91-531: Abdie is a parish in north-west Fife , Scotland, lying on the south shore of the Firth of Tay on the eastern outskirts of Newburgh , extending about 3 miles eastwards to the boundary of Dunbog parish, with which it is now united ecclesiastically and for the Community Council. It is also bounded by Collessie on the south and has a small border with the parish of Moonzie in the south-east. The civil parish had
182-411: A Fifer . In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire . Fife is Scotland's 3rd largest local authority area by population . It had a resident population of 371,340 in 2022, over a third of whom live in the three principal settlements, Dunfermline , Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes . On the northeast coast of Fife lies the historic town of St Andrews , home to
273-528: A sheriff . Kinross and Clackmannan were each given their own sheriffs, whilst the rest of the Fife and Fothriff area was placed under the authority of the Sheriff of Fife . Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. The larger earldom of Fife, including Kinross and Clackmannan, was therefore gradually eclipsed in importance by
364-530: A "Pay and Play" course open to the general public. Notable examples include Pinehurst in the US and Gleneagles in Scotland. A municipal course is owned and managed by a local government body for the benefit of residents and visitors. Some of the historic Scottish golf courses, including St Andrews and Carnoustie fall into this category along with Bethpage and Pebble Beach in the US and many others of less renown. It
455-536: A 21-hole golf course, for instance, will have three additional holes that can be used for practice or as substitutes for a flooded or otherwise damaged hole. Many golf courses have what may be referred to as a "signature hole". This will commonly be the most memorable, aesthetically pleasing or photogenic hole. Links is a Scottish term, from the Old English word hlinc : "rising ground, ridge", describing coastal sand dunes and sometimes similar areas inland. It
546-459: A costly and time-consuming weed. Augusta National is one of many golf courses to use this type of green. The original design of Augusta National did not include bent grass greens, but in the early 1980s the greens were converted from Bermuda to bent grass. This affected the speed of the greens, making them too quick, and several areas were subsequently remodelled to reduce the slopes and make them more playable. Many other golf courses subsequently made
637-477: A device that removes a plug of the turf from the ground, and the reinforced cup is then moved, before the old hole is filled in with the plug cut from the new hole and levelled. The hole has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from a distance, but not necessarily from the tee. This location marker is officially called the "flagstick" but is also commonly referred to as the "pin". Flagsticks are made of either coated fiberglass, metal, or wood and have
728-526: A feature of the Fife coast. The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs. In 1598, King James VI employed a group of 11 men from Fife, who became known as the Fife adventurers , to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the "civilisation" and de-gaelicisation of the region. This endeavour lasted until 1609 when
819-492: A golf course, where players may simply hit balls into the range for practice or enjoyment. There may even be a practice course (often shorter and easier to play than a full-scale course), where players may measure the distance they can obtain with a specific club, or in order to improve their swing technique. Practice courses often consist of old holes of a previous design that are kept and maintained for practice purposes or as substitute holes if one or more holes become unplayable;
910-471: A hazard the player must play the ball as it lies. The area between the tee box and the putting green where the grass is cut even and short is called the fairway . The area between the fairway and the out-of-bounds markers, and also between a mowed apron surrounding the green and out of bounds, is the rough ; the grass there is cut higher and is often of a coarser strain than on the fairways, making roughs disadvantageous areas from which to hit. On par-3 holes,
1001-737: A high number of modern Silicon Glen companies to the region. Fife Council and Fife Constabulary also centre their operations in Glenrothes. There are numerous notable historical buildings in Fife, some of which are managed by the National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland . They include Dunfermline Abbey (the last resting place of Scottish royalty), the palace in Culross, Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy, Dysart Harbour area, Balgonie Castle near Coaltown of Balgonie, Falkland Palace (hunting palace of
