Captivating the world of architecture’s attention for nearly six years, the much anticipated Castle Course at St Andrews opened June 28th. The newest course in the Links Trust family of seven, all of which are public, is the first significant layout to be built at the home of golf in nearly 100 years. Now golfers can enjoy a different layout everyday of the week without having to play the same course twice. 

Sitting two miles from the Old Course, perched atop cliffs hugging the North Sea, the course yields panoramic views to the tiny town below that can only be described as a golfing mecca. As it does not lie on the sandy soils washed and formed by the conditions of the sea, the course is not a true links. Instead, the group at DMK Golf Design undertook an enormous effort, turning a previously flat agriculture parcel of land into a playable links-style layout with a more than expected sea-side aesthetic. And from the pictures, it looks like the designer has done well in that regard. 

Separated by some, though minor, distance from its sister courses, will likely play in favour of the new layout. Many people have said the New Course would be considered in much higher respects if it were not directly adjacent to, arguably, the best course in the World. And so reviews have already begun, and some suggest that The Castle Course is the second best of the seven, to only the The Old Course itself. Though it’s likely a little premature to make such claims, the design has certainly sparked much interest.    

It was a philosophy of ‘Pursuing Purist Golf’, a Scottish heritage, a star studded design team, and a portfolio that includes Brandon Dunes that landed designer David McLay Kidd the most coveted commission in current golf architecture. The result has led critics to agree that the course is both extremely difficult and very beautiful. With five sets of tees, rounds can range from 5,300y to a championship length of 7,200y, though blustering Scottish winds will be sure to make it play longer.

Capitalizing on a great design opportunity, Kidd’s routing involves the coast on five holes, including both No. 9 and No.18. However, it is the 17th that has unanimously been confirmed as the signature hole. Best described by Scottish Golf Writer Ian Wood as "a hole measuring 184 yards at full stretch and which requires the tee-shot to carry an abyss where the sea has taken a bite out of the coast". 

Though the design has been criticized for being too hard, let’s face it-St Andrews is a bit off the beaten path for most people. And those who seek to trek the hour and a half north of Edinburgh to play The Castle Course will be committed golfers at heart, understanding challenge, and welcoming a Scottish test of the highest difficulty, if only to tell their tale of having had a crack at The Castle.