About the course
The Kittocks is one of two courses at Fairmont St Andrews, a clifftop resort on the Fife coast just south of the town. Its holes spread across high ground above the sea, and the course takes its name from Kittock’s Den, a deep ravine that cuts through the property and acts as a natural hazard on the way round.
Bruce Devlin laid out the original course, which opened as the Devlin Course alongside its sister layout, the Torrance. During a major renovation of the resort at the end of the 2000s the course was revised and given its present name, and two clifftop holes that had belonged to the Torrance, the 17th and the 18th, became part of the Kittocks. In 2009 it staged the Scottish Seniors Open.
The design mixes traditional features such as deep pot bunkers and double greens with elements closer to American resort golf, including two man-made lakes. The ravine and the edge of the cliffs shape several of the best holes on the back nine. The 17th asks for a second shot played out over the cliff edge to a large green high above the bay, a hole that leaves no margin for a hook.
Because the course sits on an exposed headland, the wind is a constant factor, and the same hole can call for very different clubs from one day to the next.
Why we recommend it
Kittocks runs along the clifftops above St Andrews Bay at the Fairmont resort, and the sea views are part of almost every round. It is long from the back, but generous landing areas and a choice of tees make it manageable for all abilities, with the clifftop holes late in the round the ones most people remember. With the hotel and the Torrance Course on site, just a few minutes from St Andrews, it suits groups who want golf and accommodation in one place.
Photo gallery
| World ranking | – |
| Architect | Bruce Devlin |
| Year of foundation | 2002 |
| Par Course | 72 |
| Number of holes | 18 |