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#17328905623431092-417: A long distance; conversely, on a slow green a stronger stroke is necessary to roll the ball the same distance. The exact speed of a green can be determined with a stimp meter . By collecting sample measurements, golf courses can be compared in terms of average green speed. It is, however, illegal by the rules of golf to test the speed of a green while playing by rolling a ball on it, or by feeling or rubbing
1183-407: A metal or synthetic bottom (called a ferrule) that is designed to fit in the hole cup. Putting greens are not all of the same quality. The finest-quality greens are well-kept so that a ball will roll smoothly over the closely mowed grass. Excess water can be removed from a putting green using a machine called a water hog . Golfers describe a green as fast if a light stroke on the ball makes it roll
1274-553: A non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14. The vast majority of golf courses have holes of varying length and difficulties that are assigned a standard score, known as par , that a proficient player should be able to achieve; this is usually three, four or five strokes. Par-3 courses consist of holes all of which have a par of three. Short courses have gained in popularity; these consist of mostly par 3 holes, but often have some short par 4 holes. Many older courses are links , often coastal . The first golf courses were based on
1365-474: A population of 421 at the 2011 Census and its area is 4850 acres. The parish contains the hamlet of Lindores on the north side of Lindores Loch, which is 4 miles in circumference and lies near the centre of the parish. The present church was built in 1826/27, to a design by William Burn , replacing the pre-reformation church, St Magridin's, which stands as a ruin nearby. That church was consecrated by Bishop David de Bernham in 1242 and in pre-Reformation days
1456-443: A raised lip or barrier. It is more difficult to play the ball from sand than from grass, as the ball may embed itself into the sand, and the loose nature of the sand and more severe sloping of many bunkers make taking one's stance more difficult. As in any hazard, a ball in a bunker must be played without touching the sand with the club except during the stroke, and loose impediments (leaves, stones, twigs) must not be moved before making
1547-723: A traditional 18-hole course, and the artificial nature and single-minded putting focus of miniature golf . Pitch and Putt, specifically its governing association the IPPA, has received financial support and logo rights from the R&;A. In 2014, the PGA Tour held a Champions Tour event on a nine-hole par-3 course, the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Missouri , with four (regular division) or three (over-65 division) rounds played over
1638-417: A traditional full round of 18 distinct holes. Many older executive courses have been upgraded "in-place" to 18 holes and a traditional par score, or the original course was sold for other development and new land was acquired and built into an 18-hole course. By contrast, par-3 courses, especially Pitch and Putt, are rising in popularity as a compromise between the long play time and high skill levels required of
1729-446: A two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts . Fife region was created covering the same area as the county, divided into three districts : Dunfermline , Kirkcaldy and North-East Fife . In 1996 the district councils were abolished and Fife Regional Council became a unitary authority known as Fife Council. Fife is one of the six local authorities in the city region of Edinburgh and southeast Scotland. There
1820-588: Is increasingly common for the management of municipal courses to be contracted out to commercial or other organisations or the course to be sold or shut down completely. Many commercial and municipal establishments have associated golf clubs , who arrange competitions for their members on the courses and may provide clubhouse facilities. In the UK particularly, some older private members clubs have an associated "Artisan" club, originally established to provide low-cost golf with limited playing rights in exchange for unpaid work on
1911-500: Is naturally treeless and this combined with their coastal location makes wind and weather an important factor in links golf. Traditional links courses are often arranged with holes in pairs along the coastline; players would play "out" from the town through a series of holes to the furthest point of the course, and then would return "in" along the second set of holes. The holes may share fairways and sometimes greens (such as at St Andrews to economize on land use, but in modern times this
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#17328905623432002-404: Is no longer an island following land reclamation work. Cupar took over as county town from Crail in the early 13th century. Glenrothes is now the administrative centre, after the decision to locate the headquarters of the newly established Fife Regional Council there in 1975. Fife's three major towns are Kirkcaldy , Dunfermline (awarded city status in 2022) and Glenrothes. According to
