Our third round of this Scotland golf trip was at Kingsbarns, located just 10 minutes south of St. Andrews. Compared to other courses in the area, Kingsbarns is an infant, having opened its doors in its current form in 2000. Here is our review of what a few have called the “Pebble Beach” of Scotland.
About Kingsbarns
Golf at Kingsbarns has a deep-rooted history that began in 1793 with regular matches, medal competitions, and lively dinners at the Golfers Hall until 1850, when farming needs took priority. The tenant farmer of Cambo Estate ploughed over the course, halting play for nearly 80 years.
In 1922, golf at Kingsbarns was re-established when course designer Willie Auchterlonie laid out a nine-hole course that served both locals and visitors until World War II, when the course was mined for national defense and reverted to rough pasture. After a brief resumption of play at the end of the war, the links course closed once more in 1948. Golf wasn’t played again on the property until Kingsbarns reopened in its current form in July 2020.
Since 2001, together with the Old Course at St Andrews and Carnoustie Golf Links, Kingsbarns has been the co-host of the annual DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and also hosted the 2017 Ricoh Women’s British Open.
Clubhouse standing on the 1st tee.
The Course
Kingsbarns boasts 1.8 miles of picturesque North Sea coastline with 6 holes running alongside the water, a few that required tee shots that flirted with the edge and another that required a carry over it. The course is ranked as a Top 20 Golf Course in UK & Ireland and a Top 50 Golf Course in The World.
Depending on the tees, Kingsbarns plays 5,200 yards from the front all the way to just over 7,200 yards from the tips. We played the green tees, which came in at just over 6,400 yards.
Driving Range
The practice range is a short walk from the clubhouse and has plenty of space for golfers to warm up. There is a row of mats, which I assume are used only during the offseason, and a large grass hitting area. Next to the range tees is an extensive short game area with a large green, a very deep practice bunker, and two closely mown areas. A cool note, the building on the other side of the range with multiple garage doors is the club and ball testing center for the R&A.
Kingsbarns practice range.
Short game practice area.
Clubhouse from the 17th hole.
Clubhouse
The Clubhouse seems small from the outside, but it has everything guests would expect from a world class golf facility including locker rooms, a well stocked pro shop, and good size bar and restaurant. The entire property gradually slopes toward the North Sea with the clubhouse at the top so the views from the locker room and restaurant are incredible, especially on a clear day like we experienced.
Men’s Locker Room.
Men’s Locker Room.
View from the Men’s Locker Room looking towards the 18th green.
View from the Men’s Locker Room with the practice green on the left and the 18th fairway on the right.
Pro Shop
The pro shop wasn’t very big but had a great selection including Peter Millar, G/FORE, Footjoy, and KJUS. Andrew picked up a polo, coin, and yardage book, as he did at every course this trip. If you forget to pick anything up during your visit or just want some gear before you arrive, guests can email the golf shop and they will help you pick out the perfect item.
Pro Shop - Credit: Kingsbarns Website
Restaurant
At the turn, there is a halfway house called the Bunker Barn with a great selection of hot and cold food and drinks. Chris and my caddie went with the meat pie, Andrew and Chris’s caddie went with the Sausage Roll. A debate followed on which was better but we all agreed that you can’t go wrong with either. There was a tie for the best sausage roll between here and Carnoustie.
After our round, we picked up a few things in the Pro Shop, then grabbed lunch at the Fayre, Kingsbarns restaurant and bar. Andrew got the ham & cheese toastie (grilled cheese in the states) and Chris went with the chili and cheese nachos, both of which were really good. They have an extensive menu which included breakfast for those wanting to eat before their morning round.
While not located at the Clubhouse, Kingsbarns has a Whiskey Distillery located right down the road from the golf course. Their whiskey is served in the clubhouse restaurant or guests can visit the distillery for a tour and to pick up a few bottles.
Bunker Bar - Kingsbarns Halfway House
Ham & Cheese Toastie.
