St Andrews Castle Course

The St Andrews Castle Course draws mixed reactions from those who have played the course. David Kidd designed the Castle, which opened in 2008. The course is set just outside of St Andrews, a short eight-minute drive south down the coast towards Crail.

The views at the course are second to none. The sea is visible from nearly every hole, and certain holes bordering the cliffs are literally breathtaking.

My main point of contention with the Castle Course is its greens. Since the course was built, the greens have been “redesigned” (read flattened) four times. Even with all the tempering, the greens are still extreme. The severity of the slopes limit pin placements, and during strong winds, certain greens border unplayable.

The crazy greens begin on the 2nd hole where, depending on the wind, approach shots can vary between 130-200 yards. The green has a massive false front, a large valley running through the middle, and severely slopes falling off the back into tall grass. It is simply unfair. The pin placement pictured is one of the few accessible pins. Aiming center of the green and hoping to end up in the valley is a player's best option. 

The two photos above are of the par 3 3rd hole. The lower photo is of the collection area behind the green. It is a two level green, with a large false front and a large collection area behind the green. The hole is 179 yards from the standard tees and the prevailing wind is behind the player. If the wind is even slightly strong, it becomes close to impossible to hold this green. 

The 4th and 5th holes are both par 5s at the Castle Course and both have horrendously difficult greens. The green pictured above is the fifth. The slopes are so severe and numerous that there are roughly only three usable pin positions depending on green speeds.

The 11th hole is an uphill par 4 to yet another sloping green. If the greens are running fast, there are only two useable pin positions, one of which is where the pin is placed in this photo. A large slope on the back of the green acts as a very useful backstop. A large false front forces any short approach shots thirty yards backwards off the front of the green. 

I consider the 12th hole to be the hardest hole on the golf course. From the medal tees, the hole plays 454 yards uphill with a prevailing headwind. The picture above shows the uphill approach shot to the green. Thankfully, Kidd had the sense to make this green large and not unreasonably difficult. The card shows the hole as stroke index 8 - very debatable....

The approach to the 16th hole can be intimidating. The green contains a valley and features yet another massive false front. Anything short of the pin runs back into the massive valley in front of the green. As is the theme with many of the Castle greens, aim for the center of the green and settle for the 25 foot putt.

The 17th hole at the Castle Course is the signature hole. It is a 174 yard par four over a large gully. At high tide the waves are crashing below the tee. The view is breathtaking! It is one of my favorite par 3s in the World. A large slope left of the green feeds balls down to the pin. Smart players utilize this slope depending on the pin placement. 

The 18th is a dogleg right par 5 with a massive shared double green. It is a compelling final view. The green is difficult, but fair. The approach shot into the tough green requires distance control and accuracy - something that should be found on a risk/reward par 5.

You may have seen a theme in this blog post of tremendously difficult greens and massive false fronts. Now, think on the topic again factoring in that the greens have been tempered and flattened four times since they were built. I would recommend playing the Castle Course to anyone visiting St Andrews, but leave the scorecard in the bag and keep the camera out. 

Machrihanish Dunes

“An un-aged whisky...”

Machrihanish Dunes is a David McLay Kidd design. The course is extremely remote and is located directly next to Machrihanish Golf Club (click for review).

Machrihanish Dunes is nearly brand new, being only two years old. Herein lies the biggest problem with Machrihanish Dunes: It is too young. The course has an unfinished feel and many attribute this problem to a pre-mature opening on the part of the developers and owners. The course was opened in 2009 with the implied purpose of catching the tourist rush accompanying the Open Championship at Turnberry in Ayrshire. This is said to have been a year or so before the course should have been opened. The course is like an un-aged whisky that has spent too little time aging in the barrel. Mach Dunes is rough, but you know there is something special there.

How rural? Ask the sheep on the 10th tee....

The design of the course is enjoyable and impressive. There is ample land for the golf course, and this presents both benefits and negatives for the golfer. The journey between green and tee is very long on most holes. According to the starter, this is because there are rare and endangered plant life and animals that inhabit the system of dunes. Laws and regulations protecting the dunes habitats inhibited the designer and a strange course routing. This strange course routing is both interesting and, honestly, confusing. At one point, I turned to my partner on the golf trip, Matt, and said, “This is beautiful, but I have no idea where we are or where we go next...”

The benefit of the open expanse of land is the ability to make a very long golf course. The tips are over 7,100 yards. A course of this length is rare in Scotland. The 17^th hole is a par 5 of over 620 yards. Dundonald Links is the only other course in Scotland that I have played which has similar length. David Kidd offered many different teeing options in his design, so despite the course being so long, it is manageable for golfers of all skill levels.

Tee boxes set deep into the dunes allowed for very long holes

Bad golf course conditions are to be expected in Scotland during November (just look at Gleneagles), but Mach Dunes had a truly “unfinished” feel. The course felt as if it hadn’t completely settled into its skin. Three greens were being re-done due to salt-water damage, which was caused by close proximity to the beach. One must assume that if due diligence had been performed and not rushed at Mach Dunes, developers would have better anticipated the problems that have arisen.

2nd green set deep in some dunes

Jim Kidd is the father of the course’s designer David McLay Kidd. He is also his right hand man in the golf design business. Jim was at Mach Dunes helping with the re-design of the aforementioned greens. He had participated in every Kidd design from the St Andrews Castle Course to Bandon Dunes in Oregon, USA. We were able to share a pint with Jim Kidd and then receive a ride back into Campbeltown with him at the end of the day. It was extremely interesting to speak with this design master about the golf the course and the thought that went into some of the routing decisions.

If you are on a golfing trip to the Mull of Kyntire, play Machrihanish Dunes. However, make sure that you play the course in addition to Machrihanish Golf Club. Unfortunately, it is this juxtaposition of golf courses that makes Mach Dunes feel inferior to its older neighbor. When you play Mach Dunes, don’t expect an ancient links with a tons of history. Do expect an enjoyable design set within beautiful dunes that features as much length as any golfer could want. If I am able to play the course again when I am 60 or so, I will expect an incredible and settled links course hidden in western Scotland.