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St Andrews — The New Course

St Andrews, Fife · Designed by Old Tom Morris (1895) · Est. 1895

The "New" Course is new only by St Andrews standards — it opened in 1895, laid out by Old Tom Morris, and plenty of locals will tell you it is the finest of the seven courses on the links. It runs out and back on the narrow strip of ground between the Old Course and the Eden estuary, sharing the same tumbling, whin-lined linksland but with tighter, more sharply defined holes and greens a fraction less bewildering than the Old's. It shares that ground with the Jubilee Course, the two threading side by side toward the estuary at the far end.

At par 71 over about 6,600 yards it is a proper championship links — it has served as an Open final-qualifying course and hosts major amateur events — yet it is far easier to get onto than the Old Course and a fraction of the price. Without the Old's vast double greens and hundred-plus bunkers, its defence is subtler: firm, humpy fairways, gathering bunkers exactly where you would rather they weren't, and the ever-present Fife wind. For many visitors it is the connoisseur's St Andrews round: all of the atmosphere, the sea, the gorse and the shared feel of the links, without the ballot lottery.

Highlights

Old Tom Morris links (1895) — the locals' favourite
Shares the linksland between the Old Course and the Eden
Championship quality without the Old Course ballot

Good to know

→Booked through the St Andrews Links Trust — advance reservation or the daily ballot, but far easier to secure than the Old Course, and a Links Ticket bundles several courses.
→Bring your game: the New is generally reckoned a stiffer driving test than the Old, with tighter lines and cleverly defended greens.
→The New Course is part of the St Andrews Links single-ticket area — far easier to book than the Old Course, and a favourite of many locals who rate it the best links in town.
→It shares its ground with the Jubilee Course, running out toward the Eden estuary — play both in a day for two rounds of championship links without the Old Course ballot.
→The town is the whole point: the R&A clubhouse, the ruined cathedral and castle, the university and good pubs are a short walk from every tee.

Visitor Information

Getting There

30min drive

1h 15min drive

Common questions

Is the New Course really better than the Old Course at St Andrews?

Plenty of St Andrews locals think so, and it is a common view that the New is the tougher, tighter examination. Opened in 1895 to a Old Tom Morris design, it shares the same linksland as the Old between the town and the Eden estuary. It is a matter of taste rather than fact — but nobody who plays the New leaves disappointed, and as a golf course pure and simple it is world-class.

Is the New Course easier to get a tee time on than the Old Course?

Much easier. It is booked through the St Andrews Links Trust by advance reservation or the daily ballot, but it does not suffer the extreme demand of the Old Course, and it costs a good deal less. A St Andrews Links Ticket can bundle several of the Trust's courses, which is the smart play if the Old Course ballot does not come through.

How long and how hard is the New Course?

It plays to par 71 over about 6,600 yards. It is generally reckoned a stiffer driving test than the Old, with tighter lines, plenty of gorse and cleverly defended greens. As on any St Andrews links, the wind is the main defence.