[photopress:Crail__4.jpg,full,centered]Almost three years ago I made my second trip to Scotland, and among the places I wanted to be sure to see was Crail Golf Club, home of the Crail Golfing Society. Some may recognize it as the model for Michael Murphy’s fabled course in Golf in the Kingdom. To me, it didn’t need any literary pretensions to offer ridiculous amounts of fun. The first round on a 36-hole day in glorious sunshine, Crail, which plays less than 6,000 yards from the tips, was one of the most memorable golfing experiences I’ve had in my life. The course starts out with a quirky downhill shot to a driveable green, followed by a long five along the ocean and a short, strange par three rammed in between several holes. And then you get to the fourth and fifth holes (the fifth is the photo), two fours of differing lengths, and suddenly Crail’s Balcomie links fleetingly becomes Pebble Beach. The course never gets this good again, but for $90 there are few experiences that rival it in golf. Go to St. Andrews. Play the Old Course. Play Kingsbarns. And when you’ve finished those two, turn your car south and come to Crail.
