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Balgove Course is the nine-hole layout at St Andrews Links, built for beginners, children and families rather than as a scaled-down championship test. Playing to a par of 30 over 1,520 yards from the White tees, it is the shortest of St Andrews Links Trust's courses and the only one with fewer than 18 holes.
The course dates to 1972, when a longer 2,085-yard version opened primarily for local children learning the game. Much of that original layout was absorbed into the Eden Course's 1989-90 redesign, and the Links Trust rebuilt Balgove to its current form, reopening on 20 June 1993 alongside the new Strathtyrum Course next door. Donald Steel led the design, working with Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert, and the rebuilt course was given proper tees, greens and two bunkers, in place of the informal layout it replaced.
The course is a 9-hole links golf course. It plays to par 30, 1,390m (1,520 yards), course rating 57 and slope rating 79. Designed by Donald Steel, the course originally opened in 1972. It is open to the public. On-site facilities include Golf Lessons, Restaurant, Driving Range, Club Fitting, Bar.
Not every course at the Home of Golf is built to test a scratch handicap. Balgove exists for the opposite reason: to give children, beginners and families a genuine St Andrews golf experience without the demands of the Old Course next door.
The original Balgove opened in February 1972 as a 2,085-yard nine-hole course, named after Balgove Farm, the land on which it was built. For most of its early life it served as the course where local children learned to play, distinct in purpose from the Trust's other, longer layouts.
That first Balgove did not survive intact. When the Eden Course was redesigned in 1989-90, much of Balgove's ground was absorbed into the new layout, and the course closed. The Links Trust had committed to rebuilding it, announcing plans in September 1990 for a new nine-hole course of around 1,700 yards and par 31.
The rebuild was carried out alongside construction of the adjacent Strathtyrum Course, both under Donald Steel & Co, with Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert closely involved in the design work. The finished Balgove came in shorter than planned, at 1,520 yards and par 30, but it was built to a noticeably higher standard than its predecessor -- proper tees, greens and two bunkers, rather than the rough, informal course it replaced. It reopened on 20 June 1993, the same year as Strathtyrum.
Balgove now shares the Eden Clubhouse with the neighbouring Eden and Strathtyrum courses and remains the cheapest and most accessible round on the Links -- an adult ticket costs a fraction of the other courses' rates, with junior, resident and student prices lower still. Its nine holes, three par 4s and six par 3s, are short by design, keeping the course firmly aimed at the beginners and juniors it was built for.
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| Fee Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder/Low Season Junior U-16 (per round) | £3 | Shoulder/low season 20 Oct 2025 - 31 Mar 2026. |
| Shoulder/Low Season Resident of St Andrews (per round) | £2 | Shoulder/low season 20 Oct 2025 - 31 Mar 2026. |
| Child of St Andrews Resident (per round) | Contact course | Free of charge for children of St Andrews residents, all seasons. |
| Shoulder/Low Season Adult (per round) | £8 | Shoulder/low season 20 Oct 2025 - 31 Mar 2026. A single round ticket for the Balgove is valid for two consecutive rounds. |
| High Season Junior U-16 (per round) | £5 | High season 14 Apr - 19 Oct. |
| High Season Adult (per round) | £15 | High season 14 Apr - 19 Oct. A single round ticket for the Balgove is valid for two consecutive rounds. |
| High Season Resident of St Andrews (per round) | £4 | High season 14 Apr - 19 Oct. |
| High Season University of St Andrews Student (per round) | £4 | High season 14 Apr - 19 Oct. |
| Shoulder/Low Season University of St Andrews Student (per round) | £2 | Shoulder/low season 20 Oct 2025 - 31 Mar 2026. |
Prices are indicative and subject to change. Contact the course to confirm current rates.
| Front 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Metres | 201 | 200 | 95 | 177 | 147 | 272 | 94 | 106 | 96 | 1388 |
| Yards | 220 | 219 | 104 | 194 | 161 | 298 | 103 | 116 | 105 | 1520 |
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