Seven affordable courses are making golf more inclusive in Fife

With its centuries old reputation as the home of golf, Fife is a magnet for players at every level – both from home and overseas. Many of the upscale clubs nestling on its coastline though are a reminder that in straitened economic times many of us are finding that an enjoyable round of golf has become an increasingly expensive luxury.

Thankfully, the seven public courses operated by Fife Golf Trust offer welcome and much appreciated “accessibility through affordability,” says the Trust’s business manager Iain Evans.

“We’re passionate about making quality golf as accessible, affordable and inclusive as possible with concessions to those over the age of 62, younger people and those who meet certain income support criteria. We also have spread payment options to further improve affordability.”

Fife Golf Trust was set up in 2011 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fife Council and is a not-for-profit charitable organisation. “Our charitable objectives strongly influence our mission and vision and we really do test all our big decisions and policies against them, says Evans.

He enthuses about helping everyone in the communities the Trust serves to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits the game has to offer, with five 18-hole courses and two nine-holers, on a mix of parkland and links. There is also the fun 500 yard, six-hole 2019 Course attached to Dunnikier Park Golf Course, Kirkcaldy.

The Trust has set up perhaps its most successful partnership with Dunnikier Park Community Golf, a charity set up by members of Dunnikier Park Golf Club in 2021, of which Evans is a trustee, helping to cement the Trust’s support. ‘’The partnership benefits all parties – most importantly, the local community,” he says.

Fife Golf Trust, he adds, was the first organisation to deliver The R&A and St Andrews University-backed ‘Golf For Health’, with people prescribed golf by a health professional as a way of helping certain mental and physical conditions.

Martin Christie, president and former captain at Dunnikier, is chair of Dunnikier Park Community Golf and leads a team of seven other trustees with a wide range of skills and experience drawn from the public and private sector. Its initiatives, he says, contribute to four key outcomes:

• Raising self-esteem and confidence.
• Building a successful pathway to enjoyable participation in golf.
• Supporting healthier lifestyles, and
• Strengthening community engagement.

The charity uses the Japanese innovation of park golf – a simple and safe version of the game that requires only a mallet-style club and a hard, hockey-sized ball – as a way of engaging with the community to help strengthen physical and mental health and wellbeing. 

This focuses on people going outdoors to enjoy themselves while also  getting exercise. Regular customers include classrooms of pupils from six local schools, Phoenix Futures (Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation), Alzheimer Scotland, the Salvation Army, Nourish (Families with Support Needs), Step by Step (Bereavement Support Group) and residents competing in the fun Care Home League.

‘’The 2019 Course, which was designed and built by Fife Golf Trust, was the catalyst for introducing the game of park golf to Scotland. We’re extremely grateful to the Trust for its support in providing free access to the well-maintained course, and the use of golf buggies to support less-mobile participants,” says Christie.  

“Our partnership also enables us to organise unique golfing events, such as the Fife Golf Invitational, where 18-holers join our regular park golf six-holers in a fully inclusive golfing event.’’  More information on the charity can be found at www.dpcomgolf.com

Evans adds: “For the more traditional player, if you want to play competitively or just enjoy a friendly club environment, golfers can join a club that’s separate to the Trust but stationed adjacent to all the seven courses.”

All Fife Golf Trust’s courses are maintained with a vision to manage environmental stewardship, climate action and community values – and sustainably managed courses can be a vibrant natural habitat for flora and fauna.

In  2017 the Trust became the first multi-site municipal set up to be awarded internationally-recognised Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) certification – a recognition that was achieved again in 2022.

“We’re proud to have high quality golf courses maintained to exceptional standards of environmental stewardship but equally proud of our unique mission in providing  affordable golf in the home of golf,” says Evans. 

Fife’s seven-course menu

1. Dunnikier Park Golf Course
2. Kinghorn Golf Course
3. Cowdenbeath Golf Course
4. Glenrothes Golf Course
5. Scoonie Golf Course
6. Lochore Meadows Golf Course
7. Auchterderran Golf Course

Anyone wishing to join as a season ticket holder or as a pay-as-you-go customer can find out about pricing at www.fifegolftrust.co.uk or by visiting any of the courses and speaking with a starter or a golf professional who will be happy to advise them.