The St Andrews Jubilee course was my first choice for a quick afternoon round of golf during my four years in the town. The course flies under the radar for many golfers visiting St Andrews, and for others, including locals, it has a fearsome reputation as the hardest track in town. The course is a favorite of the University of St Andrews Golf Club, which plays many of its team and club matches on the Jubilee. The course is a stern test of golf, and any golfer who can play to his handicap during a windy day on the Jubilee could hold their own anywhere.
The Jubilee was first laid out as a 12-hole course for “beginners and lady golfers” in 1897, commemorating the Diamon Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The course was extended to 18 holes around 1900, and legendary local Willie Auchterlonie made a few changes nearly 50 years later. Donald Steel, who also worked extensively on the Eden Course, then made a complete overhaul to the course in 1988, which extended the course greatly in length and made it the difficult links known today.
The Jub, as is it referred to locally, suffers similarly to the New Course, with both courses living under the shadow of the Old Course. If you make it to St Andrews and need to have your ego checked, play a windy round on the Jubilee. This is especially true when the greenskeeping staff grows out the rough and narrows the fairways each summer in anticipation of golfers visiting from all over the world.
The opening hole presents a subtle challenge for golfers. A slope to the right of the green kicks everything to the left, and the rock hard links green doesn’t hold aerial approach shots. A bunker short of the green and a hidden bunker behind the green make front right the safest area of the green.
The 2nd hole is similar to the first in that the real challenge lies in approach shots. A large dune to the left, and a low lying collection area to the right, put a premium on accuracy, particularly when the pin is in the narrower rear section of the green.
The size of the 4th green allows for a huge variety of pin positions, each requiring a different strategy off the tee. Bunkers right and left create challenges for aerial approaches, but in classic links golf style, the center of the green is perfect for running shots.
The 5th has another large green, and the difficulty of the hole depends primarily on the pin position. The flatter right side of the green is much less penal than the left. A pin on raised plateau on the left side of the green is extremely difficult, and any shot missed left of the green is either in gorse or knee high grass.
The picture seen above is taken from 185 yards out on the par 5 6th hole. A grouping of bunkers on the left side of the fairway and gorse down the right create a choke point for longer hitters. Accuracy is key off the tee.
The dogleg left 8th hole runs parallel to the Eden Estuary, and both the fairway and green run in between two sets of dunes. The approach shot in the photo below is taken from the vanishing point in the fairway seen above.
The 8th green is deceptively long, and distance control is crucial on this bowl shaped putting surface.
The 9th was redesigned a number of years ago. The green was moved from the upper plateau on the left to a lower area where the green is currently seen on the right. This change protects the safety of those on the 10th tee. An unseen slope on the left edge of this green kicks balls onto the putting surface.
The dogleg left par 5 11th hole is reachable for longer hitters who aim down the left half of the fairway. During the summer months, the rough is grown out to devilish heights down the left side of the hole.
The view above is taken from the 12th green looking back down the hole. The long par 5 is another dogleg left, and the fairway becomes frighteningly narrow in the summer. The deep green puts a premium on distance control.
An elevated tee on the 13th hole provides an impressive view of the green and surrounding holes. Length and accuracy are required to hit this green in regulation.
This curious hole sticks in the memories of many visiting golfers. The tee shot is seen above, with no visible green, and intimidating dunes down the right. The fairway runs into gorse around 255 yards.
Once golfers reach the 100 yards marker, the hidden green becomes visible around the back of a dune. The green itself is set into a dune and features a massive false front. The Jubilee greens are typically very fast, and any ball above the hole on the 15th risks being putted back off the front.
The dogleg left 16th has a blind tee shot. Anyone who hasn’t played the hole would think they could cut the corner. You cannot cut much off of this corner. The smartest tee shots are draws starting down the center of the fairway.
The approach shot is fairway straightforward, although it is important to leave balls below the hole on this sloping green.
