Work progressing at Tom Weiskopf-designed St. Andrews course

Embracing the natural balance and flow of the coastal landscape overlooking Scotland’s eastern shore and sculpted by 1973 Open Champion and internationally acclaimed golf course designer Tom Weiskopf, the course at The Feddinch Club is the first to be built in St. Andrews since 2008.

The course has already been routed and following Weiskopf’s recent inspection, various design changes will be made and the first stages of drainage installed. 

 “Tom has created a genuinely timeless design that will provide a pleasurable and memorable experience for players of all levels of expertise, who may walk, with or without caddies, or use carts, which is exceptional in this area,” The Feddinch Club chairman Ewan McKay said.  

Weiskopf, whose expertise as a golf course designer has resulted in 65 golf courses – seven ranked among the Top 100 in the world – has fully applied his experience, creativity, commitment to detail, and philosophy to this golf course.

“This is not a links golf course, although the site has some characteristics of links golf,” Weiskopf said. “There are blind and semi-blind shots, and open native grasses in the rough areas. It’s a parkland course with very good variation of elevation and a continual change of direction from hole to hole.”

To enhance enjoyment and reduce the time taken per round, distances between greens and succeeding tees are generally short, the fairways are wide and fast running, and each expansive green will present interesting challenges that will require a fair test of skill.

The Feddinch Club is the only private, member-owned, family-oriented club at St. Andrews with its own course. It lies just outside the town boundary to the south, enjoying an enviable location with views extending over the town of St. Andrews and across the sea to Carnoustie.

At par 72, the course will play to a full length of 7,373 yards from the back tees, 6,600 yards from the middle distance, and 5,484 yards from the forward markers.

Unusual features include a large double green for the ninth and 18th holes immediately in front of the clubhouse and a short 19th hole that allows unsettled competitions to be determined without returning to the first tee.  

Complementing the golf course is a comprehensive, professional-quality practice facility that features a 400-yard driving range with a variety of targets and a dedicated short game area with a set of bunkers relevant to the course design. Additionally, an extensive and meticulously prepared practice putting green will reflect authentic on-course conditions.

“The club will be, for all intents and purposes, a ‘home away from home’ for its members, who may call upon the concierge team to organize play on the many famous courses within easy reach, as well as trips to places of interest,” McKay said.