Scotscraig Golf Club
Local History
Scotscraig golf club is amoungst the 12 oldest golf clubs in the world and is steeped in facinating history.
It was towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) that some of the members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers - later to become the Royal and Ancient Golf Club - began to feel they would like more golf than the Society’s infrequent meetings afforded.
Amongst them was Mr William Dalgleish of Scotscraig, whose lands included an area known as the Garpit, around part of which ran a racecourse (although there is no record of any racing that was done there, the course is carefully marked out on the first ordnance survey maps). In the centre of this raceourse, golf was played over six holes, long before a club was thought of.
Scotscraig golf club was founded one August evening in 1817, as William Dalgleish entertained some friends in Scotscraig House.
The original rules of the club, adopted at the first formal annual meeting in Scotscraig House in October 1818, dictated that a uniform would be worn - a red coat with a green velvet collar and a badge on the left breast. This was not merely fashion but was an order - if anyone appeared without it, he did so under a penalty of two bottles of port!
An annual competition for gold and silver medals was held until 1834, when the club was closed down, as disaster struck the club when the course was ploughed by the owner, a farmer, who took a distinct dislike to the game. The club went into eclipse for the next 52 years, the lack of a course proving too much of a handicap for the sporadic efforts to revive it. But it was around this time that Scotscraig Estate, on which the club was situated, passed into the hands of the Dougalls, and modern golfers have reason to be grateful that Admiral Maitland Dougall was so keen on the game - but for him Scotscraig might not exist today.
In 1887 he instigated its revival, restored the trophies and helped secure a course; it was reopened for play the following year, and by 1890 it had been laid out as a nine-hole course. The club house was erected in 1896.
In 1904 more land was acquired, and an 18-hole course was laid out, incorporating the original nine holes. It is considered a particular advantage of the course that the ninth hole is hear the clubhouse, so that elderly players and those who cannot spare the time for the full round of 18 holes can play on either half.
The grounds were aquired by the club in 1923.
source:
- a booklet titled ‘The Burgh of Tayport: an Introduction’, published in 1985 by Tayport Community Council.