18 holes, 71 par, 6,625 yards
Were it not for the proximity of its more illustrious and ancient neighbor, many experts feel that the Open Championships – as well as many other major golfing events – would have been fought out here, the world’s oldest and most challenging ‘new’ course.
Designed by Old Tom Morris and opened for play in 1895, the layout was based on the traditional out and back routing, and among its most famous features are the shared fairways and a double green at the 3rd and 15th holes.
The New Course is known and loved for its well designed greenside and fairway bunkers, plus a series of genuinely difficult homeward holes. The undulating fairways and deep greens make the course a classic links and, just like the Old Course, it has a habit of looking deceptively simple, especially when the sun is high.
In reality, it’s tougher than the Old Course. Low light at sunrise and sunset reveal the course’s countless fiendish folds, wrinkles, and rolls. Add plenty of gorse and it’s one of the trickiest courses around.
