Weekend Wrap

It was quite the lazy Sunday here in the East Neuk.  I think batteries needed recharging, even my own it seems.  Oh, I had visions of an early evenings play on the Anstruther nine-holer, though when we arrived home yesterday afternoon I was perfectly happy to trudge up the stairs and grab myself a nap.

Our major accomplishment was a tour of Falkland Palace, some twenty minutes northwest from here.  

Located at the foot of the Lomond Hills, the village is home to some 1,180 souls.  The palace itself was begun in 1500, it's considered the best example of French-inspired Renaissance architecture in Scotland.  The palace was long neglect, but extensive restoration began in the nineteenth century.

Today we are off to The Golf House Club, Elie, a rather unwieldy name for the links that serve the adjoining villages of Elie and Earlsferry.  

Golf here dates back to the 1500's, as recounted on the club's website:

It has been confirmed from Royal Charter that golf was played over “the golfing tract” in Earlsferry from that time and the Charter was renewed in the 16th century by King James VI of Scotland reconfirming the right for the villagers and visitors to play golf ….. all at a time when Christopher Columbus had just discovered America and most people believed that the earth was flat! 

The golf links at Earlsferry are arguably amongst the oldest golf links in the world. The first mention of an official course layout comes around 1770, when both a Short Course and Long Course are mentioned in official documents. These two courses were situated on the land now occupied by the 4th, 5th, 8th, and 17th holes, although there is little to suggest the sort of formal course layout we would recognise today. 

From 1812 there were then 20 long years of legal wrangling between the local Laird and the Burgh as golfers fought for the right to play golf over the links in the face of objections from those farming the land. 

This right was finally secured in 1832 and it has been upheld ever since. Certainly few would argue that the struggle made to safeguard this right was not worth the effort and golf in this corner of Fife remains just as central to life today as it was back then.

All over the course there are reminders of this heritage. The view of the 12th century chapel from the 3rd tee, Cadgers Way an ancient pilgrims route crosses the 4th and 17th fairways, and the “inch” stones on the 6th and 9th fairways remind of us of the dispute

with the local farmer in the 1800’s allegedly mediated by Old Tom Morris himself. 

From the 8th fairway looking ahead can be seen the ruin of Grange House, originally built by nuns in the 1500’s and then made into a house in 1715 by James Malcolm a supporter of the Jacobite cause who had all his possessions seized by the Crown after the failed uprising by Bonnie Prince Charlie. 

A game of golf at Elie is a step back into the very history of golf. 

In more recent times the Club House was started in 1875 and as the popularity of the game grew, club makers set up stall in what is now the lower car park selling their wares to Members. The Club has a fine display of golf clubs made at Elie in the late 1800’s at the same time when James Braid was learning the game on the links at Earlsferry and went on to become Open Champion five times. Golf clubs crafted by the likes of Rolland, Reekie, Crowley are now sought after by collectors from all over the world.

While they are rightfully proud that James Braid grew up and learned the game here, there seems to be something of a split verdict on whether he had any role in the shaping of their links.  The club itself is silent on the origins of the links, though James Finnegan indicates it was originally laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895, the same year he did the first nine holes down the A917 in Crail.  Braid may or may nor have tweaked it in the 1920's, but the bride and I have enjoyed hos work over the years at places like Brora and St. Enodoc, though it's those five Open Championships and full membership in The Great Triumvirate that define Braid's life.

 Elie is best know for two eccentricities, its routing and a bit of kitsch at the starter's hut... though, to be fair, highly functional kitsch.

The sight of a submarine periscope towering almost 10m above the starter’s hut at Elie was one of the more unusual spectacles in world golf. At the end of April 2014 the periscope took up its new home in the newly built Starters’ Office. 

The periscope was salvaged from HMS Excalibur in 1966 and was presented to the club by member Gavin Reekie. 

It gives the starter a perfect view over the hill at the first hole and having made sure the group in front are well on their way, he can then safely invite golfers on the tee to ‘play away.’

There's a charming story of the starter noticing through the periscope one of the lady members tossing her ball out of a bunker.  When next he saw her, he complimented her on her improved play from the sand....

As for that routing, the links has no Par-5's and only two Par-3's...  Math remains hard, but if I concentrate fully, I'm left with the thought that we'll play sixteen Par-4's during our round.   While that may connote tedium, I have been reliably informed that they feature such variability in length, features and compass direction, that we will not be bored.  

Random thoughts from the East Neuk:

• Since Saturday, the bride and I have kept our bedroom window open, enjoying the sounds and smells of the harbor.  Just add that the the long lists of things that don't suck...
• There's a bench across the small street that I've parked myself on, overlooking the harbor.  My first attempt was yesterday afternoon, when I parked myself there with my book.  Alas, the fierce wind kept ripping the pages of the book out of my hand....  Yup, that's Scotland for you.  Later before bedtime I tried again with a bowl of ice cream and fresh strawberries....  Better, though I did use a glove on the hand holding the bowl.
• As you know, Elsie and John will be heading our way on Tuesday.  John wrote this in a recent e-mail:

"Been following the blog house looks very nice. Weather for next week looks OK, a bit Scottish but at least warm"

Scottish weather?  Oh please, John, anything but that...

• Elie & Earlsferry is part of a long list of ampersand-endowed golf clubs.  There are the famous ones, think Royal Lytham & S. Anns and Southport & Ainsdale.  I'm fond of the more obscure examples, such as Nefyn & District in Wales and Narin & Portnoo in County Donegal, Ireland.
• Jewelle seems to have adapted nicely to playing that fictional character named Jewelle in these pages.  It's actually much more difficult than you'd imagine...

That's all the nonsense for now....See you down the road.