The Castle Course, St Andrews

Outstanding views

The newest addition to the St Andrews courses is The Castle Course which opened in 2008, becoming the seventh course at the Home of Golf. The Castle has a fabulous setting, laid out on a cliff top overlooking the town of St Andrews across the bay. The Castle course may not be your ‘standard’ links course but its unnatural design and feel compliments the other course on the St Andrews rota.

Routed in two circuits of nine holes, each loop of the Castle rises up from the clubhouse to the higher grounds before tumbling back towards the cliffs and coastline offering outstanding views of the town and surrounding area. The green complexes are without doubt unique and undulating – some may say too undulating – but the course has been softened somewhat since it first opened which now makes it a fair challenge for golfers of all abilities. The closing stretch of holes from 15 through 18 are now recognised as one of the best and memorable 4 hole stretch in Scottish golf. The signature par 3, 17th is like any other hole in St Andrews. Played across a ravine on the edge of the cliffs, it is an ‘all or nothing’ hole requiring anything from an 8 iron to a driver depending on the prevailing wind.

The superb panoramic views, quality of the course and the layout of the holes certainly makes the Castle Course a unique addition to the St Andrews portfolio and a course well worth playing