2093-505: Is on links land near the towns of central eastern Scotland that golf has been played since the 15th century. The shallow top soil and sandy subsoil made links land unsuitable for the cultivation of crops or for urban development and was of low economic value. The links were often treated as common land by the residents of the nearby towns and were used by them for recreation, animal grazing and other activities such as laundering clothes. The closely grazed turf and naturally good drainage of
2184-594: Is partially represented by the American Society of Golf Course Architects , the European Institute of Golf Course Architects , and the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects , although many of the finest golf course architects in the world choose not to become members of any such group, as associations of architects are not government-sanctioned licensing bodies, but private groups. While golf courses often follow
2275-531: Is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee and it has its own handicap system. There are three main categories of ownership and management of a golf course: private, commercial, and municipal. A private course is owned and managed by a golf club on behalf of its members, on a non-profit basis. Many of the courses opened during the golf booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are of this type. Some courses, such as Augusta National , are highly exclusive and will only allow visitors to play at
2366-485: Is rare due to the potential for injury from balls coming the other way. Famous links courses include the Old Course at St. Andrews , often described as the "Home of Golf", and Musselburgh Links , which is generally regarded as the first recorded golf course. The Open Championship , the oldest of golf's major championships, is always played on a links course. Links and links-style golf courses have been developed throughout
2457-570: Is recorded as Fib in A.D. 1150 and Fif in 1165. It was often associated with Fothriff . The hill-fort of Clatchard Craig , near Newburgh , was occupied as an important Pictish stronghold between the sixth and eighth centuries AD. Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as the leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone. Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret
2548-448: Is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth , with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e., the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire ) and Clackmannanshire . By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms , known as Fib , and is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as
2639-504: Is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box , a fairway , the rough and other hazards , and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with
2730-692: The 2015 general election , all four of the MPs constituencies were held by the Scottish National Party . In the 2017 general election , Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was regained by Labour . At the same election, the seat of North East Fife became the closest seat in the country with the SNP holding a majority of 2 over the Liberal Democrats . Three of the Scottish Parliament constituencies are held by
2821-473: The Forth and Tay rail bridges linked Fife with Dundee and Edinburgh and allowed the rapid transport of goods. Modern ports were constructed at Methil , Burntisland and Rosyth . Kirkcaldy became the world centre for the production of linoleum . Postwar Fife saw the development of Scotland's second new town , Glenrothes . Originally to provide housing for miners at a new coal mine, the town eventually attracted
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2912-612: The Lomond Hills which rise above rolling farmland, and Largo Law , a volcanic plug in the east. At 522 metres (1,713 ft), the West Lomond is the highest point in Fife. The coast has fine but small harbours, from the industrial docks in Burntisland and Rosyth to the fishing villages of the East Neuk such as Anstruther and Pittenweem . The large area of flat land to the north of
3003-794: The Ochil Hills . Almost all road traffic into and out of Fife has to pass over one of four bridges, south on the Forth Road Bridge (public transport and cyclists only) and Queensferry Crossing , west on the Kincardine Bridge or north-east via the Tay Road Bridge , the exception being traffic headed north on the M90 . Tolls were abolished on the Tay Road Bridge and Forth Road Bridge on 11 February 2008. There are extinct volcanic features, such as
3094-563: The Poppleton manuscript mention the division of the Pictish realm or Albany into seven sub-kingdoms, one being Fife. The earliest known reference to the common epithet The Kingdom of Fife dates from only 1678, in a proposition that the term derives from the quasi-regal privileges of the Earl of Fife . The notion of a kingdom may derive from a misinterpretation of an extract from Wyntoun . The name
