St Andrews Eden Course

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The Eden Course at St. Andrews © 2006, Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla Lots of Character...Tough Enough But Not Tortuous It's not as long or as tortuous as The Old Course, which runs directly next to it and shares the same spit of coastline, but at 6,200 yards it's no pushover and is a whole lot of fun. So if you find yourself with some extra time or if you want to play a second golf course for the day, The Eden is worth a play. It has gorse-lined fairways, punishing bunkers, some terrific holes and difficult to read greens, and will give even a skilled golfer all he or she can handle. View from the first tee on this 326 yard par four starting hole. Don't let the wide fairway fool you into thinking this is a pushover. Any errant shot into the gorse means you're playing 3 off the tee. And the difficulties facing you on the green make up for any shortcomings of the fairway. If getting to the first green is relatively easy, rolling the ball into the hole is quite another story. This green has more lumps and bumps than a bag of potatoes, The Old Course, the Jubilee, and the New Course are all first-class championship layouts capable of challenging even the most accomplished golfer. The Eden Course is not in their league and you wouldn't want to give up a play on one of those to play the Eden. But that doesn't mean it's not a good golf course. It is. And it's useful as an adjunct to those fine golf courses on the days when you just want to go out and have some fun and not be challenged to be your absolute best on each hole, or on the days when you play one of them but haven't quite had your fill of golf. At 175 yards, number 8 looks like an easy enough par 3 but the bunkers are very penal and any shot that doesn't carry to the back of the green will roll all the way back onto the fairway, leaving you with a devilish up-and-down. This hole has a handicap rating of 9--quite a tough rating for a par 3 hole, many of which, like Rodney Dangerfield, "don't get no respect...". The fairways are wide but with an amazing amount of gorse lining them, so although accuracy is not a premium for playing The Eden, anything off the fairway can be difficult to find and impossible to hit. And if you happen to stray into one of the bunkers, it will definitely cost you a stroke--if you're lucky. The Eden Course shares the same terrain with Old Course (shown across the pathway). Not too many bunkers on this golf course but they can be very penal. If your ball has rolled too close to the face, you may have to hit backwards just to get out. Assuming you get your ball out of the bunker, do you then play a bump-and-run? Do you try to pitch it over the hump in the green and hope you can stop it? Do you putt it? You'll have to make decisions like this all day when you play on links golf courses. HINT - Although there are not many bunkers on the golf course, those that exist are doozies and there may be times when your ball will end up close to the steep wall that so many of the bunkers have. In such a situation it's virtually impossible to get out in one stroke and, if you try, your ball may hit the wall and drop right down and end up unplayable again and again (a la David Duval in the 2000 Open when he persisted in trying to get out of the Road Hole bunker again and again and again and still had to hit out sideways and succeeded only in hitting himself out of contention). If you find yourself facing such a shot, take advantage of Rule 28 which states:The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable. Of course it will cost you a stroke and you will have to drop in the bunker but you can either drop within two club-lengths of the spot or ...you can drop a ball directly behind the point where the ball lay, keeping the point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped. There is no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped. Dropping it in a playable lie of your choosing is a tremendous advantage and gives you a chance for a sand save and a boggie rather than a possible double or triple or worse. The 18th green is well protected by thick gorse bushes. If you do get on the green, however, you have a welcomed flat surface on which to putt. The Eden may be the best value of all the St. Andrews Links Trust golf courses. Tough enough to be fun and challenging but not so tough as to be tortuous. And if you're coming to St. Andrews with someone who is not a low handicapper and who doesn't feel up to playing the championship golf courses with you, this is the one you both can play together. Golf Nook rating -- par Scorecard Note the "PACE OF PLAY" column and the final figure of three hours and fifty-three minutes. That's the amount of time a foursome is expected to take to negotiate a round on this golf course. And, by the way, there are no buggies. The Eden runs directly next to The Old Course and shares the same linksland, making it a true links golf course. You'll need the same variety of shots that you would need to play The Old Course. Note the proximity to the Old Course and also the four holes that run directly next to the water. When the gorse is in bloom (especially in May), the course is beautiful. Directions: Head for the Practice Range and Golf Courses on the northwest edge of town on Guardbridge Road (A 91). The Eden, Strathtyrum, and Balgove courses are all in the same area next to the practice range. To make advanced reservations contact: Reservations Department St. Andrews Links Trust Pilmore House St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SF Scotland Secretary: AJR McGregor Tel: (0) 1334 466666 (from the USA: 011 44 1334 466 666) Fax: (0) 1334 477 036 (from the USA: 011 44 1334 477 036) e-mail: reservations@standrews.org.uk Website: www.standrews.org.uk *For WHAT TO DO ALL DAY, please see St. Andrews area.