Course of the Week: Dumbarnie Links

Photo: Dumbarnie Links/Landscapes Unlimited

Dumbarnie Links of Fife, Scotland, received the award of “Best Scottish Golf Experience” at The Scottish Golf Tourism Awards this year.

Dumbarnie Links is part of the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate owned by Lord Balniel with family ties from the 16th century. Preserved under “special historic interest,” the buildings and formal gardens make the golf course location unquestionably rare and associated with an important piece of Scottish history.

The course, constructed by Landscapes Unlimited of Lincoln, Neb., opened in May 2020 and hosted the 2021 Women’s Scottish Open. The Scottish Golf Tourism Awards, determined solely by public vote, is a centerpiece to the fifth annual Scottish Golf Tourism Week. Dumbarnie Links also won “Best Golf Course” in the $190 or higher category.

Photo: Clive Clark

Landscapes Unlimited worked closely with Dumbarnie Links founder, developer and course designer Clive Clark to create a premier links experience with modern twists over a 340-acre site. A variety of hole layouts weave in and out of omnipresent dunes along 1.5 miles of beach and water frontage.

“With Landscapes Unlimited at the helm, the golf course was created with all the drama I envisioned within a timeline faster and more efficient than I could have imagined,” Clark said.  “In my years of golf development, nothing has come together as impressively than Dumbarnie.”

Among the holes that stand out is No. 17 where decisions off the tee abound – lay up to a fairway to the left or carry shots over a wall, menacing rough and bunkers to almost reach a massive green.

While the 18-hole course measures 5,300 to 6,900 yards, a set of 12 tees, positioned for professional tournaments, stretches to a whopping 7,600 yards.

“Clive’s vision is second to none, and part of the strategy involves inspiring versus intimidating golfers while maintaining a true links feel,” Bill Kubly, chairman of Landscapes Unlimited, said.  “What’s special is routing and constructing several tees in close proximity to water and 14 holes with views of the Bay on the Firth of Forth.”