Dumbarnie Golf Links - Pictures (Not Open until May 2020!)

[robleighlefty89]

I had the very good fortune of being invited up to play a new course that will certainly make it's way into anyone's plans should they be in the St. Andrew's area in years to come.

Dumbarnie Links, near Leven, is only 30 minutes from St. Andrews or an hour from Edinburgh Airport. I was invited up by an industry colleague, turns out we were only the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th people to play the course (yep, a five ball... though we were the only ones there!).

 

The Clubhouse is not yet built, but what a course. As we traveled home I was thinking it's straight into my top five, then it was three.. and I'm now thinking this could be the best course I've ever played (I've played 34 of the top 100 in England bearing in mind the top100golf courses.com list).

 

The course is very playable. It is set up with five sets of tees, wide fairways and large, undulating greens. The greens are being protected given the course doesn't open until 16th May 2020, but even being cut at 6mm you could get a feel for how they will play. I may have got the hole numbers wrong below, but they don't yet have scorecards or course planners so you'll have to forgive me!

 

A truly memorable day, I already cannot wait to get back there if I can! Pictures below...

 

1st Hole - Par 4

 

2nd Hole - Par 5 - Second Shot

 

3rd Hole - Driveable Par 4

 

4th Hole - Par 4

 

8th Hole - Par 3 - Tee Shot

 

8th Green

 

12th Hole - Par 4 Green

 

14th Hole - Par 5 - Second Shot

 

17th Hole - Par 3

 

18th Hole - Par 4

 

[Golfingfanatic]

Looks amazing. Thank you for the pictures :)

[jonnymc44]

Bunkers look very sharp and penalising. Great photos.

Looks as though it opens on 16 May 2020 from the tee times available online, £235 a round. Do you think it's worth that, @robleighlefty89?

https://dumbarnie.quick18.com/teetimes/search?teedate=20200516

[scott_Donald]

looks awesome modern links.

 

Read a lot on it lately and before a month ago I never even knew it existed.

[robleighlefty89]

> @jonnymc44 said:

> Bunkers look very sharp and penalising. Great photos.

> Looks as though it opens on 16 May 2020 from the tee times available online, £235 a round. Do you think it's worth that, @robleighlefty89?

> https://dumbarnie.quick18.com/teetimes/search?teedate=20200516

 

I'd say yes, but it's easy to say it's worth that much when I didn't pay. Paying brings a level of expectation that is tough to factor in - I'd say if they do a day ticket certainly yes, but I'd not hesitate at paying £235 now.

I can say (as above) it's the best course I've played, so well worth it.

[tad950]

Great pics ! I’m hoping our tour operator will be able to do an add on for our St. Andrews trip in June.

[babyfade]

I will go there in May or July. The pictures look so amazing.

Where do you think the course will end up in rankings etc.?

If it's a great design, I think it could become the nr. 1 modern course in the UK after a while.

Ardfin also a very special course, started in Top 15 already in most rankings.

[Max21]

I have a trip planned to Scotland next September, my group was debating between Dumbarnie and Kingsbarns lol. We just had to choose Kingsbarns but for the price of Dumbarnie it was very enticing and that was my choice. Especially considering the fact that it will most likely just get pricier and pricier. The pictures look absolutely stunning and I agree with @babyfade , I think it will be around Kingsbarns level when it comes to modern courses in the UK

[Superbrit]

I stayed in St Andrews over Xmas and new year and drove through Leven a few times, i'm pretty sure you can see this course from the main road and it did look really nice, i said to the wife i wonder what that course was called but never looked into it, at £235 a round i don't think i will be either, i just wouldn't pay that much for a round of golf, sounds like a very similar set up to Kingsbarns, not saying thats a bad thing, but going to be some time before they get a name for themselves where "normal" golfers would be willing to pay that much for a new course

 

Wonder how much something like this place cost to build

[robleighlefty89]

I had a great year golfing around the UK in a few places, and Dumbarnie certainly stood up to all of them.

Their new website is 'sort of' live now - https://www.dumbarnielinks.com/

I imagine it'll get into the UK Top 100 quite easily.

[Max21]

At £235 I thought it was a steal compared to what it will eventually be priced at

[duffer987]

Was part of getting the round comped to effusively praise it ;-)

I'm sure it's a quality course, but it'd have to go a long way to beat out the top first tier courses of the likes of Royal St. Georges, Royal Aberdeen, Sunny Old, etc... let alone those 1-As.

That said, more quality choices is always a good thing and I'm sure once they get on the Tour Operator rota they'll rake it in if they set things up in a similar vain to the other high-end modern publics.

[babyfade]

We're also guessing if we should play Dumbarnie or Kingsbarns. Normally Kingsbarns would be a bit too expensive for us. But when we pay 235 for a new course we also could pay 290 for Kingsbarns.

But I think that Dumbarnie will win the race for me... I love how it looks and to play it as one of the first just adds to the excitement.

 

[Max21]

I agree it looks absolutely fantastic. Kingsbarns was very pricey but most people say it’s a must play so when it all came down to it I told our group to make a decision or flip a coin cause you can’t make a bad choice with either!

I’m going for my first time in September and I already know I will be going back again soon so I was fine with either.

[Stall]

I played it on Friday and it is really good!!

Echo the OP'S comments, this is a fun and playable course. Its not a beast that will tear you up like Turnberry or Carnoustie. This is just good fun. The bunkers look sore in the pictures but I visited a fair few of them and got out first time every time. The greens have got some crazy undulations so thats probably why they had them smooth but not running like ice.

Some good risk and reward holes that you can pull driver out at as well.

