
How TOUGH is St Andrews Old Course?
How does the old course compare with Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and other courses in the St Andrews area?
find out the Overall course difficulty rankings and PREDICTED SCORES for scratch & AVERAGE golfers

Headlines
How tough is St Andrews Old Course to play?
St Andrews Old Course has a Slope Rating of:
Men – 129
Ladies – 138
How difficult is St Andrews Old Course for a good (scratch) player?
St Andrews Old Course has a Course Rating of:
Men – 71.4
With a par of 72, scratch golfers are likely to post a score of -1
Ladies – 75.5
With a par of 76, scratch lady golfers are likely to post a score of between par and -1
How hard is St Andrews Old Course for an average (bogey) player?
The Old Course has a Bogey Rating of:
Men – 95.4
With a par of 72, average golfers (with a handicap of 20) are likely to post a score of +23
Ladies – 108.0
With a par of 76, average lady golfers (with a handicap of 24) are likely to post a score of +32
How does St Andrews Old Course compare with Carnoustie and Kingsbarns?
For men, Carnoustie Championship course and Kingsbarns are both more difficult overall than St Andrews Old Course.
Men – Carnoustie has a Slope Rating of 135, Kingsbarns 132 and the Old Course 129
For ladies, Carnoustie Championship course is more difficult than St Andrews Old Course. Kingsbarns is much easier than both.
Ladies – Carnoustie has a Slope Rating of 140, the Old Course 138 and Kingsbarns 126
Is the Old Course as challenging as Carnoustie and Kingsbarns for a good (scratch) player?
Carnoustie Championship course is much more challenging than the Old Course and Kingsbarns for a good player, regardless of gender.
Men – Carnoustie has a Course Rating of 73.6, St Andrews Old Course 71.4 and Kingsbarns 71.1
Scratch golfers are likely to post a score of +4 at Carnoustie (par 70) , whilst at St Andrews Old (par 72) and Kingsbarns (par 72) it’s likely to be -1
Ladies – Carnoustie has a Course Rating of 77.3, St Andrews Old Course 75.5 and Kingsbarns 70.7
Scratch golfers are likely to post a score of +3 at Carnoustie (par 74), whilst at St Andrews Old (par 76) and Kingsbarns (par 72) it’s likely to be -1
How demanding is the Old Course for an average player compared with Carnoustie and Kingsbarns?
Carnoustie Championship course is a much more difficult challenge than St Andrews Old Course and Kingsbarns for an average player, regardless of gender.
Men – Carnoustie has a Bogey Rating of 98.7, Kingsbarns 95.6 and St Andrews Old Course 95.4
Average golfers (with a handicap of 20) are likely to post a score of +29 at Carnoustie, whilst at Kingsbarns it’s +24 and St Andrews Old it’s likely to be +23
Ladies – Carnoustie has a Bogey Rating of 110.3, St Andrews Old Course 108.0 and Kingsbarns 100.4.
Average golfers (with a handicap of 24) are likely to post a score of +36 at Carnoustie, +32 at St Andrews Old whilst at Kingsbarns it’s likely to be +28
How tough is St Andrews Old Course with compared other courses in the area?
Compared with 30 of the best tracks in the area, St Andrews Old Course overall is of average difficulty for men, but one of the hardest for ladies.
For both good (scratch) male and female players it’s of average difficulty compared with courses in the area, whilst for average (bogey) lady golfers it’s harder than the average.
But overall it’s Carnoustie Championship that’s the toughest of all the courses.
Regardless of golfer ability and gender, it consistently ranks first or thereabouts for difficulty compared with all the other courses in the area.
Note: All measurements are taken from the regular tees for men and ladies
…where I compare 30 of the best courses in the St Andrews area, including St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns. With tables and charts to show how tough they are to play and what a good (scratch) and average (bogey) golfer might expect to score on each course.
