Awesome, thanks for the heads up. Wait–do you mean the RACDG GB&I group on the Refuge? It’s closed to me–or do you mean their Discord server?
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Neither! We have, like, 10 What’sApp chats. I’ve already asked on the main chat and the Scottish one for you. If anyone fancies it I’ll let you know. 
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Wow–thanks so much–you’re the best. First round is definitely on me (second round as well).
what are the dates on this? (lazy, not digging)
No offense to DMK as I like his designs overall. While The Castle Course isn’t as bad as some make it out to be, for the property it sits on and the once a century opportunity to add to the St Andrew’s Links collection of courses… The Castle aint it. It’s on an INCREDIBLE piece of property and I’m not about the course AT ALL. I’ll play it when in town and asked by others to play it or if it’s super busy on the other courses, but it really underwhelms for the site it’s on IMO.
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i believe he has said himself he designed castle and maybe tetherow in a period of his life he wasn’t that groovy and the courses reflect that.
castle got him out of the good graces of Mr. Keiser. Gamble Sands got him back in.
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April 9 thru the 15th.
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What are you dreaming of walking along 6-9 and then 17 & 18? Because if it’s way better than what’s there I want to live in your head for a bit.
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I used this a few years ago and got on TOC. Worth a shot if you can’t find anyone on your own to enter the ballot with.
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Can you pay someone to wait in line for you? On something like task rabbit? People do that all the time for stuff here.
(This seems outside the spirit of the singles queue and i think id do it myself still, just curious)
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Prob better to hit this thread with your question.
https://refuge.nolayingup.com/t/scotland-golf-trip-planning-center/25827
If you think what was created on that site is the best that could have been achieved (or even remotely worthy of it), then I’d find it hard to even begin answering you. I’m not an an island here. From the conversations I’ve had with others (many of whom are Links Trust members) more share similar sentiments to mine than ones like yours. These are people of wildly different playing abilities. I also understand that this is just opinion and it doesn’t make me right. But, maybe we are the minority here. Who knows? I’ve never met someone that was like “the Castle Course is SICK!” Ever.
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and now you have. Hiya.
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Awesome! For the record, never said I was right. It’s just an opinion.
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Of the people I know who have played it the vast majority like it a lot. The reaction is mostly “shit, I wasn’t expecting this to be good”. I’d say maybe 80/20 in favour.
Not everyone, of course. It’s kinda woke to say it’s shit. The caddies hate it as it’s hilly, windy and there’s a lot more rough than the courses in town so they spend more time looking for balls. But a caddy’s response is based on very different criteria. Why be out there when it’s an easier job in town and the tips are better.
Most people who hate it do so because it’s a different aesthetic to the other courses. It feels more like Bandon than Kingsbarns. But, as I said above, that hatreds based on what’s often a very narrow definition of links golf. Irish courses are different to Scottish ones. Welsh are different again. Royal North Devon isn’t really like Castle Stuart. But it shares a lot with Elie. Royal Cinque Ports is similar to Goswick but nothing like Tralee.
Cliff top links are different again to genuine links. Sheringham is only a few miles from Brancaster but it’s completely different. It’s more like Pennard, which is hundreds of miles away. The Castle should be compared with those cliff top courses, not the courses in town. And most cliff top courses are fun because they have beautiful views and often dangerous tee shots.
The Castle has topography that’s not found almost anywhere in Fife. It has centreline bunkers and blind shots. It has ditches and long carries. It has tee shots that ask you to cut, draw and hit straight. It has approaches that ask you to cut, draw and hit straight. It has short par 3s and long ones. Short par 4s and long ones. Infinity greens framing the town of St Andrews. Lots of tee boxes to keep it interesting.
And honestly, if you don’t come over the hill on 6 and think it’s fun there’s something wrong with you.
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Hole 6 is a fine hole but it isn’t some make or break hole of determining whether or not something is “wrong” with people that disagree with you. The view is world class on 6 but the hole is architecturally meh when considering the site.
I really see little similarity to Elie. The routing is completely different as are the bunkering, mounding, etc. In fact, I’d say it has more in common with the sites of Kingsbarns and even a little bit with the Craighead Course at Crail (both of which I’d choose to play over the Castle hands down). Plus, other courses you’ve used to compare the Castle to that have wild greens (Brora, Elie, etc.) are generally much shorter courses with more manageable approaches into their greens in comparison to the Castle. And maybe people that are more in my camp find more than just the greens to be underwhelming.
I think the issue I have and why I even chimed in was that you suggested that good players don’t like the course because they can’t make birdies, suggesting that not liking it is attached to some wokeness, and that there is something wrong with a person like me that doesn’t see it the way you see it. I’m glad you, and others, enjoy it. And for clarification, I’m a local club member, a Links Trust ticket holder and I’ve shot under par on the Castle and have made plenty of birdies there. My indifference to the course has much more to do with what I feel is an underwhelming product on a basically once in a century type opportunity/location. I admit that the uniqueness and specialness of the site probably play into my very high expectations of what was built there. I don’t hate the Castle Course, it’s just not something I’m flying over an ocean to play.
Sorry for yucking your yums. I’ll be quiet on it now. Hope everyone going over has a great time and I look forward to all the pics!
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I don’t actually think the NLU trip is playing the Castle. Unless they do an extra curricular (which I think they should). So I’m just talking shit for the sake of it. Which is nothing new! 
I meant Royal North Devon is more like Elie, btw. Not the Castle. To me the Castle’s peers are Castle Stuart, Renaissance, Sheringham, Pennard, Old Head, Bamburgh Castle, Perranporth, Royal Cromer, etc.
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Played the Old Course this morning typical Scottish weather ,the course is in fantastic condition for the time of year , just a note theres 5 holes that have a landing area where you use the nearest mat .
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April 10-16
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