3185-582: The Scottish National Party : Cowdenbeath , Dunfermline and Mid Fife and Glenrothes . One is held by the Scottish Liberal Democrats : North East Fife . Fife Council 's administrative headquarters and Police Scotland 's P Division (formerly Fife Constabulary ) are based in Glenrothes . The Council meetings take place in Fife House in the town centre. The west wing of the building was built by
3276-492: The University of St Andrews —the most ancient university of Scotland and one of the oldest universities in the world —and the Old Course at St Andrews , considered the world's oldest golf course . Fife, bounded to the north by the Firth of Tay and to the south by the Firth of Forth , is a natural peninsula whose political boundaries have changed little over the ages. The Pictish king list and De Situ Albanie documents of
3367-446: The green , is an area of very closely trimmed grass on relatively even, smooth ground surrounding the hole, allowing players to make precision strokes on it. To "putt" is to play a stroke on this surface, usually with the eponymous " putter " club, which has very low loft so that the ball rolls smoothly along the ground, and hopefully into the cup. The shape and topology of the green can vary almost without limit, but for practical purposes
3458-416: The teeing ground , or tee-box. There is typically more than one available box where a player places his ball , each one a different distance from the hole (and possibly with a different angle of approach to the green or fairway) to provide differing difficulty. The teeing ground is generally as level as feasible, with closely mown grass very similar to that of a putting green, and most are slightly raised from
3549-494: The 2012 estimate, Dunfermline is the largest settlement by population, followed by Kirkcaldy then Glenrothes. The next most sizeable towns by population are St Andrews , Cowdenbeath , Rosyth , Methil and Dalgety Bay . Largest settlements by population: 54,990 50,370 38,360 18,410 13,570 12,030 10,890 9,710 9,420 8,960 7,300 6,760 6,630 5,940 5,190 4,820 4,570 4,210 4,050 3,950 3,750 3,160 3,010 Golf course A golf course
3640-527: The Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) as their offices in 1969, which was later used as the headquarters of Fife Regional Council from shortly after its creation in 1975. Fife is a peninsula in eastern Scotland bordered on the north by the Firth of Tay , on the east by the North Sea and by the Firth of Forth to the south. The route to the west is partially blocked by the mass of
3731-660: The Lomond Hills, through which the River Eden flows, is known as the Howe of Fife . North of the Lomond Hills can be found villages and small towns in a primarily agricultural landscape. The areas in the south and west of Fife, including the towns of Dunfermline , Glenrothes , Kirkcaldy and the Levenmouth region are lightly industrial and more densely populated. The only areas which could claim to be heavily industrial are Rosyth , around
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3822-580: The Satsuki golf course in Sano , Japan, are the only courses with par-7 holes. Par is primarily determined by the playing length of each hole from the teeing ground to the putting green . Holes are generally assigned par values between three and five, which includes a regulation number of strokes to reach the green based on the average distance a proficient golfer hits the ball, and two putts . On occasion, factors other than distance are taken into account when setting
3913-532: The Scottish Kings), Kellie Castle near Pittenweem, Hill of Tarvit (a historical house), St. Andrews Castle, St. Andrews Cathedral and St. Rule's Tower . Fife was one of the ancient provinces of Scotland , under the authority of the Mormaer or Earl of Fife . The early province of Fife appears to have covered only that part of the later county lying east of a line from Newburgh to Scoonie . The western part of
4004-512: The Southern and Southwestern United States) are bent grass greens. A green may consist of a thin carpet so that bad weather is not allowed to become a serious factor in maintaining the course. These are considered the best greens because they may be cut to an extremely low height, and because they may be grown from seed. Bent grass does not have grain, which makes it superior as a putting surface. However, bent grass may become infested with Poa annua ,
4095-424: The ability of the player to "take a divot" (effectively, the ability to hit down into the ball, hitting the ball first, then hitting the turf and removing a portion of it as the club continues its arc). Fairways on prestigious tours, like the PGA Tour, are cut low. Mowing heights influence the play of the course. For example, the grass heights at U.S. Open events are alternated from one hole to the next in order to make
4186-425: The appearance and feel of real grass compared to a sand surface. Holes often include hazards, which are special areas that have additional rules for play, and are generally of two types: (1) water hazards, such as ponds, lakes, and rivers; and (2) bunkers, or sand traps. Special rules apply to playing a ball that falls in a hazard. For example, a player may not touch the ground or water with their club before playing
