History A product of the golfing boom, which opened half of the country's present courses between 1880 and 1909, Crieff Golf Club was established in 1891 after St. Andrews' Golf Professional, Old Tom Morris carved a nine-hole course out from what was East Ledbowie Park. The club's existing courses, Ferntower and Dornock, stretch over the restorative grounds of the Hydro, the grand Victorian Spa, which opened in 1856. Since the mid 19th Century, visitors seeking refuge from the encroaching cityscapes of Edinburgh and Glasgow have assembled on Crieff's rugged Highland line; once an ancient frontier settlement and market town, Crieff maintains its reputation as a place of gathering. Ancient Druid Stones, the ruined stables of The Ferntower House and an ominous site, which witnessed the persecution of Kate Macnevin, accused of witchcraft in 1563, are strewn across the property; testimonies of human design and destruction, they create what is a profoundly historical course.