A Pictorial: Kingsbarns Golf Links!!! (18th hole discussion now in session)

[Kyle Henderson]

Kingsbarns Golf Links exploded onto the Scottish golfing scene one decade ago, catapulting GCA Kyle Phillips and co-designer/proprietor Mark Parsinen to prominence in the world of golf development. It now plays host to the Dunhill Links Championship --the European Tour’s flagship Pro-Am tournament -- each autumn and fetches the highest daily green fee per player in Scotland.

The course is modern in many respects (returning nines, sky-scraping length from the back tees) but great care was taken to make the course feel mature out of the gates (riveted bunkers, firm “linksy” turf). The fairways are generous, allowing for gusty conditions, but the greens feature enough contouring (both bold and subtle) to keep golfers honest. I managed to produce my best scoring round of the trip (74) in calm conditions from the medal tees through a combination of steady play off the tee and precise lag putting. But make no mistake, the course presents some fearsome hazards that can elicit high scores in short order.

FYI: My other pictorial threads from this trip can be viewed at the following links:
Royal Dornoch http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40107.0/
Brora http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40120.0/
Golspie http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40126.0/
The Castle Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40204.0/
Murcar http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40281.0/
Crail: Craigshead & Balcombie http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40325.0/
Lundin Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40387.0/
Muirfield http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40439.0/
Cruden Bay http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40565.0/
Gleneagles - Kings Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40675.0/
St. Andrews - Old Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40696.0/
Gullane #1 & #2 http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41085.0/
Panmure http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41122.0/
Gleneagles - Queens Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41152.0/
Kingsbarns http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41184.0/
Royal Aberdeen - Balgownie Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41498.0/
Carnoustie – Championship Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41834.0/
North Berwick - West Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,42104.0/

*not featured: Nairn, Eden, New, Castle Stuart (tour)

Course Routing: http://www.kingsbarns.com/course-tour.php

The tasteful clubhouse looks over the 18th green to the sea (out of frame to starboard). The stone-lined burn in the foreground was unearthed during construction and dates back several hundred years.


1st hole schematic:
http://www.kingsbarns.com/course-guide.php

The 1st tee shot is wide and inviting.

Heather along the right side makes the first hole appear much older than it is.

A number of bunkers and slopes must be negotiated with the approach shot.

Looking back over the large putting surface to the 1st tee (scroll right to see the pin).

[Anthony Gray]

  Kyle,

  Thanks again,,,A nice opener. Not overly demanding but do not miss right.

  Anthony

[Matt MacIver]

What a great course, the elevation changes plus F&F elements make this a "links" course like no other I'd ever seen. 

I was still waking up as I played #1 but tugging it left into the junk doesn't help scoring. 

Also, the day we played the caddy said it turned out to be the windiest day he'd ever experienced out there, and he'd been there since the opening.  I don't think it was hyperbole either, and boy was it fun!  The wind mandated that the ground game come into play, and IMO par was generally possible on every hole, aside from the ball oscillating on greens. 

[Kyle Henderson]

What a great course, the elevation changes plus F&F elements make this a "links" course like no other I'd ever seen. 

I was still waking up as I played #1 but tugging it left into the junk doesn't help scoring. 

Also, the day we played the caddy said it turned out to be the windiest day he'd ever experienced out there, and he'd been there since the opening.  I don't think it was hyperbole either, and boy was it fun!  The wind mandated that the ground game come into play, and IMO par was generally possible on every hole, aside from the ball oscillating on greens. 

Any guess as to what an average gust measured that day in mph? I only had one day in Scotland with a stiff breeze (playing the Castle and TOC), but even then the winds never topped 20mph.

I'm curious how bad it gets.

[Mark Pearce]

Kyle,

A couple of weeks ago, playing in the Links Championship at Elie, it got windy.  On one hole (the 17th) I was actually blown off balance at the top of my backswing, at about the same time as the push trolley being used by one of my partners started, on a level surface and with a large bag on it, to blow down the fairway.  Gusts that day were up to 40mph.  Having worked in wind tunnels in an earlier career I always doubt it when people talk about playing in winds much faster than that.  At 50mph you cannot stand up straight, so to swing a club would be impossible.

