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The Course was planned by a committee of local gentlemen assisted by Willie P'ernie of Tr-oon and Joe Anderson of Perth. After twelve months of hard and unremitting work under careful supervision, the course was formally declared open in July 1911.
Early handbooks describe the course as being situated on 'That beautiful stretch of high ground known as Craigie Hill'. It was considered full of 'rare sporting play' giving work for every club in the bag.
The natural short hill grass was considered excellent golfing turf requiring little mowing. However the exposed situation and hilly terrain have not made for easy maintenance. During the early years course maintenance was carried out by a combination of Green staff, horse and cutters, and 100 sheep, which in 1912 brought £21 in rent to the Club.
On numerous occasions the question of obtaining a small motor mower for the greens, and a tractor and mower for the fairways, was raised. Several demonstrations of various mowers were arranged. These included, in 1928, a set of mowers being pulled by a Ford car! In 1931 it was agreed that the small motor mower for the greens was not suitable and not to be considered further. By 1933, however, it was agreed that a Ransomes all-steel mower for the horse be purchased. This was 2 cwts lighter than the old one and made for easier work on the hilly ground. At this time the committee were concerned at the high cost of horses but there was not enough work to make a tractor a paying proposition. By 1915, however, it was decided that a tractor or motor vehicle was required for mowing. A tractor was considered to be unobtainable and too expensive so it was thought that a secondhand Post Office van, RAF or Army vehicle could be bought and converted by replacing tyres with studded wheels. This plan did not come to fruition and in 1947 the opportunity to purchase a secondhand tractor arose. After the approval of the necessary petrol permit, it was agreed to purchase the tractor at a cost of £300. It was not until 1956 that the 'unsuitable, never to be considered again' motor mower for the greens was purchased.
 A combination of the course being exposed to drying winds and the sandy nature of the greens due to constant top dressing over the years meant that the greens were not retaining moisture. With this problem in mind, it was decided to build a dam to the right of the Fourth Fairway and to pump water to all greens. This was completed in 1969. At the same time more peat was included in top dressing to help retain moisture.
THE COURSE
The restrictions imposed by the nature of the course have meant that alterations to the course have been limited. The holes retain the names given to them in 1934. Changes in methods of assessment and improvements in equipment have seen the course rating change from original 79 to present 66.
To illustrate the changes to the holes over the years, a trip round the course will now be taken.
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First
 Originally played from a tee near the current lower entrance to the Club with the quarry on the immediate right of the fairway, the green was situated near the boundary fence at Woodside lockups. There were whins both left and right to contend with and it was a rare occasion when the hill was cleared. The approach was normally played out to the right and the slope did the rest. It was not uncommon for a socketed shot to finish on the putting surface. In 1970 the quarry was filled in and the current First Fairway and tee were constructed. With a following wind and the improvement in equipment it was fairly commonplace for the green to be driven. The current first green was built in 1971 on the site of the old Greenkeepers Cottage. |
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Second
 The original tee was short and to the right of the current first green. Trouble in the form of the quarries and scrub was present on the right for the greater part of the hole. The quarries were out of bounds. The slope on the green was more severe than at present and the green was guarded by a bunker short and to the right. This bunker was filled in following the building of the clubhouse extension to prevent damage to windows The green was rebuilt, reducing the severe slope, when the new Clubhouse was being built. |
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Third
 Prior to the building of the existing clubhouse, this hole was played as a par 4. The drive was from a tee situated at the north end of the present car park. The fairway was guarded both left and right with thick rough gorse and whin. To aid the search for balls, there were marker poles at the edge of the rough at driving distance. The approach was played to a bunkerless green. With the building of the new clubhouse the hole was changed to a par 3. The green was built up using soil from the hump on the right of the Fourth, and bunkers were added. |
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Fourth
 The most significant changes at the Fourth both concern water. In the very early days the burn used to run round the front of both Sixth and Fourth greens. It was re-routed to its present course to allow easier access for cutting. This explains why the area to the front of the Fourth often remains so wet. In 1969 the dam to the right of the Fairway was created, This out of bounds pocket has since acted as a magnet for many balls. |
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Fifth
The one hole all visitors remember after their first visit! With the exception of the medal tee being moved back to its current site in the 1930s, the hole is essentially unchanged. It was minuted on more than one occasion that the tree on the right be removed but it remains to this day. On the righthand side of the hole leading from the front tee to the large tree, in the edge of the rough, the outline of an old right-of-way can still be seen. |
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Sixth
This hole has changed very little over the years. In the 1970s the medal tee at the Seventh was extended and as a result the green at the Sixth was moved to the right to accommodate
this.