Hole #17 – 211 yards
All four par 3s on the Jub are very difficult and none are short. The 17th is no exception with bunkers on the left and right guarding the green on this long par 3.
5 Comments on “St Andrews Jubilee Course Review”
Thanks for this post Graylyn. A great test of golf, especially when firm and windy. Threading a tee shot with a long iron on #8 and finding the fairway might be one the best senses of accomplishment a player can have.
I couldn’t agree more! As with so many links golf holes, it took me forever to find a way I liked playing number 8. There were days when the wind was so strong that I was bashing a driver to get a look at the green! Other days long irons were flying through the fairway… never played the same twice!
As much as I loved The Old Course on a May Monday afternoon for its history, I equally loved “The Jub” on a Tuesday for the chance to play a challenging round of links golf. (Without Old Tom Morris, Arnold or Jack looking over your shoulder as you crossed The Swilcan Bridge.) Instead of caddies, we just rented golf push trolleys and headed out, depending on the course booklet provided and my GolfShot iPhone app.
What a tremendous course, especially the 15th & 16th holes. #15, with it’s little opening to approach the elevated green, is now one of my favorite holes in golf. #16 is tricky – hit it down the middle, then you have a view of the green at the end of the left dogleg.
One note: We had spectacular – for Scotland – weather: High 50s in temp, little to no wind, even parts sun & clouds. Seagulls singing their tunes. The only caveat? The course is crowded in tourist season. So, play with a good pace. The 3some of young guns in front of us didn’t. So much so that the Marshal 2x told them to play faster. Also? The fairways are fast…my average 3 wood shots went 30-40 yards further by rolling then I’d usually expect.
Lastly, there is a wonderful 19th hole when you finish. Clean & modern with good service. And Belhaven Best beer.
I know this thread is pretty old, but my son (age 15) and I played the Jubilee last August on our first Scotland golf trip. We tried each day to get on the Old by ballot, but were unsuccessful. The New apparently has very few tee times that you can reserve in advance, so we played the “Jub” at 7:20 AM, despite your warnings that it is the hardest course at St. Andrews. My son and I are both high single digit players (though we are going opposite directions!). While in Scotland, we played both courses at Crail (twice), plus Elie, Lundin, Panmure (twice), and Montrose, as well as the Eden and the Jub in St. Andrews.
Surprisingly, I played my best round, and shot my second best score of the week on the Jub. Now, this was the only one of our 10 rounds during which it didn’t rain at least once on us, and there was very little wind that day. I played the front nine in one-over par (8 pars and a bogey on #5 – pin was left, I was right for my only three-putt of the day). After paring 10, I made a mental mistake on 11, hitting hybrid from the left rough when I should have laid up with a short iron. I hit it across the fairway into the weeds right, and made a bogey that lead to a cascade of them on the back nine. I did birdie the 13th with a stiff tee shot.
But, as often happens on links courses, the end wasn’t pretty. I came to 18 needing bogey to shoot 79, and I hit my 5-iron approach into the left front greenside bunker,…against the wall of the bunker. I couldn’t even hit it out backwards or sideways, due to stance and backswing. Should have taken a drop in the bunker, blasted out, and taken my chances with a putt,…but no. I tried to get over the wall, left it in the bunker, and made 7.
All and all, I liked this course very much. It was the definition of what I think of as a great links. Next time in St. Andrews, I’ll try to play the New, just for variety, but I would advise anybody in town for more than a day to play this great course. Very fair layout, good challenge, and not all that crowded compared to the Old and the New. At 75 pounds, it’s a little pricey, but all of St. Andrews is, relative to the rest of Fife and Angus.
Hi Ryan, Thank you for taking the time to write that comment! I love to hear from people who play the “lesser traveled” courses in Scotland and I count the Jubilee as one of those. It’s a great courses that is underrated due to the links surrounding it.
As for your play, that’s seriously strong on the Jubilee! Great to know you enjoyed it.