Castle Course Pics

[Anthony Gray]

  The only difference from last year is that the choclate drops are less hairy so balls will roll of them insted of stopping in the wispy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Anthony

[Greg Krueger]

Anthony, thanks for the pics! You got some from a few different angles which is cool. What is your take on the course?
I saw it in 2007 from the road way before it opened. I know it is not real links, but it sure is an amazing location.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Great picures Anthony, especially the close up ones of specific features.

Is the last picture a par 3 across the gorge? Look like a great hole.

Dónal.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Donal - The last pic is #17, long par 3 over the gorge... hard not to see the parallels to cypress point on this tee

[Anthony Gray]

Anthony, thanks for the pics! You got some from a few different angles which is cool. What is your take on the course?
I saw it in 2007 from the road way before it opened. I know it is not real links, but it sure is an amazing location.

  Greg,

 Thanks. It is a course which is hard to score on because of all the 3 putts. At times you ball will hit the green then it is carried away from the hole because of all the bounces. It is fun. Some centerline blind hazards. A good couse for a skins game.

  Anthony

[Brett Hochstein]

Looking at the schedule it might not be until April when I play, but I have walked up to the site a few times via the coastal path.  It is pretty cool shaping, and it definitely has a different bit of character from Kingsbarns (more small sharp edges; no tiering--a more gradual fall to the sea.)  The bunkers look better in person than the opening pictures I saw last year; they have sort of come of age and are starting to take on their intended character reminiscent of the photo DMK drew inspiration from at 1 Golf Place.  (Side note: I think the work at Castle Stuart looks odd right now because it is fresh.  A few years of wear and maturation are going to see them take on the look of eroded revetting.  An interesting concept, and interesting to see how it will come about.)

I haven't walked the fairways, but they seem to have a nice light shade of green and a fine texture.  The turfgrass looks good and fast, but I know the subsoil is very poorly draining.  How does the course play?

[Adrian_Stiff]

Some of these greens look too severe for greens to stimp in excess of 8.

[Anthony Gray]

Some of these greens look too severe for greens to stimp in excess of 8.

   Adrain...I think that is the major complaint with the course.

  Anthony

[Scott Warren]

Thanks for the great pics Anthony. The more I look at it, the more I realise an Aberdeen > Cruden Bay > Castle Stuart > Dornoch > Brora roadtrip is the one thing I really need to do before I piss off back to Australia.

[Adrian_Stiff]

I know this site is very pro interesting greens but some of these new greens I have seen; here, Kingsbarns, Machrahinish Dunes are far too severe unless they are extremely big and the unputtable areas are merely run offs.
The one thing you see at St Andrews is plenty of relatively flat areas suitabe for pinning amongst the ups n downs. Only really at 11 do you see some consistent slope that with todays speed makes for a lot of unusable pinning space.
I think golfers hate three putting, so by definition I think peope will not enjoy some of these courses.

[Brett Hochstein]

Adrian,

Kingsbarns is the only one I have played, and I did not find them to be too severe.  I think this is due to clever visual shaping and that the approaches and tie ins don't have as many of the smaller, wilder landforms you find on the natural links.  I had a fair amount of 3 putts, but it wasn't the shaping but rather that the wind was strong enough to move my backswing.  I had a putt on the back of the 14th--slight downslope and about 6" break to the right.  I hit it extra hard and about 2' left, and I swear to you the thing was coming back to me slightly as it trickled in.  I hate sharing shot stories, but that was a new sort of achievement for me you could only pull off on the most exposed corners of the links. 

[Adrian_Stiff]

Adrian,

Kingsbarns is the only one I have played, and I did not find them to be too severe.  I think this is due to clever visual shaping and that the approaches and tie ins don't have as many of the smaller, wilder landforms you find on the natural links.  I had a fair amount of 3 putts, but it wasn't the shaping but rather that the wind was strong enough to move my backswing.  I had a putt on the back of the 14th--slight downslope and about 6" break to the right.  I hit it extra hard and about 2' left, and I swear to you the thing was coming back to me slightly as it trickled in.  I hate sharing shot stories, but that was a new sort of achievement for me you could only pull off on the most exposed corners of the links. 

Brett- It depends when you played them ofcourse, speed is determined by a number of conditions, by your own story you had one come in backwards. Sometimes they dont even cut them during the Dunhill. A few have been recontoured already, I cant remember the numbers but I think the 9th was altered. They are probaby great stimping at 8 for a kick around, but the pro's I speak too say they are too much, rest of it is a big thumbs up. A green may be ok at 8, difficut at 9 and impossibe at 10 when the wind blows.

[Brian Phillips]

Both the The Castle and Kingsbarns have wild greens.  The Castle course greens are on the edge but luckily the Greenkeeper knows not to take the stimp over 8-9 and that works well.  I have played the course twice, once last year and again this year and I love the place.  As Anthony says it is a great place for skins or matchplay.

It is true that at Kingsbarns that they do not cut as low (they do cut) as when they are normally open for public play but that is because Pros are playing for their livelihood not for a fiver.

The greens are large enough at Kingsbarns whereas again The Castle course is taking a chance such as on the 10th green.

Pros are the last people I would talk to about greens anyway as they need to average under 1.5 per green to survive, they have a totally different mentality about greens than holiday golfers.  Just accept the courses for what they are and enjoy that tow different architects came up with two superb courses.

If I died and had designed Kingsbarns I would die a happy architect and if any architect denies that they are fibbing themselves.

[Philip Gawith]

thanks for the pictures Anthony - very nice! Makes the course look still more enticing - though I agree that some of those greens look very wild.