St Andrews Links (Castle Course)

off the A917 (Crail Road),

St Andrews, Fife

  • Office

    +44 (0)1334 466 718
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1334 466 666
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1334 479 555
  • Golf pro

    Steve North (Director of Instruction - St Andrews Links Golf Academy)
  • Academy

    St Andrews Links Golf Academy

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Seaside links-style. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb

  • Surroundings:

    Coastal cliffs and rural countryside.

  • Designer:

    David McLay-Kidd

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6759
6376
5460
Par
71
71
71
SSS or slope
73.6
71.9
73.0

At the same location:

18-hole courses of St Andrews Links: Old Course (par-72; 6,721 yds from the back tees; even longer from Championship tees used for pro events); New course (par-71; 6,625 yds); Jubilee course (par-72; 6,742 yds); Eden course (par-70; 6,250 yds); Strathtyrum course (par-69; 5,620 yds) and Castle course (par-72; 6,759 yds; located on the other side of the city). St Andrews Links is also home to the 9-hole Balgove course (par-30; 1,520 yds).

Location

Latitude:

56.325145

Longitude:

-2.758576

How to get there:

2 miles E of St Andrews

From the centre of St Andrews take the A917 direction Crail. After 2 miles turn left into the Castle Course.

St Andrews Links (Castle Course)

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.

Est. 2008

St Andrews Links (Castle Course): To create the "seventh course at the home of golf," David McLay-Kidd accepted a challenge not unlike that faced by Sam Torrance at neighbouring Fairmont St Andrews (located one small field away to the east). Gently rolling and featureless arable farmland required reconfiguration and transformation into a compelling links golf course.

Starting with a blank canvass, McLay-Kidd was assured of one thing, the clifftop location ensured most holes would look out over St Andrews Bay, commanding spectacular views of the cathedral-side of the city. On that score the course thoroughly lives up to expectations.

All the holes offer majestic views, while four of them (7, 8, 9 and 18) run directly along the cliffs' edge. From the elevated green of the "inland" par-4 12th you are also offered one of the finest 360-degree panoramas on the entire course. The spectacular par-3 17th adds to the scenic multitude, requiring a do-or-die tee-shot across a plunging cliff face.

Following design principle's that would resonate with Old Tom Morris himself, the layout includes many rustic traits, not least plenty of rough-edged grass-topped bunkering. Dune-like pyramids and fescued ridges seem to pop up everywhere, even in the middle of the rolling, good-width fairways. Around the huge and exuberantly sloping greens, are equally expansive aprons and run-off areas, where the grass is just one or two microns longer than on the greens themselves.

You'll certainly need a red-hot putter to score well here. 70, 80 and 90 yard putts from the green surrounds may not be too uncommon. The short par-4 9th and par-5 18th return you to the same 70-yard double-green, where both nine-hole loops spectacularly finish above the cliffs. The more you play the Castle course the more you'll love it. Its reputation is surely destined to develop from very good to great.

List of courses: Home of Golf

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (mid-April thru' mid-Oct) on St Andrews Links courses (all days): Old course £295; Castle £160; New £130; Jubilee £130; Strathyrum £45; Balgove £15.

Contact club for full details, discounts, 3-day and 7-day unlimited golf tickets, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Non-metal spike facility. Players generally walk this course. Caddies available. This is a walking course; golf carts only available for medical reasons and for over-65s.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

The Castle Course is the seventh to join the fabulous collection of public-access courses managed by the St Andrews Links Trust. It joins the Old, the New and the Jubilee as the collection's flagship courses.

The Castle Course takes it name from Kinkell Castle, which stood on the headland known as Kinkell Ness in the middle ages (close to where the double-green of the 9th and 18th holes is now sited). The "Knight's helmet" club logo is adapted from the coat of arms of the Moneypennys of Pitmilly, who were granted this land in 1211, and owned it for centuries thereafter.

Published ranking

Scotland's 30th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Britain & Ireland's 100th best course (Golf World, 2022).

Where2Stay

  • Fairmont St Andrews Hotel5-star

    St Andrews, Fife KY16 8PN (off the A917, east of St Andrews)

    +44 (0)1334 837 000

    Visit website

    Located close to the historic city of St Andrews, the Fairmont St Andrews overlooks the beautiful coastal landscape of Scotland's east coast. The resort is home to two renowned championship golf courses (the Kittocks and Torrance) as well as being one of Scotland’s largest and most luxurious hotel and conference facilities.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Fairmont St Andrews (Torrance & Kittocks courses)

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      The Castle Course; St Andrews Links (Old, New, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum courses); St Andrews (Duke's); Kingsbarns

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Crail (Balcomie and Craighead Links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Lundin Links; Leven; Elie.

  • Hotel du Vin St Andrews4-star

    40 The Scores, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AS

    +44 (0)1334 472 611

    Visit website

    Following a significant refurbishment and extension from 22 to 40 rooms, the Hotel du Vin St Andrews (formerly St Andrews Golf Hotel) now boasts a new and contemporary interior design inside this spacious Victorian townhouse. The views over St Andrews Bay and beaches are as spectacular as ever. In its quiet terrace location near the Promenade, this stylish, boutique hotel offers underground parking, external courtyard, whisky sampling room and wine cellar, as well as the famous student bar Ma Bells.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      St Andrews Links (Old, New, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum courses); St Andrews (Dukes course); The Castle Course; Fairmont St Andrews (Devlin and Torrance courses).

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Kingsbarns; Crail (Balcomie and Craighead links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Lundin; Leven; Elie.

Find a course

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