Kingsbarns Golf Links: Under the Spotlight

Located 15 minutes outside of the town of St Andrews in Scotland lies Kingsbarns Golf Links. Opened in 2000, this superb links courses sits along the Fife coastline and has become one of the more popular bucket-list courses in the St Andrews area.

A third of the golf course is played along the water line, but the winds can be felt from all over the golf course. In typical links golf fashion, flat lies are very rare throughout the golf course with banks and ridges forming the fairways and greens.

Prior to opening, records have shown golf has been played on the existing land dating back to the late 1700’s making Kingsbarns a historic treat. Kingsbarns is one of the three golf courses that host the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World (formerly European) Tour schedule. The tournament is a four-day, pro-am event that is played on Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, and the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Built along the banks of the North Sea, the course itself is comprised of multiple tiers sloping down towards the water. The length of the links ranges between 5,257 and 7,224 yards depending on your skills level and whether you are up for a challenge.

The course runs parallel to the water with holes 2, 3, 12, 15 – 17 playing along the water’s edge. The course starts out at the front of the club house heading down towards the water. Holes 2 and 3 play along the water off the right before 4 and 5 play back up towards the clubhouse. Holes 6 – 8 run back the other direction and are sandwiched between holes on either side. The 9th hole turns around and plays back towards the clubhouse before making the turn.

Holes 10 and 11 play the opposite way of hole 9 back towards the small forest of trees of Cambo Estate that separates holes 12-15 from the rest of the course. Hole 15 is considered one of the signature holes at Kingsbarns with it being a par-3 over the water forcing golfers to carry the water for the back pin placement. 16 and 17 also play along the ocean on the right side before 18 turns back around and finishes the round off in front of the clubhouse.

For those visiting St Andrews or the surrounding area, Kingsbarns is a fantastic addition to your trip being only 15 minutes down the road. Kingsbarns Golf Links pairs extremely well with any of the golf courses in St. Andrews, and the Crail Golfing Society is just a short 10 minute drive away. Also, on the same Fife peninsula is Dumbarnie Golf Links, one of the newest courses built in Scotland, and the traditional Leven Links next to Dumbarnie.

For accommodation in the area, we would recommend staying in St Andrews where there are a multitude of hotels and B&B options to choose from. Some of the top hotel options include the Old Course Hotel, Rusacks St Andrews and Kinnettles Hotel. There are also a plethora of B&B options in the area including a customer favorite, Six Murray Park.

Recommended package

• 4 nights accommodation at Rusacks St Andrews
• 3 rounds of golf at: Kingsbarns Golf Links, New Course at St. Andrews, Championship Course at Carnoustie

View package: St. Andrews Golf Experience with Kingsbarns

Location

• St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

• 53 miles from Edinburgh Airport

• 90 miles from Glasgow Airport