off the A917 (Crail Road),
St Andrews, Fife
Office
+44 (0)1334 466 718Pro shop
+44 (0)1334 466 666Fax
+44 (0)1334 479 555Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Steve North (Director of Instruction - St Andrews Links Golf Academy)Academy
St Andrews Links Golf AcademyThe Course:
18 holes. Seaside links-style. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb
Surroundings:
Coastal cliffs and rural countryside.
Designer:
David McLay-Kidd
18-hole courses of St Andrews Links: par-72 OLD course (6,721 yds from the back tees; even longer from Championship tees used for pro events); par-71 NEW course (6,625 yds); par-72 JUBILEE course (6,742 yds); par-70 EDEN course (6,250 yds); par-69 STRATHTYRUM course (5,620 yds) and par-72 CASTLE course (6,759 yds; located on the other side of the city). St Andrews Links is also home to the 9-hole par-30 BALGOVE course (1,520 yds).
56.325146
-2.758577
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 (Castle)
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.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, 3-day and 7-day unlimited golf tickets, etc. [Last updated: 2020].
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.
Excellent
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.
2019 Golf World rating: 91st best course in Britain & Ireland; 30th best in Scotland.
St Andrews, Fife KY16 8PN (off the A917, east of St Andrews)
+44 (0)1334 837 000
Visit websiteLocated 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.
Fairmont St Andrews (Torrance & Kittocks courses)
The Castle Course; St Andrews Links (Old, New, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum courses); St Andrews (Duke's); Kingsbarns
Crail (Balcomie and Craighead Links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Lundin Links; Leven; Elie.
40 The Scores, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AS
+44 (0)1334 472 611
Visit websiteFollowing 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.
No
St Andrews Links (Old, New, Jubilee, Eden and Strathtyrum courses); St Andrews (Dukes course); The Castle Course; Fairmont St Andrews (Devlin and Torrance courses).
Kingsbarns; Crail (Balcomie and Craighead links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Lundin; Leven; Elie.
Tournaments:
2021 Opens: whether by accident or design, four of the top five mens’ Open Championships played in the British Isles occupy consecutive weeks in July: the Irish Open (1-4), Scottish Open (8-11), The Open (15-18) and Wales Open (22-25). The recently relaunched English Open is scheduled for early-August.
Hoag Classic: Ernie Els defends his title in this prestigious PGA Tour Champions event, played since 1991 at the Newport Beach Country Club, CA (Mar 5-7).
Who's Who:
Brooks Koepka: won his second Phoenix Open title, with a chip-in eagle at TPC Scottsdale’s short par-4 17th included in his final round.
Annika Sörenstam: the legendary Swede makes a return to the LPGA Tour in the Gainbridge LPGA, to be played at Lake Nona, her home club (Feb 25-28).
New course opens for play at Barnbougle
Bill Coore designs 14-hole layout with “sporty” holes on dune ridge above Lost Farm.
New links course planned for Scottish Highlands. Landowner aims to appoint a ‘world-class architect’ to work on site next to Cromarty Firth.
New Faldo Design layout in Vietnam set for summer completion. Nine holes of the course at Thanh Lanh are routed across a the lake peninsula.
Dundonald Links Scotland: Construction work is in progress on new practice facilities and course changes at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland, as part of a £25 million investment by new owners Darwin Escapes that also includes the construction of a new clubhouse with rooms, plus eighteen lodges. Read more ...
R&A submits planning application for new golf facility in Glasgow.
Look up the Top Golf Courses in Scotland.
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