St. Andrews Links (New)

Sandwiched between the Old and Jubilee courses it is at the mercy of the wind and essentially plays out towards the Eden Estuary and then back towards town.

Many locals say they prefer the New to the Old and you could argue it is the truer, fairer test of golf but as a result of that it loses some quirk, charisma and sparkle. That said this is a very fine golf course with a number of excellent holes.

There is a lovely flow to the course, early on especially, where the next teeing ground is just a few paces from the previous green.

There is a lot of subtlety about the course and some of the green complexes are outstanding – the ones at the third, fourth, fifth and sixth early on in the round are brilliant; clever, subtle and with no wind the only real defence of the course, save for the mild littering of fairway pot bunkers.

Holes eight and nine are superb holes too, the former is a par-five played to a partially hidden green whilst the latter is a stellar par-three played alongside the estuary to a fabulous gathering green. This section of the course has the most movement in the land on what is otherwise relatively flat terrain.

The short 13th is another wonderful short hole, which just glares at you, before you face a stern run for home with the skyline of St. Andrews looming closer and closer with each blow.

The New course is an essential play if visiting St. Andrews for any period of time. It may not be the most visually appealing but it is arguably the most exacting of all the layouts and a very high quality classic links experience.

‍Read the review of St. Andrews (Old) here.

Read the review of St. Andrews (Jubilee) here.

Read the review of St. Andrews (Eden) here.

Read the review of St. Andrews (Strathtyrum) here.

‍Read the review of St. Andrews (Balgove) here.

Read the review of St. Andrews (Castle) here.