Popular Scottish golf course to CLOSE to visitors next summer

The Golf Club House, Elie, will offer NO visitor tee times next summer.

First reported by the UK Golf Guy account on X, the move has been confirmed to bunkered.co.uk by a golf club spokesperson.

Between July 14 and August 17, 2025, the only golfers on one of Fife’s most famous links will be members.

“The club has made the decision that no visitor tee times will be allocated between the dates of the 14th of July to the 17th of August 2025, inclusive,” a memo from the club read.

“This is an incredibly busy time at the club for competitions and our members visiting the area and to that end, we have to hold a ballot for members tee times.

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“In the past, we have tried to offer limited visitor times on specific dates throughout that period, however the club has taken the decision to halt these altogether for 2025 at our peak dates.”

Elie is one of the oldest golf clubs in Scotland and sits just 12 miles from the championship courses at the Home of Golf.

Predominantly a members club, Elie has been so busy in recent years that it has been forced to hold ballots for members’ tee times.

The club claims a lot of its members do not live nearby, so tee times are in far greater demand during those weeks.

Peak season adult green fees for 2024 started at £150 for weekday rounds, with weekend fees extending to £170.

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A low season adult green fee started at £60, while a high season adult fee started at £135.

It comes after locals blasted the St Andrews Links Trust over a reduction in access to the town’s golf courses.

The findings of a survey, conducted by a group called the St Andrews Resident Golfer Association, were shared with bunkered.co.uk ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this week.

Around 90% of respondents claim that availability of tee times has got worse or much worse.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.