4277-401: The ball may be supported by a manufactured tee (limited to a height of four inches), or by any natural substance, such as a mound of sand placed on the teeing surface. After the first shot from the tee ("teeing off"), the player whose ball is farthest from the green hits the ball from where it came to rest; this spot is known as its "lie". When the ball is in play and not out of bounds or in
4368-471: The ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in any hazard may be played as it lies without penalty . If it cannot be played from the hazard, the ball may be hit from another location, generally with a penalty of one stroke. The Rules of Golf specify exactly the point from which the ball may be played outside a hazard. Bunkers are small to medium areas, usually lower than the fairway but of varying topography, that are filled with sand and generally incorporate
4459-574: The club, as then it is easier to play just a 9-hole round, if preferred, or stop at the clubhouse for a snack between the front 9 and the back 9. A successful design is as visually pleasing as it is playable. With golf being a form of outdoor recreation, the strong designer is an adept student of natural landscaping who understands the aesthetic cohesion of vegetation, water bodies, paths, grasses, stonework, and woodwork, among many other elements. Most golf courses have only par-3, −4, and −5 holes, although some courses include par-6 holes. The Ananti CC and
4550-402: The clubhouse, and thus the front 9 is referred to on the scorecard as "out" (heading out away from clubhouse) and the back 9 as "in" (heading back in toward the clubhouse). More recent courses (and especially inland courses) tend to be routed with the front 9 and the back 9 each constituting a separate loop beginning and ending at the clubhouse. This is partly for the convenience of the players and
4641-605: The colonists, having been opposed by the native population, were bought out by Kenneth Mackenzie , the clan chief of the Mackenzies . Fife became a centre of heavy industry in the 19th century. Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century, but the number of pits increased ten-fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period. Previously rural villages such as Cowdenbeath rapidly swelled into towns as thousands moved to Fife to find work in its mines. The opening of
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#17328905623434732-413: The course (a ravine or creekbed may be termed a "water hazard" even if completely dry) Often, a golf course will include among its facilities a practice range or driving range , usually with practice greens, bunkers, and driving areas. Markers showing distances are usually included on a practice range for the golfer's information. Driving ranges are also commonly found as separate facilities, unattached to
4823-545: The course more difficult. One example of this is the infamous roughs at U.S. Opens, which are often 3 to 5 inches high, depending on how close to the fairway or green the section of grass will be. This makes it difficult for a player to recover after a bad shot. Variants of grass used for fairways and roughs include bent grass , Tifway 419 Bermuda grass , rye grass , Kentucky bluegrass , and Zoysiagrass . As in putting-green grass types, not every grass type works equally well in all climate types. The putting green , or simply
4914-455: The course on a long lunch or as part of a meeting. They are also popular with young professionals, because during the normal golf season, the course can usually be played in the time between the end of the work day and sundown. The popularity of the 9-hole course has waned in recent decades; a full 18-hole course still allows for the player to play only the "front nine" or "back nine" as a shorter game, while attracting more golfers seeking to play
5005-444: The decision to change from Bermuda to bent grass when they observed increased business at courses that had already changed over. Another type of grass common for greens is TifDwarf Hybrid Bermuda (other variants exist, but TifDwarf is one of the most common), or simply Bermuda grass. Bermuda is more common in regions that have very warm summers and mild winters, such as the Southern and Southwestern United States. Red Bridge Golf Course
5096-465: The functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). The two burghs of Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy were deemed capable of managing their own affairs and so were excluded from the administrative area of the county council. The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries, with several exclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parishes which straddled more than one county being adjusted such that each parish
5187-404: The grass which are raked out at the sod farm), which are laid out on the green. Two downside factors of Bermuda greens are cost of maintenance, and also the existence of grain (the growth direction of the blades of grass), which affects the ball's roll and which is called "the grain of the green" and not to be confused with "the rub of the green" which are idiosyncrasies encountered getting through
