Kingbarns! Have you ever had someone tell you ” oh that’s a great course, you will enjoy it”
You go and play the course and its even better then you had heard or imaged. That was Kingsbarns for me. On the last day of my trip to Scotland, on a whim and without a tee time I drove into Kingsbarns to see if maybe someone would not show up and I, as a single, would get a chance to play.
Sure enough, they had an opening. Teeing off at 11:50 am, I hit my drive down the right side and was off. Having hit some practice putts right next to the first tee I could see the North Sea off to to my right and knew I was in for something special. The first 2 holes are good. A par 4 opener and a nice par 3 second hole.
It was the 3rd hole where you start to realize this is a great course. Playing 511 yards from the white tees, this Par 5 has a lot to offer. Hugging the coast line from tee to green the views are amazing. The hole is fun to play. The fairway slopes hard from left to right. If you hit the right spot on the left side, your ball will run out leaving you with a chance to reach the green in two even if you’re not the longest hitter.
The sixth hole is a risk/reward short par 4. A two tiered fairway and with slope from the right, a well placed drive up on the right side will get on the green or very close.
The par 3 eighth hole has a beautiful setting. Playing down hill to a two tier green, the North Sea sets the background for a scenic tee shot. The par 5 ninth hole takes you back to the clubhouse.
The tenth and eleventh holes are the most inland of all the holes but played into wind when I played. They played longer then the score card says.
The walk from the eleventh green to twelfth tee may be my only complaint about the course. It is a fair distance, however, once on the 12th tee well worth the walk. Another par 5 hugging the coast line but in reverse of the 3rd hole, 12 is one of the most scenic holes on the course.
After playing the par 3 thirteenth and the par 4 fourteenth you walk down to the 15th tee. Another stunning par 3. Coastline runs all down the right side of the hole with the green angled from left to right. Playing 212 yards from the tips, 3 here is a great score.
The course finishes with another coast hugging par 5 sixteenth hole, a strong par 4 seventeenth and a move inland for the par 4 eighteenth which require a second shot carry over a ravine.
After my round all I could think of is, when can I come back and play again. For those of you who have played Kingsbarns you know what I am talking about. For those who have yet to play, put it on your list. You will not be disappointed.
Have some thoughts on Kingsbarns? Contact me at Jeff@ 1000awesomethingsaboutgolf.com or leave a comment in our forum. Here
