The Ladies of Lundin
The course is overlooked by Largo Law, the remains of an ancient volcano.
“I was invited to the Lundin Ladies Golf Club Open Day, the one day of the year when men were permitted inside the clubhouse. I’ve never felt so special. ”
Open Day at Lundin Ladies Golf Club, Men permitted!
Open Day came complete with lashings of tea, home-baked scones, cakes and the sort of genial conversation that makes you forget you’re technically an interloper. This is a turn-up for the books when you consider the noise made about men-only clubs such as Muirfield not so long ago!
No men allowed!
The club was established in 1890 and is one of the oldest ladies’ golf clubs in the UK, narrowly pipped by The St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club in St Andrews.
The club started as a dedicated Ladies' Club sharing the coastal links with Lundin Golf Club. At the time, Lundin Golf Club and Leven Golf Club played together close to the ocean’s edge but eventually, those two clubs separated into the two courses we have today.
No dogs, no men! Men can play the course - just don’t step into the clubhouse.
As congestion grew on the links, the ladies decided to relocate to nearby Standing Stones Park. The slightly inland location was less affected by coastal winds and weather and was altogether more suited to the ladies’ game. Most importantly, it was ideal for the kids in the area to be introduced to the game and learn how to play.
Lundin Ladies Golf Club is ideal in every way to help kids to take up the game
The present layout, designed by five-time Open Champion James Braid, (who only lived a short distance away in Earlsferry) emerged in 1908–1909. The clubhouse moved to its current site shortly thereafter. Funds for improvements were raised by the ladies themselves through concerts and coffee mornings. In the winter, the fairways were trimmed by a local farmer’s sheep.
Back to Open Day, I wandered out onto this historic course. On the fairway stand the ancient Standing Stones, a Bronze Age ritual site dating from around 2000–1500 BC. Three sandstone pillars remain, once part of a larger circle, their missing fourth stone the subject of much local mystery.
Where else would you find Standing Stones in the middle of a golf fairway?
Quirks like these, combined with the warmth of its members, make Lundin Ladies Golf Club well worth a visit, even if you can’t get in the clubhouse.