Chris Toll, ginger beer golf travel
Analysis of the data

Overview
- Below are charts ranking each course in the St Andrews area by overall playing difficulty along with analysis for scratch golfers and bogey golfers
- Data is provided for 2 tee positions – regular men’s tees and regular ladies’ tees
- For simplicity, it assumes men play off yellow tees and ladies off reds. Where a course has no yellow/red tees, the equivalent visitor regular tee is used
Explanation of terms used
Course Rating™
Playing difficulty for scratch golfers; likely strokes taken
Scratch Golfer
Scratch golfer has a handicap of 0
Bogey Rating™
Playing difficulty for bogey golfers; likely strokes taken
Bogey Golfer
Bogey male golfer has a handicap of 20, female 24
Slope Rating®
Relative playing difficulty for bogey v scratch golfers
Minimum slope = 55, maximum = 155, average = 113
The higher the slope the more difficult the course for bogey golfers
Terms trademarked by USGA (www.usga.org)
Full explanation of terms here
Overall course difficulty
- Overall course difficulty is measured by Slope Rating which, simply put, shows how much harder the course plays for bogey (regular) golfers rather than scratch golfers.
- Courses are ranked by Slope Rating.
Regular Men’s Tees
Course | Slope Rating | |
---|---|---|
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 137 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 137 |
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 135 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 135 |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 134 |
21 | Trump International | 133 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 132 |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 131 |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 130 |
30 | Lundin | 130 |
7 | Ladybank | 129 |
8 | Leven Links | 129 |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 129 |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 128 |
9 | Panmure | 128 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 128 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 127 |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 125 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 125 |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 124 |
4 | Scotscraig | 123 |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 122 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 121 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 118 |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 117 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 117 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 107 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 101 |
6 | Downfield | n/a |
Regular Ladies’ Tees
Course | Slope Rating | |
---|---|---|
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 140 |
9 | Panmure | 138 |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 138 |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 134 |
8 | Leven Links | 134 |
7 | Ladybank | 133 |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 131 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 131 |
21 | Trump International | 131 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 129 |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 129 |
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 128 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 128 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 127 |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 126 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 126 |
30 | Lundin | 126 |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 126 |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 124 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 121 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 120 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 120 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 120 |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 119 |
4 | Scotscraig | 118 |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 118 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 113 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 105 |
6 | Downfield | n/a |
Overall course difficulty v length
- This graph shows how courses compare based on their difficulty and their length.
- Difficulty is measured by Slope Rating.
Regular Men’s Tees

Regular Ladies’ Tees


My Observations:
- For men, the premium courses at Gleneagles PGA and Carnoustie Championship stand out as being not only the longest in the area but two of the most difficult too.
Fantastic challenges, both of them! - Notice how length doesn’t automatically equate with difficulty.
St Andrews Castle is as difficult as Gleneagles PGA even though it measures 322 yards less off yellows; that’s a couple of clubs less each hole!
Crail Craighead is 404 yards less than Carnoustie Championship with the same difficulty. - If you are a mixed group, taking data for both men and ladies tees together, Carnoustie Championship offers the best challenge in terms of overall length and difficulty.
- Although St Andrews Old is one of the longest courses in the area, for men it is by no means the most difficult.
If you are unable to get a time on the Old Course, then St Andrews Links Castle, Crail Craighead, Duke’s, Monifieth Medal, Fairmont Kittocks, Lundin, Ladybank and Leven all offer you a course with at least the same level of difficulty, but at a lower green fee (some less than half the cost of the Old). - The newer premium courses like Dumbarnie, Trump International and Kingsbarns all offer multiple tee boxes so you can decide the most appropriate tee for your handicap to derive maximum pleasure from your round.
- For courses with above average length for men but below average difficulty look no further than Dumbarnie Links, St Andrews Links New and Jubilee, along with Scotscraig and Elie.
- Or, for courses that are shorter and therefore an easier walk, but by no means a walk-over, then Lundin, Panmure, Fairmont Torrance, Gleneagles King’s and Queen’s, St Andrews Links Eden and Carnoustie Burnside should all be considered.
Special mention also to the 2 Crail courses too here; especially Balcomie which is around 1000 yards shorter than Old Course but still rates at a respectable 118 for slope. - For ladies, Carnoustie Championship and St Andrews Old Course stand out as being not only the longest in the area but the most difficult too.
