Paul_Stewart
Tour Rookie
The Eden course is the 4th oldest of the seven courses at St.Andrews Links and it situated to the left of the Old Course as you look at television coverage with the early holes running parallel but opposite to the 12th to 15th holes on the Old Course.
The course plays 6,250 yards from the whites and is a par 70.
After a short initial par four to a wickedly sloping green in front of the old cottage, you play away up the hill and into the prevailing wind. The short par-4 4th hole is alongside the Eden Estuary and any shot is seriously affected by the wind with out of bounds running the length of the hole on the right.
The 5th and 8th are par threes that play from parallel tees to parallel greens both with huge slopes and pot bunkers.
The best birdie chance is the downwind par-5 9th hole that brings you back to close by the clubhouse before heading back out again towards the Estuary.
This is a traditional links with gorse, heather and pot bunkers, although surprisingly, the 14th and 15th both have a water hazard affecting play which seems somewhat out of place at St.Andrews.
The finishing stretch is tough with 17 a truly nasty par-4 with out of bounds competing with deep bunkers on the other side of the fairway for which can attract your ball.
The cost of playing there is £40 per round, but you can get three and seven day passes that cover all courses at St.Andrews except the Old.
I was able to play there as the opening round of a week-long trip around Scotland and had no problem getting on at 5.40 on a Sunday evening, even being offered the opportunity to play from the white championship tees if I so desired.
It was also only a week after the Open and the greens and approaches were a little scruffy as naturally all attention had been focused on the Old Course for the previous fortnight.
Overall, the Eden is a decent enough links course although some way behind the Old, New, Jubilee and new Castle courses in the pecking order at St.Andrews. But if you are there for a few days, then it is worth playing as part of the complete package.
http://www.standrews.org.uk/The-Courses/The-Eden-Course.aspx
The course plays 6,250 yards from the whites and is a par 70.
After a short initial par four to a wickedly sloping green in front of the old cottage, you play away up the hill and into the prevailing wind. The short par-4 4th hole is alongside the Eden Estuary and any shot is seriously affected by the wind with out of bounds running the length of the hole on the right.
The 5th and 8th are par threes that play from parallel tees to parallel greens both with huge slopes and pot bunkers.
The best birdie chance is the downwind par-5 9th hole that brings you back to close by the clubhouse before heading back out again towards the Estuary.
This is a traditional links with gorse, heather and pot bunkers, although surprisingly, the 14th and 15th both have a water hazard affecting play which seems somewhat out of place at St.Andrews.
The finishing stretch is tough with 17 a truly nasty par-4 with out of bounds competing with deep bunkers on the other side of the fairway for which can attract your ball.
The cost of playing there is £40 per round, but you can get three and seven day passes that cover all courses at St.Andrews except the Old.
I was able to play there as the opening round of a week-long trip around Scotland and had no problem getting on at 5.40 on a Sunday evening, even being offered the opportunity to play from the white championship tees if I so desired.
It was also only a week after the Open and the greens and approaches were a little scruffy as naturally all attention had been focused on the Old Course for the previous fortnight.
Overall, the Eden is a decent enough links course although some way behind the Old, New, Jubilee and new Castle courses in the pecking order at St.Andrews. But if you are there for a few days, then it is worth playing as part of the complete package.
http://www.standrews.org.uk/The-Courses/The-Eden-Course.aspx
