St Andrews Castle Course

[JezzE]

Hello all,
Had the distinct privilege of sampling the new Castle Course at St Andrews recently. See what I thought in our latest news story:-
http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/news/castle_in_the_air_article_256174.html
JezzE

 

[Greenkeeper]

I have no doubt that the castle course will be one of, if not the finest course in the world!
I am not exaggerating, its brilliant... and very natural looking. I can’t wait to play it!

 

[vig]

Are there any pictures to go with the story?

 

[theeaglehunter]

If you follow the link in the article Vig you will find some pictures on the St Andrews Links website.

 

[vig]

http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/the_courses/course_no7.html


Very impressive project. That is one to go on the list

 

[theeaglehunter]

Out of interest Jezz, assuming you have played more than just the old course and now the castle course, how does the latest addition compare to the others St. Andrews has to offer?

 

[wilf_74]

Great article, Amazing course.

 

[Ken_A]

You lucky duck - course looks simply amazing!!

 

[Dodger]

I passed it last Sat and it sure does look interesting,looks tho that around about it still looks like a building site although I am sure this will be cleaned up in time once open.The one concern I would have Jezz is that as lucky as you were to play it in a benign day I have played St Andrews Bay in a strong wind and because of location and contoured greens it was a farce as balls were constantly on the move,we also played the Old the next day in windier conditions but it was perfectly playable because of its location (nearer the ground!).What I am trying to say is that I would be mighty peed off if after paying £120 I got a very windy day and the enjoyment was taken away by balls moving on greens etc,by the looks of the designs of the greens this looks possible, do you think this could be an issue?

 

[JezzE]

In answer to one or two questions:-
vig - sorry, we're having one or two issues uploading pics at the moment pending the launch of our new website soon, but as someone else suggests I believe there are some pics on the Links Trust's website

theeaglehunter - I've also played the New and the Jubilee down in the town as well as the Old Course, and there are lots of differences. The existing 6 courses are all essentially very flat while the Castle offers a number of changes in elevation and holes that play up or downhill, or across the gradual slope that runs down from the road to the sea. The greens are in a different league of trickiness even compared with some of those on the Old Course. As I say in the piece I also found there to be a greater feeling of freedom, especially on the holes right by the edge where the views are wonderful (although admittedly there was no-one else on the course when we played it). Bunkering is different too, and in some ways I found it more akin to that on the redesigned Dukes course than the other Links Trust courses.

dodger - you're right about this, and from conversations with people at the Castle Course, they're well aware of this potential issue. When we played, the greens were still pretty slow anyway as they haven't been cutting them down to playing height just yet. But even when it opens, expect them to putt a little slower than the greens down in the town as not only will the wind be an issue, but there are also parts on some greens that could be next to impossible if they were running too fast. So in summary, the Links Trust knows it must stay in control of green speed so golfers can still enjoy themselves even on blustery days.
JezzE