail Golfing Society was founded. There are only six older golf clubs in the world.

An official uniform of a scarlet jacket with a plain yellow button was adopted as the Society uniform. Any member appearing on the links without this uniform was liable to a penalty of half a mutchkin of punch. In 1793 two former captains of the Society, were fined for 'appearing on the links with green jackets.'

David A. Lindesay Esquire from Wormiston presented the Society with a silver medal. It is one of the oldest trophies in golf. In 1855 the medal was won by Allan Robertson, from the famous St Andrews ball making family.

The year which started an occasional tradition when ‘all’ were invited to dine with the committee to celebrate the birthday of the monarch. In this case William IV.

John William Maillardet was the deputy Inspector of Hospitals for the Madras Army, East India Company. He was Captain of the Society and in 1842 presented a silver medal to be "played by all golfers'. It is still played for today.

WH Fielden was Captain of the club when he donated the Snuff Mull on 26th July 1843. Originally presented as a decorative object it was converted to an annual trophy in 1872. Awarded today for the lowest aggregate score for three of the Society's six stroke play competitions. The smell of tobacco is still present today as you lift the silver lid.

In the year of the clubs centenary Dr Frederick A Saunders FRCS offered a silver medal inscribed: "Presented to the Crail Golfing Society Estd 1786 on the occasion of its Centenary 23 Feb 1886." The Centenary Ball reported a surplus of £3 and 10 shillings. Financial prudence that has continued to this day.

The first 9 holes of Balcomie links were designed by the master himself, Old Tom Morris during 1894; the course formally opened in 1895. He said the links were ‘very suitable for a nine-hole course and I am bound to say that there is not a better in Scotland.’ He extended the course to 18 holes in 1900.

George Chiene and the Fortune family of Barnsmuir presented a sliver punch bowl to celebrate the new Balcomie Links. The trophy was named after Captain Ranken the first captain of the Society and the then tenant of the land Richard Todd. The resulting tournament has become a world famous annual competition between the old clubs of Fife.

At the Crail Town Hall in March 1901 a meeting for the purpose of forming a Ladies Golf Club was held. Local ladies and the Burgh of Crail Golfing Committee attended. Provost Sim, Chairman of the Committee, explained to the ladies that the sum of two shillings and sixpence per member would be charged for the upkeep of the links.

The "great need" for a clubhouse was first recorded in 1903. Subscription lists were opened and the ladies boosted funds through a sale of work. The construction of a clubhouse on the present site began in 1904 at a cost of £680.

To encourage golf after the Great War, two buses were purchased by the club in 1919 to transport members to and from Crail.

The historic listed military buildings seen on the approach to the club are what remains of HMS Jackdaw. Commissioned in October 1940, it was a Royal Navy training school for aircraft carrier torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. It is the best preserved RNAS in the world.

A pivotal year in the club's history. A costly but decisive action. For the handsome price of £33,000 including costs, the Society purchased the course and clubhouse from Crail Town Council.

Opened in 1998, Craighead Links was Rio Olympics course designer Gil Hanse’s first course design outside the USA. It provides a longer and contrasting challenge to Balcomie Links.

The clubhouse was virtually rebuilt with an extension and major refurbishment that resulted in two bars and three eating areas from which to enjoy the spectacular sea views.

90 of the highest ranking ladies senior golfers from all the globe competed for the championship on the Craighead Links. One of the increasing number of major competitions Crail Golfing Society is attracting today.

Back to back national championships over both courses at Crail. 264 elite amateurs competed over 3 days. The winner was Crail's own George Burns, student of St Andrews University.