Mark

[Brian Phillips]

1st fairway before shaping taken by Dr. Paul Miller who helped on the project.

[Matt MacIver]

That's a really cool "before" picture. 

I couldn't hazard a quess as to "avg. Scottish wind", but my hope would be in the 10 mph range....?

On our day the balls oscillated on the greens and affected the line on when putting, it blew down the pull-carts endlessly (for those that had them), aiming at least 45 degrees away from your target was the norm, etc.  No way I would want to play in it every day, but that one time was great. 

[Michael Whitaker]

I love the opening hole playing towards the sea with the approach shot being hit into a background of water... it perfectly alerts the senses that the golfer has an exceptional experience in store.

[Eric Smith]

From an older Kingsbarns thread...

It's definitly top-10 in Scotland and arguably the best course in the St. Andrews area.  Probably also top-10 of all courses built in the last 10 years.  Certainly as good as Pacific Dunes.

Rich:

I'll agree with you to the extent that I believe Kingsbarns might be a better job of golf course architecture than Pacific Dunes, for what each started with.

This pic made me go look for that, having remembered Tom writing that.

1st fairway before shaping taken by Dr. Paul Miller who helped on the project.

[Anthony Gray]

I love the opening hole playing towards the sea with the approach shot being hit into a background of water... it perfectly alerts the senses that the golfer has an exceptional experience in store.

  Michael.....good observation. It is the acumulation of all these "little things" that set the elite courses apart.

  Anthony

[Michael Whitaker]

Check out these before and after transitions: http://www.kylephillips.com/mini_kingsbarns.html

[Anthony Gray]

  Eric,

  It has a little St Alberts feel to it?


  Stay thirsty buddy,

  Anthony

[Kyle Henderson]

In an essay entitled "A sense of place in course design (from Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective, Vol. 1)," Mark Parsinen describes this "sea aspect" of Kingsbarns. It seems to be his predominant design tenent, judging from my tour of Castle Stuart and my round at Kingsbarns.

I love the opening hole playing towards the sea with the approach shot being hit into a background of water... it perfectly alerts the senses that the golfer has an exceptional experience in store.

[Kyle Henderson]

2nd hole schematic:
http://www.kingsbarns.com/hole02.php

The 2nd hole is a medium length par 3 that allows for low running approaches.


Shots will feed on to the green from the left/front fringe. The surrounding turf ties in beautifully with that of the putting surface, allowing for multiple recovery options as long as one avoids the bunkers.

[Marty Bonnar]

What Kyle's photo of #2 doesn't show is the rather downhill nature of the hole. It's actually quite a wee drop! His pic is from slightly ahead of the tees.
The cavernous rear left bunker is also a beaut! Do you have a better pic of it, Kyle? You can just see it on the side in the first pic. The real issue with it is the large gathering area of the green (nearly maybe a 1/4) which feeds into it. Again you can make out the 'dark line' in the first pic.
Lovely wee hole which really works well at this early stage in the routing. The next one is a BEAST!
FBD.

[Jaeger Kovich]

I really enjoy the way the landscape interacts with the ocean in that picture.

... my first birdie in scotland!

[Kyle Henderson]

What Kyle's photo of #2 doesn't show is the rather downhill nature of the hole. It's actually quite a wee drop! His pic is from slightly ahead of the tees.
The cavernous rear left bunker is also a beaut! Do you have a better pic of it, Kyle? You can just see it on the side in the first pic. The real issue with it is the large gathering area of the green (nearly maybe a 1/4) which feeds into it. Again you can make out the 'dark line' in the first pic.
Lovely wee hole which really works well at this early stage in the routing. The next one is a BEAST!
FBD.

