Dumbarnie Links lies within the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate, a property that’s been in the hands of Lord Balniel’s family for more than four hundred years. It’s a Clive Clark design which first opened its doors to the public as a pay-and-play facility in the spring of 2020.
Dumbarnie Links lies within the 5,000-acre Balcarres Estate, a property that’s been in the hands of Lord Balniel’s family for more than four hundred years. It’s a Clive Clark design which first opened its doors to the public as a pay-and-play facility in the spring of 2020.
4.5
One of the newest links courses to open in Scotland, Dumbarnie will continue to climb in rankings.
Dumbarnie opened at the worst time possible, in 2020, but with the Open returning to St. Andrews in 2027, I think the course will grow exponentially in popularity after more people get to play it. The course is definitely modern with a beautiful clubhouse, large practice facilities and wide fairways, large undulating greens, and pristine conditioning.
There are multiple holes that give you a lot of options off the tee whether its multiple fairways or centerline bunkers that give you a better angle depending on the pin. There is a good mix of short (even drivable) holes and long, challenging holes. The par 3s and par 5s are fantastic. I really enjoyed the routing too, with most of the front 9 on the western part of the property and the back 9 on the eastern part.
The conditioning of the course was also a standout to me. The fairways were some of the best I played on my trip to Scotland.
If you are taking a golf trip to Fife (St. Andrews), adding in Dumbarnie is a must and I think it will be in the conversation with Kingsbarns as one of the best modern links courses in due time.
AJ Willy
Round Information
Date Played
April 27, 2026
Standout Holes
#14, #6, #3
Rating Breakdown
Strategy
Green Complexes
Variety
Facilities & Amenities
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
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Overall rating
5.0
Overall rating
5.0