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Seventh
 Trees running along the boundary wall were added in 1969. The large bunker at the back was built in 1964 to prevent balls rolling out of bounds. At the same time the large marker pole was added. More recently the green has been extended at the front and a rough fringe has been left at the rear to prevent balls trickling into the bunker. |
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 Eighth
The original green was guarded by the two bunkers at the front left. In the late 1940s three new bunkers were added, the large pit at the front right, the long shallow one at the rear left, and a smaller one at the rear right. The one at the back right was filled in 1965 but its outline can still be seen.
Ninth
The Ninth green was subjected to a lot of tinkering in the early days -the front of the green being lowered and the rear being built up. Bunkers between the Ninth and Tenth were filled in and trees planted in 1961. The bunker on the left is an addition to the original hole. Near the tee, at the foot of the path from the Kop, a shelter was built in the 1930s. Shelters were of great importance in the past as it is only relatively recently that effective waterproofs and shoes have been developed.
Tenth/Eleventh
Both holes remain almost the same as in the original layout.
Twelfth
Originally played as a par 4 with a normal drive finishing near the top of the gully. The ridge at this point was added to prevent balls rolling into the gully. The green sloped considerably from right to left. In 1964 it was built up to its present level. The Winter League tee at the Fourth was built with possible use as a medal tee for the Twelfth in mind. |
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Thirteenth
 The original medal tee was situated near the present front tee. The existing medal tee was built in the late 1940s.
Fourteenth
The green sloped at the front even more severely from left to right than at present. This was levelled out in the early 1960s. The conifers between the Fourteenth Green and Fifteenth Fairway were planted in 1975.
Fifteenth
The old green was situated nearer the front of the hill.  The fine turf at the front of the present green indicates part of the old site. The green was levelled out, extended backwards and to the right in 1971.
The bunkers either side were added at the same time. To the right, as one crosses the burn, short of the green, a drinking well was built in 1914. This was welcomed by thirsty players until it was discontinued in the 1970s when the water was contaminated. |
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Sixteenth
 The only significant change from the original hole was the addition of bunkers left and right about 20 yards short of the green. The one on the left was filled in in the 1970s. These bunkers were at driving distance when the hole was played as a par 4. The idea of changing the hole into a dog leg par 4 by situating the green about 60 yards back into the old quarry has been mooted on many occasions. The nearest this proposal ever got to becoming reality was when the area was filled in just prior to 1939. However it was never completed because of the War.
Seventeenth
 Until the green was extended this year the only change over the years has been the medal tee being gradually moved back.
Eighteenth
Like the Second, the Eighteenth green had to be re-sited following the building of the new Clubhouse. The green was brought forward by about 8 yards and a bunker to the left of the ridge at the edge of the green was filled in |
With the exception of the first three holes, there have been no major changes to the playing of the course from the original layout. This might not have been the case had the Club been successful in acquiring extra ground. Through the years, several attempts to secure ground have been made and proposed extensions been considered.
As early as 1914, attempts to secure additional ground in the vicinity of the double green were made. Discussions with the landowner did not, however, come to anything.
In 1930 Joe Anderson submitted plans for a course extension on 20 acres to be acquired behind the Seventh hole. This involved the building of five new tees and five new greens. The present Eighth, Twelfth and Thirteenth would have been cut out and the course played differently. The climb at the Third and overcrowding at the Sixth and Seventh would also have been eliminated. A committee was formed to proceed with the plan. However Sir Robert Moncreiffe was not agreeable to giving the Club the exact ground marked on the plans. Instead two alternative fields, totalling 40 acres were offered at £3 per acre for a twenty year lease or £4 per acre permanent feu. The committee considered that the rent or feu asked was far too high and the ground offered not suitable.
In the late 1960s when route of the motorway was being decided on, the Club entered into discussions with McDonald Fraser who had expressed interest in selling the ground between the motorway and the Seventh hole. A proposed plan using this ground would have seen a dramatic increase in length of course and several changes to the playing of the existing holes. This plan was not allowed to proceed very far as the landowners decided they no longer wished to sell the ground in question.
There were no plans in 1989 to extend the course, with all efforts being devoted to maintaining the condition of the turf, and making only slight amendments to the holes.
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