I don't have a picture of that bunker, but it is a formidable pit to be certain. I was in the first group of the day,  paired with a handicap gentleman who was riding in a cart with a caddie. Thus, I had to shoot quickly while trotting from shot to shot to keep pace. We went around in 3:20.

[Kyle Henderson]

3rd hole schematic
http://www.kingsbarns.com/hole03.php

The view from the 3rd tee. At 516 yards from the tips, this hole is a gimme birdie for pros when the winds are compliant. For mortals, the fairway is a bit narrow off of the tee.


Standing near the forward tee box, one can smell the succulent sea air, but most of the hole is separated from the shore by the small strip of dunes pictured dead ahead.


From the 4th fairway, one can see the 3rd hole in all its glory. Note how seamlessly the fairway ties in with the surrounds. The prominent lump in the middle of the fairway is ~150 yards from the pin.


This free-flowing riveted bunker – a menacing peril, this beauty guards the right/front portion of the green –  represents a style unlike anything else I saw in Scotland apart from my pre-opening tour of Castle Stuart (another Parsinen project).


Looking across the green from the left, it is possible to discern the subtle contours within the putting surface and the overall slope of the green towards the sea.

[Jeff Doerr]

Thanks Kyle - truly a fascinating place!

[Marty Bonnar]

Kyle,
I think the third green is one of the hardest to read for first-time visitors to KB. You had that front right position, but back in those deep, dark corners there's some WICKED breaks.
I could hardly keep count of the number of times golfers would look at me incredulously with a 'this guy is mental for suggesting a two-foot break here' look on their face, then missing the hole by two feet.
I saw a good few putts back off the green into the front right chasm too...

best
FBD.

Very Important PS: It's revetted, not riveted. Just saying...

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,
I think the third green is one of the hardest to read for first-time visitors to KB. You had that front right position, but back in those deep, dark corners there's some WICKED breaks.
I could hardly keep count of the number of times golfers would look at me incredulously with a 'this guy is mental for suggesting a two-foot break here' look on their face, then missing the hole by two feet.
I saw a good few putts back off the green into the front right chasm too...

best
FBD.

That's exactly what I was trying to articulate. The 3rd green features some strong breaks towards the sea, but the contours are subtle enough to fool most golfers.

[Kyle Henderson]

4th hole schematic:
http://www.kingsbarns.com/hole04.php

The 4th tee shot is a little unnerving. Where to aim? If one can carry the fairway bunker (its position only suggested by the shadow in mid picture – the fairway doglegs left around it), the front of the green is open for a short approach. Bailing out to the right yields an awkward approach angle that is visually intimidating.


If one does not successfully carry the bunker, they will certainly wish they had chosen a more conservative line.


Continuing the pattern of its predecessors (the 3rd green is pictured in the distance), the 4th green (viewed from the right/rear) is open to running approaches, but there is a swale to negotiate by that road.

[Marty Bonnar]

This is FUN!
I would suggest that the 4th is the first genuinely strategic challenge at KB. But this is a strategic challenge which depends on YOU! YOU need to decide how well you are playing today (you've been playing in one direction so far and have now turned...), and factor in the wind direction and the shape of your tee shot.
Carry the HUGE fairway bunker and you might just about drive the green ( I saw it done once or twice in a favourable breeze) or at least you'll have a very short pitch and run.
Play to the right and life is much easier - but also much, much longer.
Lovely golf hole to that most splendid of seaside sights - the horizon green with only the sea behind (luckily, there's a saving bunker or two to spare your blushes...!)
We're really warming up now...

FBD.

[Jaeger Kovich]

I think the fourth is a very fun hole. It offers you a the chance to go at your driver and try to carry a nasty bunker... fun! Then if you hit it in the bunker your shot really isn't as hard as it looks, the face is low in some spots to actually go for the green (see the pic)... fun again!

I would say it is a hard par, but an easy bogey. Plenty of options. Memorable hazards.

[Jeff Taylor]

I liked 3 better than 4. The chance to go for the green is pretty exciting given that you must bank the shot off the left side. However, #5 was the most fun. Let' see it.