If you can’t play the Old Course, Carnoustie will be as much of a treat. - For courses with above average length for ladies but below average difficulty look at St Andrews Links New and Jubilee, along with Monifieth Medal, Scotscraig, Fairmont Kittocks, Ladybank, Elie and Lundin.
- For ladies, shorter courses that still have some teeth are Fairmont Torrance, Gleneagles King’s and Queen’s, St Andrews Links Castle, Trump International, Dumbarnie Links and Kingsbarns.
Special mention here to Panmure which ranks as high as Old Course for difficulty.
Difficulty for Scratch Golfers
- Course difficulty for scratch golfers is measured by Course Rating.
- Courses are ranked by the likely score to par for a scratch golfer, measured by Course Rating minus par for the course.
Regular Men’s Tees
Course | Par | Course Rating | Likely score to par | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 70 | 73.6 | +4 |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 71 | 72.7 | +2 |
8 | Leven Links | 70 | 71.4 | +1 |
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 72 | 73.0 | +1 |
6 | Downfield | 70 | 71.0 | +1 |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 70 | 71.0 | +1 |
9 | Panmure | 70 | 71.0 | +1 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 71 | 71.7 | +1 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 71 | 71.6 | +1 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 67 | 67.6 | +1 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 72 | 72.3 | |
21 | Trump International | 72 | 72.3 | |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 71 | 71.3 | |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 68 | 68.3 | |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 71 | 71.0 | |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 68 | 68.0 | |
4 | Scotscraig | 71 | 70.9 | |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 68 | 67.7 | |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 72 | 71.4 | -1 |
7 | Ladybank | 71 | 70.4 | -1 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 72 | 71.2 | -1 |
30 | Lundin | 71 | 70.2 | -1 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 72 | 71.1 | -1 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 70 | 69.0 | -1 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 72 | 71.0 | -1 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 70 | 68.9 | -1 |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 72 | 69.2 | -3 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 68 | 65.2 | -3 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 69 | 63.4 | -6 |
Regular Ladies’ Tees
Course | Par | Course Rating | Likely score to par | |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Ladybank | 71 | 75.0 | +4 |
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 74 | 77.3 | +3 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 71 | 73.0 | +2 |
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 72 | 74.0 | +2 |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 68 | 69.8 | +2 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 73 | 74.0 | +1 |
6 | Downfield | 74 | 75.0 | +1 |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 74 | 75.0 | +1 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 69 | 69.9 | +1 |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 71 | 71.8 | +1 |
8 | Leven Links | 73 | 73.8 | +1 |
21 | Trump International | 72 | 72.6 | +1 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 74 | 74.6 | +1 |
9 | Panmure | 74 | 74.5 | +1 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 75 | 75.4 | |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 71 | 71.0 | |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 74 | 73.8 | |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 71 | 70.6 | |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 76 | 75.5 | -1 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 72 | 71.0 | -1 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 72 | 70.7 | -1 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 68 | 66.6 | -1 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 73 | 71.6 | -1 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 72 | 70.4 | -2 |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 74 | 72.0 | -2 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 74 | 71.5 | -3 |
4 | Scotscraig | 72 | 68.4 | -4 |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 73 | 69.4 | -4 |
30 | Lundin | 73 | 67.7 | -5 |

My Observations:
- For expert golfers off yellows and reds, Carnoustie Championship offers the biggest challenge overall to shoot par or below. Followed by Gleneagles PGA.
- Despite it being shorter than either Carnoustie Championship or Gleneagles PGA, scratch golfers are also unlikely to go under par at St Andrews Links Castle.
- With their relatively modest green fees and high difficulty for expert golfers, Leven, Downfield, Panmure and Duke’s are recommended courses for scratch golfers seeking a great value golfing challenge.
- St Andrews Old course offers a good opportunity to score under par for both expert men and ladies alike.
- Off reds only, Ladybank offers a high degree of difficulty combined with great value.
Difficulty for Bogey Golfers
- Course difficulty for bogey golfers is measured by Bogey Rating.
- Courses are ranked by likely score to par for a bogey golfer, measured by Bogey Rating minus par for the course.
