It is never polite to be late arriving on the first tee.

However it was downright embarrassing when I upstaged my host and fellow guests in walking off the opening hole a few minutes later having sank an outrageous very long putt for birdie.

Well, that was the scenario when I joined three of Scotland’s leading golf correspondents – Martin Dempster (The Scotsman), Euan McLean (Daily Record)  and Nick Rodger (Scottish Herald) – last October at the Aberdour Golf Club.

Martin is a proud member at Aberdour Golf Club and the outing was a get together before heading out to Turkey to represent Scotland in the 2014 Golf Writer’s Home Internationals.

When crossing the Forth Road Bridge, and arriving into the Kingdom of Fife, Aberdour Golf Club is the first golf club to greet you located as it is on the north banks of the mighty River Forth and some 18 minutes from the heart of the Scottish capital at Edinburgh.

Bernie, Euan, Martin and Nick ahead of tackling the superb Aberdour Golf Club in Aberdour, Scotland.

To get to the golf course you drive through the village of Aberdour that has its origins with its harbour, where the Dour Burn enters the River Forth.

According to Wikipedia the name Aberdour comes an ancient language combination of ‘Aber’ -meaning confluence while the dour element, referring to the Burn, means simply ‘water’ (archaic dobur), and is unconnected to the Scots/English ‘dour’.

In the 18th century Aberdour’s harbour was improved by the addition of a stone pier to help handle the coal traffic from nearby collieries. However, in the 1850s the traffic changed dramatically, and Aberdour Harbour became a popular destination for pleasure steamers from Leith, located on the south bank of the Forth.

Then in 1890, the railway came to Aberdour, with the building of the line east from the newly opened Forth Bridge.

The club was established six years later in 1896 and moved to its current location in 1905 with first nine holes before being extended to 18 holes.

Aberdour Golf Club is laid out on land made up of ancient sea cliffs and raised beaches creating a parkland course set by the sea.

And standing on the opening tee of the Aberdour Golf Club the view is anything but dour and it has to be one of the most spectacular first hole views in all of Scotland looking out over the River Forth with the historic island of Inchcolm just a quarter mile off the golf course shoreline, and in the distance Edinburgh laid out in all its glory on the southern bank of the river.

The stunning view off the first hole at Aberdour Golf Club. (Photo – thanks to Aberdour Golf Club)

The golf course is not long measuring 5,569 yards off the back tees but what it may lack in length it more than makes-up in reward and with many holes, like the downhill 160-yard par three opening hole, laid out in a picture postcard setting.

Aberdour Golf Club boasts five par threes including as well the second (159-yards), the seventh (163-yards), the 12th (182-yards), the 15th (168-yards) and the last (198-yards).

There is a dozen par fours with the longest, the eighth at 457-yards, and the shortest being the 13th at 247-yards.

That leaves just one par five, the 10th hole named ‘Ash Tree’ and measuring 524-yards off the back tee.

If there’s a signature hole it is ‘Silver Birch’, the par four eight hole, a stunning hole of 457-yards that winds its way along the Firth of Forth shoreline before playing to a slightly raised green.

And while it is the No. 1 index hole it’s a golf hole that when you putt out you just want to stand on the green for a few seconds and look back in awe at the view.

Aberdour’s signature hole – the par four 8th hole. (Photo thanks to Aberdour Golf Club).

And the view from the eighth is not limited to just the fairway as there is a superb vista from the green looking up the length of the Forth while if you have time take the short walk to the back of the green for more views out over the south bank of the river.

Standing on the at the 492-yard ninth hole you turn your back on the Forth for a time but facing some of the best holes on the course including one I enjoyed, named ‘Avenue’, and that’s the 315-yard par four 14th.

There is a line of trees and dwellings all down the left side acting like sentinels, and with the key naturally to keep ball on the green grass of the ‘Avenue’ rather than out-of-bounds and on the bitumen roadway.

And the sight was so captive that on this superb autumn day there was an artist sitting just to the left of the tee and capturing on canvas the wonderful sight laid out before her.

The ‘Avenue’ and the wonderful par four, 14th hole at Aberdour Golf Club. (Photo – Thanks to Aberdour Golf Club).

The 360-yard par four, 17th hole is a great penultimate hole measuring 360-yards where you need pinpoint accuracy in finding a well-guarded green protected by bunkers both front left and right, and an out-of-bounds wall at the back of the green.

Then in making your way to the 18th you have to deal with the longest of the five par threes measuring 198-yards.

But after walking off the first a little red-faced this first time guest to Aberdour Golf Club missed the green right but boldly threw a lob-wedge up in the air and with the ball stopping stone dead for the easiest of tap-in pars.

It was handshakes all round and a very special thanks to Martin for the opportunity to play one of the great unknown courses in Scottish golf that is now very much right up there with my Kingdom of Fife golfing favourites and a course to recommend to others.

Suffice to say, I can’t wait till Martin organizes a return visit to Aberdour Golf Club.

*  All images – www.golfbytourmiss.com