St Andrews ‘Craigtoun Course’
“Ahead of the well-publicised alterations to the Old Course for the 2027 Open Championship, St Andrews is undergoing further change.”
The 12th hole at St Andrews Dukes Course, now renamed ‘Craigtoun’.
The formerly named Duke’s Course, perched above the town, is to be renamed the Craigtoun Course, taking its new identity from the country park that surrounds it. And, from January, 2026, both the course and its clubhouse will come under the management of the St Andrews Links Trust.
The Craigtoun Clubhouse next to Craigtoun Country Park.
Previously owned and operated by the Kohler Organisation and closely associated with the Old Course Hotel, the Duke’s never achieved the prominence it merited. Overwhelming competition from the town’s historic links — most notably the Old Course itself — undoubtedly played a part!
THE DUKE’S A HAZARD
The renaming also serves a quieter but unmistakable purpose: it draws a line under the course’s association with Prince Andrew, the UK’s fallen royal. While the Duke’s title long predated his plummet from public favour, the connection had become increasingly uncomfortable from a golf marketing perspective and perhaps, in recent years, detracted from the golf course’s image.
The views across the 4th to St Andrews help outline some opening holes.
Recasting the course as the ‘Craigtoun’ roots it firmly in ‘place’ rather than ‘person’ — in landscape, not lineage, and more in keeping with the Links Trust’s emphasis on St Andrews’ heritage, geography and continuity.
OUT OF TOWNER
“The Duke’s Course has always felt like something of an outlier in St Andrews — geographically, stylistically and temperamentally.”
The Duke’s Course was designed by Peter Thomson, the five-time Open Champion, working with his design firm Thomson, Wolveridge & Perrett.
It opened in 1995 and reflects Thomson’s long-held design philosophy: strategic golf that rewards positioning and imagination over brute force. That is conspicuously evident throughout the course and a testament to Thomson’s sensitivity to a skilled player’s approach.
Shot-shaping is the spice of Craigtoun and from that perspective, it is completely different from its linksy neighbours
It is emphatically not links golf. Instead, it’s a classic heathland/parkland hybrid, routed over rolling hills with gorse, heather, tall Scots pine and silver birch framing the holes.
While strikingly different from the links below, the course still carries Thomson’s trademark emphasis on golfing angles, width off the tee and thoughtful approach play — qualities that become more apparent the more often you play the course.
I’m a fan and think, as per so many of Scotland’s great courses, if the ‘Craigtoun’ didn’t have such globally stellar neighbours, it would be far more applauded and appreciated.
The course sets out level & mildly undulating but soon embraces the ‘ups & downs’ of the flowing Craigtoun countryside.
The surrounding views are stupendous, looking north towards Carnoustie or across the town of St Andrews itself. From the front nine, the ‘Auld Grey Toon’ spills out below, the spires and rooftops from the highest points, leading the eye to West Sands and the North Sea beyond. You even catch glimpses of the Old Course Hotel and the links in the distance.
St Andrews spires, towers and chimney pots form a distant backdrop.
“Playing-wise, whereas the links courses ask you to play low & let it roll, the Craigtoun, like Gleneagles Kings or Blairgowrie’s Rosemount, asks you to shape the ball through the woodland and well-placed hazards”
From the tee, it is quietly demanding. Fairways are generous in places, but the best approach angles are often guarded by bunkers or encroaching rough. The greens — subtly contoured and often slightly elevated — place a premium on good approach play.
There’s little doubt that Peter Thomson borrowed from the links-like features at the bottom of the hill.
One of the Craigtoun’s standout strengths is its variety. There’s a sense of rhythm to the round: tighter, tree-lined holes give way to more expansive stretches where the course opens out and then ‘wind’ becomes a factor.
You’re constantly aware that you’re playing above the town of St Andrews rather than at sea level — a different perspective, literally and figuratively.
Beautiful parkland stretches (complete with bluebells) mix with higher, hoary heathland.
A HIGHER GROUND
Now, as part of the Links Trust portfolio, the town’s only heathland may finally find the audience it deserves. It’ll be interesting to learn how the Links Trust place ‘Craigtoun’ in terms of price and accessibility, but I strongly believe more visitors will embrace and enjoy its higher ground.
“The 155th Open Championship at St Andrews is scheduled for 11–18 July 2027, with the main championship rounds traditionally running from Thursday 15 July to Sunday 18 July 2027.”