Chris’s Nachos
View from the restaurant.
Pricing
Our entire golf trip was one package so we couldn’t tell you exactly what it cost us to play Kingsbarns. However, they do have their green fees listed on their website. For the 2024 summer months, it was around £400, and it appears to be almost £450 for 2025. The fee is cheaper if you play in the late winter and early spring and they do offer a discount for a replay within the next 7 days.
Regarding getting a tee time, our travel agent booked the tee time as part of the package. Our initial trip confirmation about 15 months before we travelled included our actual tee time. If you are not playing as part of a package, you can reserve a tee time here. They also offer a link for last minute tee times (within 3 days).
Caddies
We will say this for every course we played in Scotland and that is caddies are worth every penny. Since we booked a golf package, our agent reserved all of the caddies for us. If you book your tee time directly with the course, caddie bookings should be made directly through the Kingsbarns website.
The cost for a caddie at Kingsbarns at the time of our round was £65 plus gratuities, with that amount at the player’s discretion based on the level of service provided. After speaking to a few locals and doing a little research before our first Scotland trip, it seemed most golfers give more than the recommended 10% so we each gave our caddies £100 after the round.
Outside of the great banter that caddies provide, they were especially helpful this round for two main reasons. The first was we found that it can be hard to find aiming points on a links golf course but the caddies did a great job of guiding us around. The second benefit that we weren’t used to experiencing in Scotland was how the slope of the property towards the North Sea affected putts. Most of the Links courses we played were very flat so it was another twist to account for the pull of the sloping property.
Our Experience
Similar to the other courses we played in Scotland, the Starter handed us a pouch with a scorecard, pencil, tees, and yardage book. The course begins with a nice handshake pair of holes before it starts getting tough. The first is an open par four followed by a shortish par 3. Hole 3 is where the challenge really begins and doesn’t really let up until the turn. This is where golfers get their first taste of the North Sea, which very much comes into play on the tee shot.
The slope of the course really starts to come into play on the 4th hole with anything missing left of the fairway falling a good 30+ feet down a hill towards the third fairway. From the right side of the green, it looks like the green falls off into the water. This was probably the steepest drop off between any of the holes.
Pouch given to us on the first tee.
3rd Hole
4th Green
After a few par 4s, we arrived at the par 3 8th, which is a great hole with a crazy green. After that, we played a par 5 followed by a pair of par 4s before reaching one of the most beautiful par 5s we’ve ever played. The hole measures 540 yards from the green tees and is a nearly perfectly designed hole. Andrew hit a great tee shot but going for this green in two means staring down a very intimidating, slight uphill shot, into a narrow green with the North Sea on the left and a hidden bunker on the right.
Par 3 8th Hole.
12th Hole.
13th Hole.
Arriving on the 15th tee, we saw why this is considering the signature hole of the course. The hole normally measures 161 yards from the green tees but they were further back today and with the wind straight in, it played closer to 200 yards. All carry is what this shot requires and we’re happy to report that both Chris and Andrew pared the hole.
Holes 16 & 17 followed the North Sea before we turned back inland towards the clubhouse. The final hole required an uphill tea shot followed by a precise approach. Andrew hit his second shot onto the upper tier and paid for this mistake with a three-putt.
15th Hole
18th Hole
Final Thoughts
As with every round we played in Scotland, we were busy just taking it all in and soaking up the scenery and experience. This is a course that if Andrew returned to and really concentrated on the round, he could post a pretty good number. Kingsbarns isn’t that easy but it is right in front of you and there are opportunities to make some birdies.
The course was in immaculate shape, the caddies were great, the staff were very friendly, and we had an amazing time. However, we think this course lacks repeatability, especially given the price. At the time we played it, it was just over $500. Kingsbarns is great and we would never tell someone not to play it, but if we were lucky enough to go back to this area for another golf trip, we would probably stick with the St. Andrew’s courses that are in town and try a few other, much older courses in the area such as Crail or further south like Elie.