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The sixth hole of the newest St. Andrews
golf course, The Castle, sits atop cliffs
overlooking the North Sea.
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Next month, the most significant golf course opening, one with global ramifications, will take place. On June 28, 2008, the seventh St. Andrews golf course, The Castle Course, will officially open for public play. When it does, it will be the first championship-style course to become part of "the home of golf" in nearly 100 years.
Last week, I had the good fortune of playing this new St. Andrews golf course during a week-long Scotland golf vacation in and around the Kingdom of Fife (the peninsula in eastern Scotland where St. Andrews is located). In fact, our group had the distinction of being the first players to receive course books/yardage guides. What the world will soon see is that there is yet another great reason to make the pilgrimage to St. Andrew's for a Scotland golf vacation.
Architect David McLay Kidd has done an excellent job creating a course worthy of golf's most prestigious address. I say created, because the land on which The Castle Course presides had been a flattish potato farm. Well, no longer. Now the land twists and turns, heaves and hovers, plunges and punishes. Its transformation into what will be one of world's most talked about golf courses is almost unfathomable.
It is somewhat ironic that Kidd, a Scotsman, gained fame from his minimalist work at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. In his return to Scotland, he moved an ungodly amount of earth to create The Castle Course, in some respects similar to Pete Dye's work in building Whistling Straits Golf Club.
From the tee, The Castle Course appears quite intimidating as often only a portion of the generally wide landing areas are visible to the eye. What is quite visible is trouble — in the form of bunkers, tall grasses, and at times, a burn (or stream as we call them here in the States).
Only when you makes the walk from tee to fairway can the generosity of the landing areas of this new St. Andrews golf course be appreciated. The greens, too, are large...and extremely undulating. One can only hope that the green speeds will be kept at a reasonable level or certain hole locations will be near impossible.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, The Castle Course, set upon the cliffs along the North Sea, is a stunner. And perhaps no hole is more dazzling than the 6th, where you're treated to a dramatic view of the town of St. Andrews and the harbor. The 17th, a one shotter that forces a nerve-jangling carry over the coastline, is certain to be one of most photographed holes in all of golf.
As you can probably tell, I highly recommend planning this new St. Andrews golf course on a Scotland golf vacation. Until the course matures, however, play will be restricted to April through October and tee times (£120/$240, the same as the Old Course) may be difficult to secure. For more details, insight, and amazing pictures, I'd recommend reading our free, Castle Course Special Report.
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