5278-411: The green is usually flatter than other areas of the course, though gentle slopes and undulations can add extra challenge to players who must account for these variations in their putting line. The green typically does not include any fully enclosed hazards such as sand or water; however, these hazards can be — and often are — placed adjacent to the green, and depending on
5369-414: The green on the line of the putt. Most putts are not struck directly at the hole, instead they must be struck to take into account the characteristics of the green to arrive at the hole at the proper angle and speed. The best players will read the green by walking around the green and studying the characteristics of the green before addressing the ball. Many golfers consider reading the green and putting to be
5460-418: The green. The cost of installing and maintaining grass greens constitutes a considerable proportion of the expense of installing and maintaining a golf course. To save money, many low budget courses catering to casual players have sand greens instead of real grass. In recent years, artificial turf has also become an increasingly popular surface as a less costly alternative to grass which more closely resembles
5551-503: The higher grass can interfere with the path of the ball, so players often choose to use a lofted club such as an iron to make a " chip shot " or a "bump and run", where the ball carries in the air for a few yards and then rolls along the green like a normal putt. The grass of the putting green (more commonly just "green") is cut very short so that a ball can roll for a long distance. The most common types of greens are for cold winter, but warmer summer regions (i.e., not extremely warm, as in
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#17328905623435642-531: The highest concentration of second homes and holiday lets in Scotland. The fishing industry , on which the coastal East Neuk settlements were built, has declined in recent years with the main fishing fleet now operating from Pittenweem and the harbour in Anstruther being used as a marina for pleasure craft. There are several islands located off the coast of Fife, such as the Isle of May , Inchkeith and Inchcolm . The former Preston Island south of Valleyfield
5733-426: The hole. The slope or break of the green also affects the roll of the ball. The hole, or cup, is always found within the green and must have a diameter of 108 millimeters (4.25 in) and a depth of at least 10 centimeters (3.94 in). Its position on the green is not fixed and typically is changed daily by a greenskeeper in order to prevent excessive localized wear and damage to the turf. A new hole will be cut by
5824-459: The invitation of and alongside a member of the club. Others allow visitors at certain times but may insist on advance booking and proof of golfing competency. A commercial course is owned and managed by a private organization and is operated for profit. They may be constructed to provide a core or supplementary attraction for visitors to a hotel or commercial resort, as the centrepiece to a real estate development, as an exclusive Country Club , or as
5915-435: The later county was in the province of Fothriff , which also covered areas that would later become Kinross-shire and part of Clackmannanshire , including the town of Clackmannan . By the early thirteenth century Fothriff had been joined to the earldom of Fife. Sometime between the reign of David I (reigned 1124–1153) and the mid-thirteenth century, this part of Scotland was divided into shires , being areas administered by
6006-431: The links was ideal for golf, and areas of longer grass, heather, low growing bushes and exposed sand provided the hazards that are familiar on modern courses. Although early links courses were often close to the sea it was rarely used as a hazard, perhaps due to the instability of the dunes closest to the water and the high cost of hand-made golf balls precluding anything that could result in their irrecoverable loss. The land
6097-463: The main portion as the present parish. In September 1598 James VI came to Abdie to arrest John Arnot, Goodman of Woodmill, for the murder of John Murray, a servant of Lord Lindores . Fife Fife ( / f aɪ f / FYFE , Scottish English : [fɐi̯f] ; Scottish Gaelic : Fìobha [ˈfiːvə] ; Scots : Fife ) is a council area , historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland . It
6188-478: The monks kept the old name and thereafter called the parish Abdie (or Abden), from the Gaelic , apainn (earlier apdaine ), meaning "abbacy; abbey land". The parish was originally wider in extent and included the parish of Newburgh , but this was disjoined in 1633. Further in 1891 a detached portion of Abdie in the west was annexed to Newburgh, while another detached portion in the east was united with Dunbog , leaving
