Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks)

The Kittocks is one of two great 18-hole layouts at Fairmont St Andrews, sitting on the coastline of Fife in the east of Scotland.

It is the smaller of the two layouts, with the Torrance Course being the championship offering. However, it still packs a punch!

Designed by Bruce Devlin and Gene Sarazen, the Kittocks pushes past 7,100 yards from the tips, and plays along the clifftops of the coastline.

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Both courses at Fairmont St Andrews are among the newest on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list, with the resort only opening in 2001.

Australian golfer Bruce Devlin and seven-time major champion Gene Sarazen, one of five men to have won the Career Grand Slam, were the duo who designed the Kittocks Course at Fairmont St Andrews.

Originally known as the Devlin Course, it was renamed the Kittocks Course due to the nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of the same name.

The Kittocks at Fairmont does not quite hold the championship pedigree of its brother, the Torrance, but possesses views that few other courses, including the Torrance, can rival. Built on a large piece of prime clifftop land, the Kittocks wonders through fields, hills and, most spectacularly, alongside the North Sea. The array of holes across the layout offer new colour and visual splendour on every hole, and often leave you wondering what's coming next. After an opening stretch of impressive, if unspectacular, holes, the Kittocks rapidly becomes an all-out-barrage on the senses. The Kittocks can be scored on, but take it for granted and it will bite you back in a hurry.

The Kittocks is slightly shorter than the Torrance but is still more than 7,100 yards from the tips. Off the Whites, it is still a solid 6,750 yards! Four holes – the 7th, 10th, 16th, and 17th – all play with the North Sea down one side. The Kittocks also has two double greens, with 1 and 13, and 7 and 10 both meeting. You come to the first of those after your opening hole – a 520-yard par 5. With no bunkers in play off the tee, it almost seems like you can go full speed with driver, but remember that it’s your first shot of the day... The 2nd has water on either side, making it a narrow tee shot. The green has just a single bunker to avoid, and at 366 yards, if you can find the short grass with your tee shot, then it is a good scoring chance.

The first short hole on the Kittocks comes at the 3rd. At just 145 yards, the only danger comes from the two bunkers sitting short right of the green. The 4th is the Stroke Index 1 on the layout. There is a wide fairway, but at 450 yards, a long drive is required. The green sits among heather and bracken, so accuracy is the key with the approach. 5 is the second of the par 5s, and if you can avoid the two fairway bunkers on the right side, then you might want to take this on with your second shot. However, it has an infinity green stretching out into the distant ocean, coupled with a seemingly non-existent lay-up area, while the beautiful short par-3 6th has walled danger short and left.

The 7th is possibly the pick of the 18 holes, with a sprawling view from the tee and an even better view from the green, one it shares with the drivable par-4 10th. The hole itself is a 400-yard par 4, and it is one where you simply cannot go left at any point! 8 and 9 are both dog-leg right par 4s, but the former is some 70 yards shorter. A wide fairway allows you to have a crack with driver, while there are two traps to the left of the green. The 9th brings the front nine to a close, and at 440 yards, it is a tough hole. The green sits in the corner of the property, with anything long of the green being OOB. The 10th brings you back to that same point you were at just 45 minutes earlier, perched atop the clifftops. It is a driveable par 4 for the longer hitters, but most will play out to the left, to safety, before knocking a wedge on to the putting surface.

11 is the longest hole on the Kittocks at more than 550 yards off the Whites. It is a double dog-leg, moving left first before then turning right towards the green. The drive is hit over a burn, which then runs down the left side of the fairway, with two bunkers further down the hole. A true three-shotter, for sure! The drive on 12 is played over trees, downhill towards the fairway. The green is then guarded by both sand and water, with a large lake behind the green. The 13th is the longest of the par 3s, playing 190 yards from the Whites. Back to the double green that it shares with the opening hole, the aiming point is between the two bunkers in front of the surface.

14 and 15 are both the same yardage off the Whites – 428 yards. The former features a single bunker on the left side of the fairway, with one more down by the green. A wall is behind the putting surface, so be short rather than long with your approach. 15 is a strong dog-leg right which plays around the same wall. The further left your tee shot goes, the longer your approach will be to a green protected by three traps. The 16th is the picture-book hole on the Kittocks. This glorious par 3 is played along the clifftop, and with a bunker sitting short of the green that must be avoided. The green is oddly-shaped, so make sure you work out where the flag is to find the right portion of the green.

The final two holes are both long par 4s, and could easily wreck a card that has a good score going for it. The penultimate hole on the Kittocks is 445 yards off the Whites, and anything right of the fairway will see you reaching into your bag for a second ball. The green is situated behind trouble, with a bunker and roughage in front of the surface. Again, anything to the right of the green is OOB. The final hole is a strong dog-leg left, and one where the three fairway bunkers must be avoided to give yourself a chance of making the green in regulation. The green itself is long and narrow, with two bunkers to the left and plenty of thick rough and gorse to the right.

Where is Fairmont St Andrews located?

Fairmont St Andrews is located on the eastern coastline of Scotland, just down the road from the historic town of St Andrews. It sits next to the Castle Course – which is part of the St Andrews Links portfolio. In terms of major cities, Dundee is 20 miles to the north, while Edinburgh is just over 50 miles to the southwest.

Edinburgh Airport – the biggest and busiest airport in Scotland – is the closest major international airport for visitors to Fairmont St Andrews. It is 50 miles from the resort and operates flights to and from most European countries, as well as flights to North America. Leuchars is the nearest train station to Fairmont St Andrews, sitting ten miles up the coastline to the north, past the town of St Andrews. Trains from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee and even London Kings Cross visit Leuchars Station daily.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

The Kittocks is one of two venues at Fairmont St Andrews, with the Torrance Course also claiming a spot on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. The resort sits in a glorious region for golf, with Crail’s Balcomie Course and Kingsbarns within a 20-minute drive along the coast to the south. Within a short drive to the north, there is The Duke’s and then the ‘Home of Golf’. Five of St Andrews layouts – the Old Course, the New Course, the Jubilee Course, the Castle Course and the Eden Course – are within just 15 minutes of Fairmont St Andrews.

What golf facilities does Fairmont St Andrews offer?

Fairmont St Andrews not only has two championship courses, but there is also an all-grass driving range as part of the practice facilities at the resort. There is also an extensive short game area, featuring a large putting green to allow players to hone their skills before taking on either the Kittocks or Torrance Courses.

What are the green fees at Fairmont St Andrews?

The price of a green fee at Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks) changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks) visit their website here.