Duke’s Course at St. Andrews
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The St. Andrews Links Trust announced this week that they are adding an eighth course to their acclaimed portfolio of golf courses, which also includes the famed Old Course. The Links Trust reached an agreement with the Old Course Hotel, owned by the Kohler Company, to take over the lease of the Duke’s course on January 5th.
Once taken over on January 5, the course will be renamed to the Craigtoun Course, inspired by the course’s location, near Craigtoun County Park. The new name brings the course in line with some of the Links Trust’s other courses, Strathtyrum, Eden, Balgrove and Castle, which are all named after local landmarks or place names.
As golf’s popularity has grown, especially since Covid shutdowns, the need for more capacity and the ability to handle a larger number of golfers was needed in St. Andrews. The agreement is part of the Links Trust long-term plan to give more access to tee times for ticket holders and visitors.
Neil Coulson, CEO of the Links Trust said about the new acquisition, “The agreement for The Craigtoun Course will see the first new course added to the Home of Golf’s portfolio in 18 years and presents an ideal opportunity to expand the golf experiences we offer. “We are delighted to have reached agreement with the Old Course Hotel and look forward to taking over what’s already a significant asset for St Andrews and Scotland and building on its reputation. “Demand for golf in St Andrews has risen to unprecedented levels in recent years with more rounds played by ticket holders and visitors than ever before. The Craigtoun Course allows us to offer additional capacity and strategically invest in our facilities to offer more opportunities to play golf.”
The Duke’s course was originally named after Prince Andrew and was opened in 1995. Prince Andrew later became a captain of the Royal and Ancient Club in St. Andrews, but gave up his honorary membership and was also stripped of his “prince” title in October. In recent years he has retreated from public life in wake of the scandal and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Duke’s Course at St. Andrews
Golf Course Reviews
The Craigtoun Course was originally designed by five-time Open Champion Peter Thompson and underwent a redesign in 2006. Credit for the redesign is given to Pete Dye, but most of the work was done by Tim Liddy, who worked for Dye at the time.
This addition will add some variety to the offerings at St. Andrews as it is a heathland style course. Players can mix in an inland round into their trip, while still reveling in some of the greatest links golf on the planet.
Mike is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials.
