Advice for playing Kingsbarns

Playing tomorrow - any tips gratefully accepted.

Lots of 3 woods or irons off the tee. Play back tees if you can barra, much better from there.
Pin positions noted on boxes on tee.

Also take a camera, some beautiful holes on it.

No playing safe on 6!!, take the line over the bunkers... if you make it it'll kick left down onto the green. Highlight of my round last year (my darkest hour was missing the 8 foot eagle putt).

Allow plenty of time for the practice putting green, the fairways are fairly generous but there are some wicked putts out there.

Some outstanding holes and views defo (as Super says) take the camera....looking forward to the report Barra...enjoy

Cheers guys - can't wait!

JAS wrote:No playing safe on 6!!, take the line over the bunkers... if you make it it'll kick left down onto the green. Highlight of my round last year (my darkest hour was missing the 8 foot eagle putt).

Allow plenty of time for the practice putting green, the fairways are fairly generous but there are some wicked putts out there.

Some outstanding holes and views defo (as Super says) take the camera....looking forward to the report Barra...enjoy

JAS, I had a similar putt there last year, 10 feet for Eagle, three putted for a par, felt more like a 7 than a four.

12 is a beauty of a par five and fifteen a simply tremendous par 3 to rival any. Two or three "weak" holes but a course to savour.

Hope the weather is kind to you Barra and not too windy.

Barra, How was KB?

I like 11 and 12. You get a good stretch of holes developing then the 13th is ok, bit of a relief probably after the longish holes proceeding it, but the 14th must be one of the 'weak' holes you refer to Super. Feels like its been put there to use up the space. However, as indicated, it is totally rescued by the 15th.

3rd is another dramatic par 5.

Agree Lairdy, 14th is a poor hole.
I really like 16 and 17 too.

When I played there was a strong wind coming out of the north west almost. 16 and 17 were bruts into that wind! Would love to go back and play it a 2nd time. Played the Kittocks end of last year and thought that was a similar course, but much cheaper.

Simply, a delight.

What a wonderful golf course, great variety of holes, forgiving from the tee, interesting green and apron complexes, wonderful condition.

Couldn't have had much of a better day for it either. Warm and sunny, though the wind made for a bit of a battle when heading toward the 12th hole end of the course.

Unfortunately my golf did not match the occasion - I had a very frustrating day golfwise.

Started solidly with a 2iron down the centre of the first followed by a lob wedge to inside 10 feet, ended up with a good 3ft par save coming back.

Thereafter things were very scrappy. Great drive down the 3rd left just a 9 iron in to the par 5. Thinned push right straight into a nasty greenside bunker, less than a foot from quite a steep face. Pulled off a lovely recovery but missed the 10ft birdie putt.

3 putted 4th, then hit my best drive of the day straight into a deep fairway bunker on 5.

Decent tee shot on 6 into the wind, but I cut it a little and it held up on the plateau. Holed a nice 10footer for my first birdie of the day.

Absolute nightmare on the short 8th, then re-lived the 3rd hole on the ninth, good drive, 8iron approach shot thinned into RHS bunker, poor shot out, nearly holed the resulting 30footer but had to settle for par.

In trouble up the tenth, but very nearly salvaged a par after an uncharacteristic nicely nipped little pitch.

12 was a real nightmare. Straight into a strong wind by this point, I hit a decent drive just 5 yards short of the longest drive marker - no doubt set in much calmer conditions :-) .... followed by a super drilled 2 iron to set up a simple 120yard approach. Less said about what happened next the better..I'm still confused just how the hell I walked off with a 9...

Poor 13th, decent drive on 14 to right hand greenside bunker on 14. Popped a nice shot across the green to 5 feet but missed the birdie putt.

Pushed tee shot into the rocks on 15... Parred 16.

Highlight was definitely 17 - a super 310 yard drive weaved between the bunkers followed up with a tidy 100yard pitch to within 3 feet of the back pin. Rolled in the slippery downhiller for a pleasing birdie!

Final hole, and a poor drive right into rough. Tried to pop it out with the hybrid, but landed into the bank at the front of the green and rolled down to the wee burn edge. Popped up a lovely flop over the flag, but 3 putted from 10 feet...kinda summed up my game - quite a roller coaster ride.

Still, much enjoyed, and would love another crack at this course, definitely one to score on when on your game.

Didn't doubt for one second that you'd love the course Barra, it really is a wonderful setting. The sheer beauty of the place and the generosity off the tee lull you into a false sense of "I can tear this up" Eh no...unless you bring your A+ putting game and chipping if you miss greens it has the effortless ability to humble.

Sounds like you had a great experience though. I'd play it again at the drop of a hat but not at the drop of another 195 smackeroonies :-/

JAS, don't mean to rub it in, but it cost me £25 a round, plus I get a club medal there for £10

super_realist wrote:JAS, don't mean to rub it in, but it cost me £25 a round, plus I get a club medal there for £10

Lol...it would only be rubbing it in if you couldn't get guest passes :-O

Must get a game with one or more of you guys when I come up for the Tassie this year. I play a twilight on the Burnside on the Sat before the Tassie officially starts with a practice round on the Championship Course Sunday.
It's unlikely although not outwith the bounds of possibility that i will still be involved beyond Friday (the matchplay semis and final are on Sat 7th Sept).
So Fri 30th Aug, Sat 7th Sep & Sun 8th Sept are possibles or if you fancied a twilight on the Burnside on Sat 31st.

ACtually I can't get guest passes. However I think Scottish club members also get a reduction, think it's £80 a round. Sorry about the double whammy.

Definitely be up for a game JAS, could get you a round on St.Andrews, as I have concessions there, just not Kingsbarns.

super_realist wrote:ACtually I can't get guest passes. However I think Scottish club members also get a reduction, think it's £80 a round. Sorry about the double whammy.

Definitely be up for a game JAS, could get you a round on St.Andrews, as I have concessions there, just not Kingsbarns.

That would be even better ) only played it once (in 2008) and had to adopt the ski-jumper posture for large parts of the round :-/

Some photos from KB: 3rd, 6th, 12th, 15th, Walking up to the 18th tee.

Spoiler:

Nice pics barragan. Standing on the tee and looking down the 12th is probably my favourite golf view at Kingsbarns but to be fully appreciated, you need to be there.

thanks gael - you're right, the photos certainly don't do it justice. think a couple of the other guys took some pics so may post one or two more if they're any good.