Regular Men’s Tees
Course | Par | Bogey Rating | Likely score to par | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 70 | 98.7 | +29 |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 71 | 97.6 | +27 |
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 72 | 98.5 | +26 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 71 | 97.2 | +26 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 72 | 97.4 | +25 |
8 | Leven Links | 70 | 95.4 | +25 |
21 | Trump International | 72 | 97.0 | +25 |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 70 | 94.8 | +25 |
9 | Panmure | 70 | 94.8 | +25 |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 71 | 95.6 | +25 |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 71 | 95.2 | +24 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 71 | 94.8 | +24 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 72 | 95.6 | +24 |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 72 | 95.4 | +23 |
7 | Ladybank | 71 | 94.4 | +23 |
30 | Lundin | 71 | 94.4 | +23 |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 68 | 91.0 | +23 |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 68 | 91.0 | +23 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 72 | 94.8 | +23 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 72 | 94.8 | +23 |
4 | Scotscraig | 71 | 93.8 | +23 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 67 | 89.5 | +23 |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 68 | 89.4 | +21 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 70 | 91.4 | +21 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 70 | 90.7 | +21 |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 72 | 92.4 | +20 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 68 | 85.1 | +17 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 69 | 82.2 | +13 |
6 | Downfield | 70 | n/a | n/a |
Regular Ladies’ Tees
Course | Par | Bogey rating | Likely score to par | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20 | Carnoustie - Championship | 74 | 110.3 | +36 |
7 | Ladybank | 71 | 106.1 | +35 |
9 | Panmure | 74 | 107.0 | +33 |
25 | St Andrews Links - Castle | 71 | 103.9 | +33 |
8 | Leven Links | 73 | 105.4 | +32 |
22 | Gleneagles - PGA Centenary | 72 | 104.2 | +32 |
37 | St Andrews Links - Old | 76 | 108.0 | +32 |
21 | Trump International | 72 | 103.5 | +31 |
31 | Elie - Golf House Club | 73 | 104.4 | +31 |
1 | Fairmont St Andrews - Torrance | 74 | 105.4 | +31 |
2 | Fairmont St Andrews - Kittocks | 74 | 104.7 | +31 |
26 | St Andrews Links - New | 75 | 105.6 | +31 |
23 | Gleneagles - King's | 71 | 101.4 | +30 |
35 | Carnoustie - Burnside | 71 | 101.0 | +30 |
36 | Carnoustie - Buddon | 68 | 97.9 | +30 |
27 | St Andrews Links - Jubilee | 74 | 103.1 | +29 |
34 | Dumbarnie Links | 72 | 101.0 | +29 |
24 | Gleneagles - Queen's | 74 | 102.9 | +29 |
3 | Kingsbarns | 72 | 100.4 | +28 |
12 | Monifieth - Ashludie | 69 | 96.6 | +28 |
19 | St Andrews - Duke's | 71 | 98.4 | +27 |
28 | St Andrews Links - Eden | 73 | 99.9 | +27 |
10 | Crail - Balcomie | 72 | 98.7 | +27 |
5 | Monifieth - Medal | 73 | 99.1 | +26 |
11 | Crail - Craighead | 74 | 99.8 | +26 |
30 | Lundin | 73 | 97.4 | +24 |
4 | Scotscraig | 72 | 96.2 | +24 |
29 | St Andrews Links - Strathtyrum | 68 | 91.4 | +23 |
6 | Downfield | 74 | n/a | n/a |

My Observations:
- For bogey (or regular) golfers off both yellows and reds, Carnoustie Championship again offers the biggest challenge overall to shoot par or below. Followed again by Gleneagles PGA.
- Despite St Andrews Links Castle being much shorter than Gleneagles PGA, bogey men and ladies are likely to go the same over par at Castle as PGA.
- Just as for expert golfers, Panmure and Leven Links are two of the most challenging courses overall for average golfers. They are traditional links and averagely priced too.
- Trump International, Gleneagles King’s and St Andrews Old are also high difficulty for the regular golfer, off both sets of tees.
- Off yellows only, Duke’s offers a particularly high degree of difficulty for the bogey golfer combined with great value. Whilst off reds only, Ladybank once again provides a strong challenge.