While it is good at the moment, you can still see that all of those dunes are man made. There are tyre tracks all over them from building it. Give it a couple of years for the grass to bed in on those dunes and it will be really good. Its wild to look at the surrounding landscape when you are on the holes at the outside of the course. You can see that the whole thing was just a big farmers field. The amount of landscaping done to build this place is phenomenal.

The club house is still being built but even little COVID touches such as outdoor seating/eating area with the clubs head chef in charge of the big outdoor grill, Dunbarnie links branded beers etc, it was class.

Really good fun. Would recommend. Importantly, if you are a Scottish resident you can get on for £115. Certainly worth that.

 

 

[scott_Donald]

So annoyed I can't get home to try it, was supposed to be playing there this month with my dad.

I am too cheap to pay full price for it I think.

So from what you are saying then its an easier links like Castle Stewart; to me Turnberry was far easier links than I thought it would be and compared to what I was used to; it was still the best course I played last year.

[Stall]

Yeah, it's not too difficult although I do concede that that could change with the tees you select. We played it at 6400 yards and it was fine. Theres the 6900 option as well as the big boys tee's of 7600. Now that might be a bit more of a challenge to the WRX 300 yard plus squad when the wind blows.

[thecraw]

Dumbarnie is a fantastic track. Front nine especially is tremendous - a fun filled thrill of golf holes. Probably easier to say just stunning.

 

Back 9, well for me no where near as good as the front side, just lost its links feel a bit and became a Castle Course type of cliff top layout. Last 4 just didn't float my boat. Am I being harsh, most probably as I think any course will struggle to live up to that front 9, up there with Royal Aberdeen for a run of nine. I know people who disagree with me so its best play it for yourself. Glad I've played it but for me I would play Aberdeen and Troon every day ahead of it, maybe shows where my head is when it comes to course design more than a reflection on the quality of Dumbarnie which is tremendous.

[tad950]

 Just received notice today that our June 11th round at Dumbarnie has been cancelled. Apparently weather conditions this past winter has rendered some green unplayable. They were supposed to open June 1st. But reopening has been delayed until at least June 17th.

 

Leven Links has been offered as an alternative. Any thoughts on that course?  We are already playing some big name courses in the Lothian and St. Andrews area. My preference is to play older courses in the UK and Ireland. Leven Links seems to fit the bill.

[hammergolf]

3 hours ago, tad950 said:

 Just received notice today that our June 11th round at Dumbarnie has been cancelled. Apparently weather conditions this past winter has rendered some green unplayable. They were supposed to open June 1st. But reopening has been delayed until at least June 17th.

 

Leven Links has been offered as an alternative. Any thoughts on that course?  We are already playing some big name courses in the Lothian and St. Andrews area. My preference is to play older courses in the UK and Ireland. Leven Links seems to fit the bill.

If you like old, The Balcomie Links at Crail is another good option. It’s one of oldest golf clubs in the world. The course was originally built in 1786 and was “redesigned” in 1895 by Old Tom Morris… Kilspindie is another little gem that dates back to the mid 1800’s. Take your pick, they are all fun.

Edited May 26, 2022 by hammergolf

[tad950]

Thanks for the information! We’ll be playing Crail on our last day in Scotland. I wanted to play Kilspindie or Luffness on my arrival day. But neither were available. The only course that fit our schedule that day is Craigielaw. I think our organizer chose Leven Links because it probably was the only course that could accommodate 12 golfers on such short notice. And being a Saturday. So it’s either play golf at Leven Links, or tour Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle (been there, done that) with the rest of our large group.  I will opt for golf.

 

 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, tad950 said:

Thanks for the information! We’ll be playing Crail on our last day in Scotland. I wanted to play Kilspindie or Luffness on my arrival day. But neither were available. The only course that fit our schedule that day is Craigielaw. I think our organizer chose Leven Links because it probably was the only course that could accommodate 12 golfers on such short notice. And being a Saturday. So it’s either play golf at Leven Links, or tour Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle (been there, done that) with the rest of our large group.  I will opt for golf.

 

 

Leven is a good links. You’ll enjoy it.

[nutmegchoi]

Played Dumbarnie September 5th, 2021.

(Few weeks after Scottish Women’s Open.)

I'll tag some pictures here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by nutmegchoi

[El Gringo]

On 5/25/2022 at 10:11 PM, tad950 said:

 Just received notice today that our June 11th round at Dumbarnie has been cancelled. Apparently weather conditions this past winter has rendered some green unplayable. They were supposed to open June 1st. But reopening has been delayed until at least June 17th.

 

Leven Links has been offered as an alternative. Any thoughts on that course?  We are already playing some big name courses in the Lothian and St. Andrews area. My preference is to play older courses in the UK and Ireland. Leven Links seems to fit the bill.

Check with the club. The fairways have been substandard. Leven is a good course though. If you don't mind rolling the ball it's fine. 

[tad950]

We were talking to our caddies at Carnoustie today. Apparently the damage to the greens weren’t weather related. The damage was a result of an inept head greenskeeper. They’ve heard that 3 or 4 of the greens may have to be completely redone. So this season may be lost completely. 

[MattyO1984]

On 6/13/2022 at 10:34 PM, tad950 said:

We were talking to our caddies at Carnoustie today. Apparently the damage to the greens weren’t weather related. The damage was a result of an inept head greenskeeper. They’ve heard that 3 or 4 of the greens may have to be completely redone. So this season may be lost completely. 

 

I wonder if it is a combination of both. It did seem strange that it would be simply weather related given the number of other courses in a similar area which have had some but no major issues.