St Andrews Castle Course

The newest addition to the list of top class courses in/around St Andrews, The Castle Course is set along the coast, two miles east of the town centre. 

Work on the ground began early in 2005 and the course opened in April 2008.  The designer, David McLay Kidd, creator of Bandon Dunes on the West Coast of America, has created a typical Scottish golf experience. Each hole has a choice of five tees enabling the course to play between about 5300 and 7200 yards.

Whereas the other St Andrews courses are true links The Castle Course is more of a links-style cliff-top hybrid (like Pebble Beach) and, being set on the cliff tops, it is the most visually dramatic and attractive of the St Andrews courses, offering ocean views from every single hole (the Old Course offers a sea view only from the first tee). Again, whilst the older St Andrews links are almost totally flat, the Castle course is filled with sandy ridges covered with rough. Similarly the greens are heavily shaped and contain some severe drop offs to challenge even the most accomplished of putters.

Both loops of nine finish in truly dramatic fashion sharing a double green on the tip of a small promontory jutting into the sea, so no matter which nine you play first you are assured a memorable finish. 

There is a brand new clubhouse, warm-up area and practice putting green plus the course can be played (at additional cost) using the discount 'multi-play' tickets (see St Andrews Links Trust or any of the clubs for full detail).