Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – Kingsbarns

30 September 2024

Kingsbarns, referred to as a modern classic, is one of three courses that make up the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – we look at the stats behind some of the key holes.

Kingsbarns – Course Statistics

From the Shot Scope database, it would appear that amateur golfers find Kingsbarns to be the most challenging course of the three, with the highest scoring average by 0.82 strokes – we compare all three courses in our Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Course Comparison blog.

Nothing from the above data jumps out as being out of the ordinary, putts per GIR is very close to 2 which is the norm, and if anything players find the green slightly more often than we typically see.

Now that we have taken a brief look at the course as a whole, let’s look at some of the holes starting with the 3rd.

Hole 3 – Brae – Par 5 – White Tees 511yds – DP World Tour 520yds

You may be wondering why we picked the third hole and the simple answer is that at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship it was the easiest hole of the tournament.

The 2023 Championship saw the field make: 17 eagles, 95 birdies, 38 pars, 3 bogeys, and 1 double resulting in a scoring average of 4.19 – making a par here is like a dropping a shot!

For the amateur golfer, the hole plays closer to its par but is still the second easiest hole on the course with players finding the fairway 3/4s of the time and the green around every 1 in 2 attempts.

Both professionals and amateurs playing at the Dunhill Links Championship need to capitalise on this hole, failing to do so could make all the difference between making the cut or picking up some silverware come Sunday.

Now we look to the 12th hole, one of the courses truly iconic holes

Hole 12 – Orrdeal – Par 5 – White Tees 566yds – DP World Tour 606yds

A long dogleg par 5 that follows the coastline from left to right makes for a surreal setting for the 12th hole, aptly named Orrdeal.

Why is it an Orrdeal? Well longer players in particular will be left with a tough decision to make, do you go for it in two or play it as a three shotter and trust your short game to give you a chance.

For most players, a 250yd drive will leave 310yds to the middle of the green which makes the hole an absolute nightmare as it requires a good drive, an even better second shot, and an approach shot which could still be over 100yds in length – not an easy up and down for a birdie chance.

All of the above combined with an average putts per GIR of 2.22 results in players typically making bogey here, playing the hole 0.7 strokes over par.

With hole maps on the V5 and X5 GPS watches providing golfers with an aerial overview of the hole, players can pick their club with confidence by using the adjustable distance line.

For the DP World Tour players, par 5s always present chances and it will comes as no surprise that many gained strokes here. With a scoring average of 4.62, Orrdeal was the 8th easiest hole of the week (out of the 54 holes).

Hole 15 – Rocky Ness – Par 3 – White Tees 185yds – DP World Tour 212yds

Rocky Ness, arguably the course’s signature hole, is a spectacular par 3 where players must play over the edge of the North Sea.

Players typically struggle at the hole, ranked 4th hardest with a scoring average of 3.85, resulting in a bogey but it sure does make for a picturesque place to drop a shot!

Measuring at 185yds from the whites, it is a challenging par 3 with players finding the green roughly every 1 in 3 attempts – it is possible to get up and down on the hole, 31% chance, but missing short right is a different story.

Shot Scope laser rangefinders give golfers distances accurate to within a yard, essential on a hole like Rock Ness.

A ball that leaks to the right and doesn’t have enough distance will find its way into the rocks and potentially the sea!

Amateurs will be happy to know that the professionals find the hole challenging too, playing 7th hardest at last year’s Dunhill Links Championship with a scoring average of 3.12 – only 12 birdies were made!

If you are unfamiliar with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship it is a truly unique tournament combining various elements to make for a great event – definitely worth a watch with plenty of action, and drama, guaranteed.

You can preview all three courses and see what competitors are up against on the free-to-use Shot Scope mobile app and web dashboard.

Shot Scope performance tracking users can plan their way around the courses with MyStrategy – the data-driven strategy builder for FREE.

Get the most out of your game with Shot Scope.

Note: Average handicap index for the data used is 10. DP World Tour Stats taken from europeantour.com