What would you say to someone planning to build a new golf course in St Andrews, apart from ‘good luck’, perhaps?
Well, if you’re going to build an elite new course in one of the most hallowed areas for golf in the world, which probably has the highest concentration of truly great courses anywhere, then you’d better have three things – huge ambition, a beautiful bit of land to play with, and a vast amount of self-belief.
Dumbarnie Links, just outside the most famous town for the sport on the planet, St Andrews, has every reason to feel confident in its own qualities – thank goodness really, there’s nowhere to hide when you open a new course here, after all.
This modern take on links golf is fast gaining a growing reputation as one of the best new courses in the world after opening in 2020 – a strange year to spark into life, as golfers were more likely to be wearing a mask and staying indoors than pulling on the cloth cap and heading to the links at that time.
Dumbarnie Links
It’s a huge bit of land – and that is apparent even pulling in, with the clubhouse surrounded by tall, spindly trees, gatekeeping 345 acres of windswept land by the water.
Before you tee off, though, there’s a grass range to warm up, as well as a chipping area and a nicely kept putting green. The welcome is warm right from the first encounter before the clubhouse, with a greeter taking our bags through to the golf concierge, and there’s plenty of attention to the small details that all add up to make or break a premium experience like this one. The build-up continues with one of Dumbarnie’s new traditions: a dram of whisky on the first tee. Everyone is greeted with a small snifter of Loch Lomond’s Dumbarnie edition going down the hatch before the first shot of the day.
Once you’re away, the first thing you notice is the conditioning. It is, quite simply, flawless, and the best you’ll ever experience on a links golf course. The fairways are like carpets, more like the most manicured American parkland than your average links, which is only achievable through relentless work from the maintenance team. As a case in point, the first tee box literally has a hole to practice your putting on, such is their quality. Every edge of the revetted pot bunkers are cut to perfection, with sharp contrasts that can only be maintained with hours and hours of work.
Dumbarnie’s design is the work of architect and former Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, who also helped to design the likes of Woburn’s Marquess Course and Brocket Hall in the UK and many more in the US.
Dumbarnie
There are a number of driveable par fours, which help emphasise the fun factor, and it’s a golf course that constantly offers you choices. Players teeing off on the par four third, 340 yards down the hill, can go for the green and take on all of the trouble that surrounds it, or play the dogleg more conservatively, which still isn’t without its risks.
The layout is challenging but there’s no punishment for the sake of it, and it’s that playfulness which defines the course. This is never clearer than on dual fairway holes, which have two fairways snaking away from one another, offering choice off the tee.
The par 5 15th hole is the first of these that players encounter. On the right, there’s a much narrower option, with trouble all around. Miss it and you’re up against it to make par, or play for the more generous left fairway and leave yourself a longer shot in.
The par three eighth is our pick for the signature hole on the front nine. It’s framed by unbroken views of the Firth of Forth in the background, and you can see the water from every tee box on the golf course.
The greens were pretty slick for a links course and players hit into them off fairways which were nice and firm even at the end of September. Run offs around the greens add to the intrigue, and the overall impression was that Dumbarnie is challenging but fair – if you’re being punished by the fescue that frames the generous fairways, it’s because you deserve to be punished.
Given how naturally the course flows through the dunes, it’s incredible to think that it’s entirely constructed by hand, built on shapeless farmland. It might be brand new, but there’s already a timeless feel to Dumbarnie. There’s no doubt they’ve created something remarkable here, which will be a standout fixture in St Andrews golf for decades to come.
The Eden Course at St Andrews
The green at hole one on the Eden CourseSt Andrews Links
Mixing the very new with the very old, our trip took us a short skip along the coast to St Andrews, and to the Eden Course – a gem tucked away next to the most famous property in the game.
The par 70 stretches just over 6,100 idyllic, characterful yards, with players teeing off next to the modern Eden and Strathtyrum Clubhouse. It feels more like a locals haunt than the main St Andrews clubhouse by the New Course and Jubilee Course, and there’s a state of the art driving range a short walk away too.
The first few holes of the Eden play right alongside the Old Course, and The Jigger Inn is just a short walk away – the perfect spot to enjoy a pint with a view of the Road Hole, the most famous hole in golf.
The Eden has a few great holes to shout about itself, though. The beautiful fourth hole is a short par four that runs alongside the beach. You’ve got all of Scotland to the left and the beach to your right. It’s a real scoring chance if you get a good drive away, but weak fades will be in among the sandcastles, and if you keep it in play, but miss the green right, you’ll be short-sided with a chip up over your head back onto the putting surface.
The 5th hole par 3 at the Eden CourseSt Andrews Links
Some devilish design at play – a pair of hidden pot bunkers on the second hole, punishing players who aren’t familiar with the course (and didn’t study the course planner closely enough, in my case), and just waiting to ruin scorecards.
Short and characterful par 3s, a driveable par four right on the water, but the course has teeth too – the hardest hole is a 432-yard par four with out of bounds all the way down the right, where the old railway line used to be. Into the prevailing wind, it’s a serious test.
The defining factor of the course, though, is its undulating greens. Players will require imagination and great pace control to score well here, with the characterful greens elevating a number of holes, including the short seventh hole right by the sea.
The Eden is great value and a perfect introduction to golf in St Andrews, and the fact it’s only the fifth most prestigious course on the St Andrews List roster is a testament to the quality that surrounds it. Harry Colt designed it back in 1914, and you just know it will still be charming players for the next 100 years too. It’s a very different take on links golf from the brand spanking new Dumbarnie Links, all in one of the most special places for golf anywhere in the world.
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