The Dukes Golf Club

The Duke’s Golf Club opened in 1995, on wooded and rolling land just overlooking St. Andrews, Scotland and was originally designed as a parkland style course by Peter Thompson. Enter Herb Kohler, the bathroom fixture billionaire who purchased the Old Course hotel, and since there are no golf privileges on any of the St Andrew's course, he purchased the Dukes for his hotel guests. He hired Tim Liddy, a Pete Dye disciple to give the Duke's a face-lift. They rebuilt or added 116 bunkers flaring them out American style and lengthened the course to 7,512 yards from the championship tees. It's more of a North American style course in layout and conditions, since it is well irrigated as opposed to the dry links conditions, so there's not much of a running game. One advantage of the Americanization of a Scottish course is that there are golf carts or buggies available for hire to give the legs a rest. It's a nice setting if you tire of links, but pricey for a parkland course in the area. Scotscraig or Ladybank carry a better reputation, and are less costly.