Kingsbarns Golf Links, St. Andrews, Scotland
It is possible that your correspondent may be the only person you will ever meet who doesn’t rave about Kingsbarns. Let me be clear that it is a superb links course in a location which is beyond delightful. But having had the benefit of playing some of the finest seaside links around the world, the course lacks a certain charisma which leaves a slight disappointment, particularly when you consider that it’s elderly brethren include the Old Course, the New, the Jubilee and even the Eden.
I must qualify my comments by stating that it was blowing at over 60mph the day we played. Nonetheless, the greens were very good, and only in a few places did the ball move of it’s own accord. The wind made for some fascinating ironies – the famous par 5 12th with a back pin location resulted in a 585 yard hole being reached with a driver and a five iron – whereas the short 13th, a downhill par 3 of just 135 yards called for a knock down 6 iron.
Now before you label me as an impersonator of poor Sergio, who famously shed tears after a windswept day at Carnoustie in 1999, let me be clear that I enjoyed my day, despite the impossibility of low scoring for players of my calibre.
And Kingsbarns is one of the most expensive courses in the U.K. They charge visitors GBP 185, or some $300. Now add a caddy (indispensible), for another $100, and you can see why I might tell you to enjoy two rounds on the New or the Jubilee including a caddy, or even 9 rounds on the Eden course without one. Even the Old Course is 50 pounds less.
So what is it about Kingsbarns which doesn’t quite check all the boxes? On my basic list of requirements (and I have many other criteria, including every one of Alister Mackenzies design rules, listed below), a great golf course has 18 great golf holes, it has variety, it has a natural feel where the course sits in harmony with it’s surroundings, and it is playable for golfers of all ability. I’m not sure Kingsbarns achieves this. There are long walks between greens and tees, a great deal of earth was moved on many holes, the 18th green is poorly designed, so severe that a putt from the back of the green may not stay on the green, and indeed it is a very difficult course from any tee for the higher handicapper. As a final frown, the driving range has mats – and at the price one pays to play they could afford to put down new turf every six weeks. And the course suffers from slow play, probably due to it’s difficulty.
Almost every one of these shortcomings is mitigated by a most beautiful stretch of coastline, with a remarkable series of rock formations on the sea shore and stretching out to sea. The course is immaculate, and the greens are by and large very fair and not impossible to read.
The clubhouse is in a spectacular location overlooking the 18th green (see their webcam at http://www.kingsbarns.com/)
If you get a chance to play the course, do so, and enjoy your day. Just remember the other courses in the region and consider your alternatives carefully if you are on a budget, both time and money.
Dr. Mackenzies Golf Course Design rules:
1. The course should be arranged in two loops of nine holes
2. There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes, two or three drive-and-pitch holes, and at least four one-shot holes
3. There should be little walking between greens and tees
4. The greens and fairways should be sufficiently undulating, but there should be no hill climbing
5. Every hole should have a different character
6. There should be a minimum of blindness for the approach shots
7. The course should have beautiful surroundings
8. There should be a sufficient number of heroic carries from the tee
9. There should be infinite variety in strokes
10.There should be a complete absence of the annoyance and irritation caused by the necessity of searching for lost balls
11.The course should be so interesting that even the plus man is constantly stimulated
12.The course should be so arranged so that the long handicap player, should be able to enjoy his round
13.The course should be equally good during winter and summer