The Periscope | Our Links Golf Course

The sight of a submarine periscope towering almost 10m above the starter’s hut at Elie was one of the more unusual spectacles in world golf. At the end of April 2014 the periscope took up its new home in the newly built Starters’ Office.

The periscope was salvaged from HMS Excalibur in 1966 and was presented to the club by member Gavin Reekie.

It gives the starter a perfect view over the hill at the first hole and having made sure the group in front are well on their way, he can then safely invite golfers on the tee to ‘play away.’

Visitors and members alike are encouraged to take a look through the periscope and appreciate the unrivalled 360 degree view it provides.

Indeed, taking a moment to enjoy this memorable experience is all part of a round of golf at Elie. You will not be the first to imagine what it must have been like for the submarine’s captain to peer out from under the waves while HMS Excalibur was still in service.

Both the views north into the Fife countryside and south over the Firth of Forth are a real delight and the canny golfer will also take a moment to see just where the hole on the second green has been cut for the day!

HMS Excalibur and its sister ship HMS Explorer, were the only submarines powered by high test peroxide (HTP) that the Royal Navy ever built. They were launched in the mid 1950s, but by the end of 1968 both had been scrapped due to the volatility of HTP as a power source.

It is perhaps fitting that the periscope from such an experimental vessel as HMS Excalibur has ended up in such an unusual resting place. To this day it remains a unique and much loved feature of golf at Elie.

Why not book now and see the periscope for yourself.