About the course
Kingsbarns Golf Links lies on the Fife coast about 10 km south-east of St Andrews, on farmland that slopes gently down to the North Sea. Although the ground looks entirely natural, much of it was shaped during construction: the dunes, ridges and hollows that frame the holes were built by the designers and then grassed over so convincingly that most golfers assume they have always been there.
Golf was played at Kingsbarns as early as 1793, and a local course laid out in the 1920s was lost when the land was used for coastal defences in the Second World War. The present links was designed by Kyle Phillips together with the developer Mark Parsinen, and work began in 1997. Since 2001 it has been one of the three venues of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship alongside the Old Course and Carnoustie, and in 2017 it hosted the Women’s British Open, won by In-Kyung Kim.
The layout is built on several levels, so most holes look down towards the shoreline and the routing keeps returning to the edge of the land. Fairways are generous, but the angles into the large, contoured greens matter, and the wind off the sea changes the course from day to day. The par 3 15th is the best-known hole, played across a rocky inlet to a green on the water’s edge, and the closing hole asks for a precise approach over a burn running through a small ravine in front of the green.
Why we recommend it
Kingsbarns is often the highlight of a golf week in St Andrews. The sea is in view from every hole, and although it is a modern course, it plays like a classic links. It is a little more forgiving off the tee than the championship courses nearby, which makes it a great choice for groups with mixed handicaps. Just 7 miles from St Andrews, it pairs naturally with the Old Course and the Castle Course.
Photo gallery
| World ranking | 17 |
| Architect | Kyle Phillips, Mark Parsinen |
| Year of foundation | 2001 |
| Par Course | 72 |
| Number of holes | 18 |