Ferryhills Golf Course – a potted history

In 1890, Dunfermline golf Club leased a stretch of land at the southern end of Ferryhills, from Adam Will, a local land-owner, and laid out a 9-hole golf course. The course proved popular, with easy access from the railway station and membership grew. In 1892 additional land was leased from Adam, the course extended to 18 holes, and a new clubhouse erected.

By 1893 membership was still growing and the club negotiated with Adam’s son Alexander Will, (Adam having died in 1892) and agreed a new 19-year lease (which would therefore expire in 1912) to expand the course by adding all of the Cruicks Estate. This new course, designed by Old Tom Morris was completed in 1894. In 1897, Cruicks House was added to the lease to form a larger, better Club House.

Meanwhile the world was changing. In 1903 the Admiralty purchased land at Rosyth for the new dockyard.

In 1909, as the 1893 lease was drawing to a close, Thomas Milne, the trustee of Alexander Will (Alexander had died in 1900) leased the land of Cruicks Estate and Ferryhills to the Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Company, with Dunfermline Golf Club as a sub-tenant. The club signed up to this new sub-lease, to run from the expiry of the existing lease in 1912 for a period of 19-years (i.e. until 1931.) Tilbury had intended to quarry the land to help build Rosyth Dockyard, but could not reach agreement on terms with Easton and Gibb, the main dockyard contractors

By the outbreak of WWI in 1914, there was a huge Royal Navy presence in the Forth. Ships’ officers were granted special privileges at Ferryhills course, so membership increased during the war years.

During the war, play continued, but was occasionally interrupted by military manoeuvres – the club house was occupied and trenches were dug on the course. In 1918 at the end of the war, both the Royal Navy and United States Navy presented cups to the Club in thanks for their use of the course. In 1921, the club received reparations for the war damages.

In 1921 the Admiralty purchased the land from Thomas Milne, issued a lease to Tilbury to run the quarry, and a sub-lease to the club. The sub-lease conditions included rent reductions and rebates in the event of quarry encroachments on the golf course. These encroachments began almost immediately.

In 1921, the course was redesigned by Dr Alister MacKenzie to include new land leased at Gallowbank from Lord Elgin. Over the 1920s the quarry incursions continued. In 1924 the course was re-arranged again, this time including new land overlooking Port Laing. There were further encroachments in 1926 and 1927.

By 1928 the quarry workings threatened the viability of Cruicks House as a club house. Dunfermline Golf Club decided the cost of acquiring new land and a new clubhouse would be too great so they abandoned Ferryhills and moved to a new course at Torrie.

Also in 1928, the Admiralty sold Cruicks Estate to the Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Company.

In 1929, Ferryhills Golf Club was formed and took over the Ferryhills course for local members – leasing the land from the Tilbury Company. They maintained the course, adding new holes in 1931 to replace holes lost to further quarry incursions. The course was still well-regarded nationally, and was used by visiting clubs as well as local members.

From 1935, the newly-formed South Queensferry Golf Club played on the Ferryhills course.

1939 saw the outbreak of WWII and membership rapidly dwindled.

In 1940, a special meeting was called in an attempt to avert closure, but sadly the Ferryhills Club and course were finally closed in February 1940.

Today, most of the land has been swallowed by the quarry workings. But the locations of two of the holes from around 1921 are still intact. One is the dog-leg hole which ran parallel to Crookness Road. The other is more easily accessed, it runs along the top edge of the field, just to the south of the reservoir.

You can follow the evolution of the Ferryhills Course on this set of Golf Course Maps

Or read the full story, beginning with the Founding of Dunfermline Golf Club in 1887