“Old” in Leven is made up of holes from two neighboring clubs.
Sam Cooper
Imagine a golf course worthy of it World Top 100a classic Scottish link, set along the coast just 15 miles away St. Andrews that few people are aware of and even fewer can play. Designed by Old Tom Morristhis attractive layout features beautiful, lively terrain and an eclectic array of memorable holes. His par 3s are crafty, his par 4s as original as any on the links. His path works in harmony with the winds. Pot bunkers, bumps and hollows impede all but the clearest shots.
Sounds like a purist’s fantasy. But this course is true. There’s just one catch: there’s only one day a year.
What is the story behind this unlikely, ephemeral place?
The story begins in 1848, when golf took root on a patch of common land in Leven, Scotland, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, a quick hop from the golf course. Separated from the fishermen, sheep and other sports games, the original 9-hole course was basic but beloved. It grew in popularity since its inception. Within a few decades, four clubs were playing at the ground.
As demand grew, so did the rate. Its expansion was the work of Old Tom Morris, who came down from St. Andrews and extended the course to 18 holes, passing the Mile Dyke, the dividing line between Leven and Lundin Links, just to the east. Celebrated from the start, this reimagined scheme gained even greater luster when an inaugural match played in it was won by another golf legend: Old Tom’s son, Young Tom Morris.
The course, called the “Old” in Leven, became known as one of Scotland’s golfing treasures. But his popularity came with a catch. Many players wanted a piece of it. By the end of the century, competing interests divided the course. Nine holes went to clubs in Leven and nine holes to Lund. From then on, players on each side could only imagine playing the original 18 holes, which were now separated by the dam.
Over time, both clubs added more holes, creating two distinct 18-hole layouts that continue to please their respective memberships. The Old One, meanwhile, was largely forgotten by the outside world.
And yet.
For those who know its history, the dream of playing with “The Old One” lives on. And it becomes true, in passing, every summer, in July.
On this day, the clubs in Leven and Lund unite, the gate at Mile Dyke opens and the Old One returns to its unbroken form to play the McDonald Trophy, a friendly individual competition.
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The experience is magical. The holes flow naturally with the terrain. The greens offer a wide variety of rolls, slopes and bumps. And the surrounding landforms all play their part to challenge, confuse and delight. There are shots and lies of every nature; holes that tempt and holes that stain scorecards.
So inspiring is the design that the great CB Macdonald based one of his famous template holes on the 7th at Old, a par 4 that remains a masterpiece of strategic design. Now found on such luminary courses as Camargo Golf Club, Lido and the National Golf Links of America, the Leven hole is just one piece in a jigsaw puzzle that makes the original course so special.
Sam Cooper
For all its great influence, Old is intimate in scale. Unlike the big, bold links courses built today, Old has an understated charm. While it has spectacular sea views, it is a course richer in substance than in style. Its appeal is eternal. But its lifespan is so short that even those who play it are invariably left wanting more.
And these remain the lucky few.
There is talk between members of both clubs to allow limited outdoor play each year on the original course, just like St. Andrews offers the public a brief window to play the old course in reverse. Maybe, one day, it will be played more often. Perhaps it will reclaim its rightful place among the best courses in the world. But until then, it remains what it has been for more than 100 years: golf’s rarest Top 100.
Timothy Gallant is a GOLF course appraiser living in Scotland.
