Castle Course

About the course

The Castle Course sits on a clifftop headland about two miles south east of St Andrews, on land once occupied by Kinkell Castle, from which it takes its name. It is the seventh and newest course of St Andrews Links, built on former farmland high above the North Sea, and on clear days the view along the coast reaches as far as Carnoustie on the far side of the Tay.

Designed by the Scottish architect David McLay Kidd, it opened in 2008. Because the site was largely open fields, much of the movement in the ground was created with heavy earthworks, giving rolling fairways, sandy waste areas and deep bunkers meant to evoke a traditional links. The holes are arranged in two loops of nine, and five sets of tees on every hole let the course play from about 5,300 to more than 7,200 yards.

The defining feature is the putting surfaces. Many greens are perched and steeply sloped, so an approach to the wrong section can leave a putt over several tiers or a chip back from a run-off. The 6th is a dogleg par 4 that bends along the clifftop. At the 17th, a par 3 of around 180 yards, the tee shot must carry a ravine to a green on the edge of the cliff, and the closing three holes all hug the coastline.

Being so exposed, the course plays very differently when the wind blows in from the sea, and tufts of fescue in places punish a drive that strays only slightly from the line.

Why we recommend it

The Castle Course gives a St Andrews trip a completely different flavour from the historic links in town. Set on clifftops just outside St Andrews, it offers sea views from every hole and a panorama back over the town, with dramatic holes such as the short seventeenth played along the cliff edge. The fairways are fairly generous but the heavily contoured greens demand patience. It is best for golfers who like modern design and a bit of theatre in their round.

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