A TRIP to St Andrews can feel like a journey back to the land that time forgot.

But if you truly want to step back in time when it comes to golf, it’s an estate just under ten miles away from the Old Course that you should seek.

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Kingarrock is the UK‘s only remaining hickory golf course – and is believed to be the last of its kind in Europe.

Sitting in the heart of Fife in Scotland, only hickory clubs and balls are allowed and players are encouraged to dress accordingly in full Edwardian regalia.

That means plus fours tucked into socks that are pulled up to the knees, old-fashioned golf shoes and a proper collared shirt. None of this polo neck or hoodie malarkey.

A World Hickory Open is played for every year by enthusiasts, with this year’s edition taking place across Nairn Dunbar, Moray Old, Fortrose & Rosemarkie and Brora golf courses in the Scottish Highlands.

The other main difference between hickory golf and the sport we see on TV today is in the equipment used, rather than the rules itself.

Just like at The Open or The Masters, the aim of the game is it get a small ball to drop inside a hole in as few shots as possible. And players can use a variety of clubs to do so.

But whereas the modern game allows for 14 clubs in a golfer’s bag from driver to woods, irons, wedges and putter, a hickory golf bag is completely different.

The names of these antique clubs reflects the bygone era. Players tee it up with a spoon, a driving iron, a mid-mashie, a mashie niblick and a putter.

And most crucially the clubs are made of hickory wood, which was the most popular material for golf clubs until the late 1930s, when they were gradually replaced by steel.

At Kingarrock, players are provided with an authentic bag of clubs which can date back as far as the 1880s and rubber-wound balls that replicate those common in the 1920s.

Shots won’t travel as far and the clubs feel lighter than today’s titanium and graphite iterations. Kingarrock evokes golf based on skill and ingenuity rather than power and technological advances.

The facility, situated within the Hill of Tarvit Mansion & Garden estate, is ran by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and headed up by Dave Allan.

It dates back to 1924, making it 100 years old. However, the course was abandoned during the Second World War and almost forgotten for good.

First opened by jute magnate Frederick Sharp and his son Hugh, who were members of the Royal & Ancient at St Andrews, the land became used for farming and was only transformed back into a golf course in the 1990s.

NTS staff discovered a map of the course, along with Frederick Sharp’s golfing bag and Trust members David and Michelle Anderson set about restoring the old course to its former glory.

Of course, some adjustments had to be made to make it suitable – and safe – for modern standards. That included re-routing some of the holes because they used to cross over one another (leading to rather a lot of FORES!)

After lying dormant for 70 year, the course finally reopened in June 2008 wit ha par of 34 and a length of 2,022 yards.

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Allan revealed that pros have tested themselves over the nine-hole parkland layout in the years since it opened – and to this day, the par has never been broken (even though US Open winners and Champion Golfers of the Year have tried).

And no matter the score, a glass of ginger beer and plate of shortbread at the end harks back to another Fife tradition.

He said: “I look after the golf course here at Kingarrock. I’ve worked for the National Trust for Scotland for the last six years.

“It’s the only one of its kind in the whole of Europe. They’re playing with clubs that are anything from the 1880s through to the 1930s, so they’re playing with the real, genuine articles.

“Kingarrock is a full nine-hole course with a par five included. It’s a par 34, and we’ve had numerous tour professionals here and that par has never been broken. It’s been levelled, but it’s never been broken.

“So if anyone is of a high standard and wants to have a go at that course record, please feel free to come along and enjoy yourselves.

“If you succeed, your name will go up inside the cottage. And if you don’t succeed you’ll still get your ginger beer and shortbread when you finish.

“It’s a great challenge to play and it’s a great day out.”

One golfer said in a review of the course: “Kingarrock takes pride in being the only hickory club in the UK. They offer a 1920s experience for today’s golfer. It is only a 9 hole track, but the unique experience is of a one-of-a-kind quality on a beautiful and historic property in Fife.”

Another said: “A fabulous little 9 hole course, relive golf as it was played over a century ago, authentic clubs and balls are provided with a very warm welcome from the pro who makes you feel quite at ease before letting you loose with the Hickory clubs. A very pleasant and picturesque course in a beautiful location a little undulating but that only adds to its charm. A great day out for any standard of golfer.”

The NTS also pays close attention to protecting Kingarrock’s environment – whilst using the same methods from a century ago.

The greens are hand-cut and the fairways and tee boxes are maintained using 1920s-style gang mowers.

No fertilisers or artificial irrigation are used anywhere on the course, which provides a more natural, less manicured feel than most other courses – even sheep can be seen grazing from time to time.

The NTS say: “We have an impressive level of biodiversity, with wildflowers including marsh orchid, lady’s bedstraw, cuckooflower and ox-eye daisy spreading across the course and attracting high numbers of bumblebees.

“The tussocky grasses draw field voles and tawny owls, while the gorse on the course attracts yellowhammers sheltering from swooping sparrowhawks. You’ll also spot many tree sparrows, who nest in some of the tree boxes we’ve provided.

“We’ve also started planting trees, such as sessile oak, pedunculate oak, European beech, horse chestnut, copper beech and sweet chestnut, some of which have not been present here for a century.”

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