6279-439: The most difficult part of the game. The green is typically surrounded by slightly higher grass, cut at a height between that of the green and fairway, and then by the fairway and/or rough. This longer grass surrounding the green is known as the fringe and is designed to slow and stop balls rolling along the green from an approach shot or errant putt, preventing them from exiting the green. Though putting strokes can be made on it,
6370-611: The naval dockyard and perhaps the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquids fractionation plant on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath. The east corner of Fife, along the string of villages between Earlsferry and Kingsbarns , and along with their hinterland, is known as the East Neuk (corner, or projecting point of land) of Fife; small settlements around sheltered harbours, with distinctive vernacular "Dutch" or corbie (crow) stepped gabled and stone-built architecture. The area has amongst
6461-474: The number of holes of each par value per course. It is also preferable to arrange greens to be close to the tee box of the next playable hole, to minimize travel distance while playing a round, and to vary the mix of shorter and longer holes. Combined with the need to package all the fairways within what is frequently a compact square or rectangular plot of land, the fairways of a course tend to form an oppositional tiling pattern. In complex areas, two holes may share
6552-437: The original landscape, some modification is unavoidable. This is increasingly the case as new courses are more likely to be sited on less optimal land. Bunkers and sand traps are always built in by architects unless the formation of such items is already in the course's natural terrain. The layout of a course follows certain traditional principles, such as the number of holes (nine and 18 being most common), their par values, and
6643-537: The par for a hole; these include altitude, terrain and obstacles that result in a hole playing longer or shorter than its measured distance, e.g. route is significantly uphill or downhill, or requiring play of a stroke to finish short of a body of water before hitting over it. Under the United States Golf Association , the typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows: Men Women The first section of every hole consists of
6734-418: The par-3 course, and one round played on a nearby regulation 18-hole course with par of 71. Pitch and putt is an amateur sport , similar to golf and is also known as chip and putt. The maximum hole length for international competitions is 90 metres (100 yd) with a maximum total course length of 1,200 metres (1,310 yd). Players may only use three clubs ; one of which must be a putter . The game
6825-404: The player is expected to be able to drive the ball to the green on the first shot from the tee box. On holes longer than par 3, players are expected to require at least one additional shot to reach their greens. While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the teeing ground to the green, a hole may bend either to the left or to the right. This is called a "dogleg", in reference to
6916-496: The same tee box, fairway, or even green. It is also common for separate tee-off points to be positioned for men, women, and amateurs, each one respectively lying closer to the green. Eighteen-hole courses are traditionally broken down into a "front 9" (holes 1–9) and a "back 9" (holes 10–18). On older courses (especially links courses, like the Old Course at St. Andrews), the holes may be laid out in one long loop, beginning and ending at
7007-417: The shape of the green and surrounding hazards, and the location of the hole (which often changes from day to day to promote even wear of the turf of the green), there may not be a direct putting line from a point on the green to the cup. Golfers use a method known as "reading" the green to enhance their chances of making a putt. Reading a green involves determining the speed, grain, incline, decline and tilt of
7098-402: The similarity to a dog's ankle. The hole is called a "dogleg left" if the hole angles leftwards, and a "dogleg right" if the hole angles rightwards. A hole's direction may bend twice, which is called a "double dogleg". Just as there are good-quality grasses for putting greens, there are good-quality grasses for the fairway and rough. The quality of grass influences the roll of the ball as well as
7189-600: The smaller shire of Fife. In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as the main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. Following the Acts of Union in 1707, the English term "county" came to be used interchangeably with the older term "shire". Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , taking most of
7280-448: The stroke. Courses may also have other design features which the skilled player will avoid; there are earth bunkers (pits or depressions in the ground that are not filled with sand but require a lofted shot to escape), high grass and other dense vegetation, trees or shrubs, ravines and other rocky areas, steep inclines, etc.; while disadvantageous to play from, these are typically not considered "hazards" unless specifically designated so by
