The Golf House Club, Elie
Par 70, 6,273 yards
Website: www.golfhouseclub.co.uk
The Course: The quirky links at Elie is terrific fun in calm conditions – and an altogether more serious proposition when the wind blows.
The front nine includes several short par fours which are in range of a well-struck tee shot but fierce bunkering, sharp undulations and subtle greens offer stern defence.
The par four 9th can be brutal but is followed by a charming sequence of seaside holes, including the terrific dog-leg 12th, where the golfer must decide how much beach to carry for the best approach to a well-guarded green.
The course finishes with another short par four which, fittingly, is another test of feel and wits rather than strength and length.
Signature hole: The beautiful 11th, squeezed between the shore and rocky outcrops, is the shortest hole on the course but devilishly hard in any kind of wind.
What makes it special? Elie is a real shotmaker’s course. Imagination and touch, rather than length off the tee, are required to build a good score.