Kingsbarns
There isn’t a golfer alive who doesn’t have a bucket list of locations that they have to visit before they die, and we wouldn’t be surprised if a round on The Old Course at St. Andrews Links isn’t at or near the top of most of those lists.
It is the oldest golf course in the world and is widely recognized as the Home of Golf. Without it, we would all be missing a lot of joy from our lives.
But there’s one thing that immediately comes to mind when you start planning your pilgrimage across the pond to finally journey to The Old Course, and that’s what other courses should you play while you are over there. Don’t worry, as we’ve got you covered. Here are a few of the nearby favorites that we highly suggest you include on your trip to St. Andrews.
Kingsbarns
The footage above speaks for itself. Kingsbarns was our favorite surprise on our first visit to Scotland. As the co-host of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour alongside The Old Course and Carnoustie, this land is steeped in golf history as it began hosting golf here in 1793. It was founded as Kingsbarns Golf Club in 1922 when Willie Auchterlonie designed the original nine holes around Kingsbarns Bay until the land was mined in World War II as part of the national security defense efforts. The land remained as a pasture until the reemergence of the property when Kyle Phillips and his team designed the new layout that opened in 2000. The course is extremely interesting and taking a caddie here is a must as local knowledge will drastically improve your score.
The Duke’s Course
We know when you travel across the pond for your pilgrimage to St. Andrews that links golf is at the forefront of your mind, as it should be. While we agree with making most of your agenda to focus on links legends, we also would recommend a day at the only Scottish Heathland golf course in the St. Andrews area known as The Duke’s Course. Heathland style courses are known for their heather, gorse, and coarse glasses, and they are typically more open than the parkland style courses that you find a ton of in the United States. The course is owned by The Old Course Hotel, which happens to be a part of the prestigious Kohler Golf Collection that also includes the likes of Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run. It’s a fun change to add into your trip, and you’ll see the course is in great condition as the drone footage showcases.
The Castle Course at St. Andrews Links
While this list tends to focus on the golf courses outside of the St. Andrews Links Trust, we couldn’t do this list without including this David McLay Kidd gem that opened in 2008. This course is tough, but it’s also visually mesmerizing and the winds whipping off the ocean along with the abundant thick, rough will test you on pretty much every hole. Bring your “A” game here, but you’ll be glad you included it on your itinerary.
Castle Course
Dumbarnie Links
Alongside Kingsbarns, this was our other favorite surprise during our first visit to St. Andrews. Your round starts with a “wee nip” of whiskey before your opening tee shot, and it’s well timed as you’ll want to be loose as you work your way around this Clive Clark design that opened in 2020. Providing you with a more modern take on classic links golf, the first thing you’ll notice throughout your round here is the incredible amount of beachside water frontage that accompanies this course with stunning panoramic views of the Firth of Forth. The course features a great mixture of holes with three drivable par-4s and plenty of risk/reward shots where you’ll have the opportunity to go low…or post a snowman. We highly recommend this course be included during your St. Andrews getaway.
Dumbarnie Links
Carnoustie Golf Links: Championship Course
The legend of “Car-Nasty” speaks for itself. This course is tough, and the whipping winds and undulated greens offer a steeper test than many you’ll find throughout Scotland. There’s a reason why this course has been a staple on the Open Rota hosting eight Open Championships, and the tough finish of 16, 17, and 18 can ruin a great round in a hurry…just ask Jean van de Velde. It’s on most golfer’s bucket lists for a reason, and it is certainly one you will want to scratch off your list when you are in the region.
Carnoustie Golf Links: Championship Course
Recommendation
When it comes to a trip to the Home of Golf, you have a wonderful variety of options to go alongside your trip to the hallowed grounds of The Old Course.
In the UK and Ireland, it’s different than it is over here in North America as most golf trips are booked through third-party tour operators versus directly with the courses and resorts. These tour operators have a ton of relationships that we’ve always found to be quite invaluable, and their local knowledge is worth paying a little more for in our opinion. There are a lot of great options to choose from, and one that we highly recommend you check out is Lyons Links as their customer service, knowledge, and access is exceptional. You can also always go about setting the trip up on your own as that is doable, but if you want access to the right tee times at the best courses, we’ve always found the tour operators to be the best model.
You cannot go wrong with any of the options that we’ve listed here for you, and these courses will help create the memories of a lifetime at one of the great destinations in all of golf.
The town of St. Andrews