St Andrews Links: The Castle Course Review, Tee Times and Key Info

St Andrews Castle Course Key Information

St Andrews - The Castle Course

The Castle Course took a brief rest away from the Golf Monthly Top 100 last time round but is back in at 95. I am personally very pleased to see it back as I have thoroughly enjoyed it each of the times I have been lucky enough to play here. It is the most recent addition to the St Andrews Links portfolio, and delivers different views, different terrain and a quite different test. It’s an undulating rollercoaster of a course offering great fun and tremendous variety throughout.

Set on the cliffs around Kinkell Ness to the south and east of St Andrews, it was constructed to a design by David McLay Kidd, architect of the excellent new Dunas Course at Terras da Comporta in Portugal. Quite different from the courses on the links to the west of town, The Castle was built on land used over the centuries for hunting then farming.

The terrain has been sculpted to create a natural looking course with rolling fairways and severely undulating greens. Hugging the rugged coastline, the course offers stunning views out to sea and down to the historic town of St Andrews. Due to its elevated situation, I think that the wind is even more influential here than down by the water, and its direction and strength will be key to any round.

The course opens with a relatively gentle uphill par 4, before crossing the entrance road to a tough left-to-right dogleg with the first glimpses of the town beyond. A major feature of the course, and indeed one that originally attracted criticism, is the severity of some of the greens. I, too, initially found them too much, but they have been softened a little although you will certainly still encounter some challenging putts.

There are a number of spectacular holes, but the par-3 17th stands out. It’s played over a yawning ravine to a green perched on the cliff edge with the attractive clubhouse and the town’s towers and spires as a backdrop. For me, this is one of the most exciting courses in the area and it makes for a perfect alternative to the more traditional and historic links in Fife such as the Old Course, and one of the very best courses in the Next 100, Elie.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said...

Gillian Christie

The experience is one of the best in St Andrews and I think it is underestimated in terms of its score on the leaderboard. It will perhaps always be overshadowed by its neighbours, which is unfortunate. You should respect this course as much as you would its neighbours.

Peter Hurst

This my new “crusade” course now that Wallasey is rightly elevated into the top 100. This is right at the top of my “which course should be a lot higher up our rankings.”

Christian Morris

You feel slightly detached from the golfing centre, but the welcome and the difference in the experience are well worth the very short trip from town. Exhilarating golf, if not a bit extreme.

Rob Fear

I absolutely loved it and would probably return ahead of going to the Old Course.

St Andrews Location

St Andrews Castle Course scorecard

Best Courses Close to St Andrews

KINGSBARNS

Kingsbarns opened for play in 2000, and rather than a standard out-and-back routing, there are three sections to the modern links. The main body is home to the majority of the holes, the clubhouse and extensive practice facilities, and two wings are home to holes two to five and twelve to fifteen.

DUMBARNIE LINKS

Like Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart, this fabulous new Clive Clark design is effectively a pay and play. It is a wonderful addition to Fife’s immense golfing artillery and is a brilliant blend of the old and the new. Risk and reward features strongly, as do the views both over the course and out over the Firth of Forth.

Best Places To Stay Close to St Andrews

The Old Course Hotel, St Andrews - Book now at Booking.com

Overlooking the famous Road Hole on the Old Course, this fine hotel features a luxury spa and award-winning restaurant. The refurbished bedrooms have sumptuous décor and modern bathrooms.

Fairmont St Andrews - Book now at Booking.com

This 5-star hotel has two very enjoyable courses of its own, the Torrance and the Kittocks, and there is a complimentary shuttle service to the town centre. The large rooms are equipped with air conditioning, satellite TV and modern bathrooms with heated floors.

St Andrews Castle Course Gallery

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Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

• 2025/26 95
• 2023/24 N100
• 2021/22 89
• 2019/20 84
• 2017/18 85
• 2015/16 90
• 2013/14 91
• 2011/12 90

Frequently Asked Questions