7371-661: The stronghold of Clan MacDuff , and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart , who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds. King James VI of Scotland described Fife, in Middle Scots , as a: "beggar's mantle fringed wi gowd" the golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries . Wool , linen , coal and salt were all traded. Salt pans heated by local coal were historically
7462-411: The surrounding fairway. Each tee box has two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area. The teeing area spans the distance between the markers, and extends two-club lengths behind the markers. A golfer may stand outside the teeing area, but the ball must be placed and hit from inside it. A golfer may place his ball directly on the surface of the teeing ground (called hitting it "off the deck"), or
7553-461: The topography of sand dunes and dune slacks with a ground cover of grasses, exposed to the wind and sea. Courses are private, public, or municipally owned, and typically feature a pro shop . Many private courses are found at country clubs . The golf course has its roots dating to the 18th century. The 18-hole course Old Course was established in 1764 at St Andrews , Scotland and has existed under its name since 1895. In 2009, Nullarbor Links ,
7644-755: The world's longest golf course spanning 1,365 kilometres, was established along the Eyre Highway , in Australia. In 2023, the golf course at Moundbuilders Country Club , was integrated into the world heritage-listed Hopewell Culture National Historical Park . Although a specialty within landscape design or landscape architecture , golf course architecture is considered a separate field of study. Some golf course designers become celebrities in their own right, such as Alister MacKenzie ; others are professional golfers of high standing and demonstrated appreciation for golf course composition, such as Jack Nicklaus . The field
7735-414: The world, reproducing the broken, treeless terrain with deep bunkers of their Scottish prototypes. An executive course or short course is a course with a total par significantly less than that of a typical 18-hole course. Two main types exist: These types of courses provide a faster pace of play than a standard course, and get their name from their target patronage of business executives who would play
7826-585: Was a parliamentary constituency of Fife in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1885 and the Fife constituency in the Parliament of Scotland until the Acts of Union 1707 . Fife is represented by five constituency members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and four members of the United Kingdom parliament (MPs) who are sent to Holyrood and the British Parliament respectively. Following
7917-529: Was based at County Buildings in Catherine Street in Cupar , which had been built in 1817 as the county's sheriff court and meeting place for the commissioners of supply, replacing the town's medieval tolbooth which had performed the same functions. Fife County Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with
8008-464: Was controlled by Lindores Abbey , whose remains lie just outside Newburgh. Abdie and Dunbog parishes became a united charge under one minister from December 1965, with the church building in Dunbog closing in 1983 upon the ecclesiastical parish of Abdie and Dunbog being linked with Newburgh. The parish seems originally to have had the name Lindores. However, when Lindores Abbey was granted a charter in 1178,
8099-518: Was entirely in a single county. These changes saw some adjustments to Fife's boundaries with Kinross-shire and Perthshire, with the most significant change being that Fife gained the two parishes of Culross and Tulliallan , which had previously formed an exclave of Perthshire. Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy were brought within the administrative area of the county council in 1930, but classed as large burghs , allowing them to continue to deliver many local government functions themselves. Fife County Council
8190-486: Was the first course in North Carolina to utilize a special Bermuda called Mini Verde. A green is generally established from sod which has had the soil washed off of it (to avoid soil compatibility problems) and which is then laid tightly over the green, then rolled and topdressed with fine sand. Another common and more economical approach for establishing a putting green is to introduce hybrid Bermuda sprigs (the stolon of
8281-494: Was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey . The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland's royal elite, with Robert I amongst those to be buried there. The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered the principal peer of the Scottish realm, and reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area. A new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland , formerly
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