The Castle Course

The Castle Course sits right on the Fife coast just outside St Andrews, and it's properly different from the Old Course that everyone bangs on about. You're playing on clifftop links with the North Sea doing its best to distract you - the views alone are worth the green fee, even if your golf is rubbish. It's a younger course than most at St Andrews, opened in 2008, but it's got that proper links feel: fast greens, firm fairways, and wind that'll humble you whatever your handicap.

Golfers are the obvious crowd here, but not just the serious ones. The layout suits all abilities because the course plays differently depending on conditions - you can have a genuine game without needing a single-figure handicap. Allow a full day if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Craigtoun Meadows or St Andrews Holiday Park; the round takes four hours or so, plus time in the clubhouse after.

It's genuinely windy more often than not, so pick a calm day if you can. The setting - with castle ruins visible across the bay and the sea constantly in play - makes even a mediocre round memorable. You'll need to book ahead, especially in summer. If you're staying locally and fancy testing yourself against proper Scottish links, this beats queuing for the Old Course by a country mile.