After the long and testing par-four 7th comes some respite at the pretty par-three 8th. Of all the course's short holes – the others being 2, 13 and 15 – this is probably the last dramatic. However, the back nine more than makes up for it with a number of standout holes. The monster 600-yard 12th hugs the adjoining beach, its fairway arching around to the left and demanding three carefully considered shots if the green is to be reached in regulation.
The most famous hole at Kingsbarns – at least the one shown the most often on television when the annual pro-celebrity bash, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, visits – is the 15th, a jaw-droppingly beautiful par-three, which plays across the corner of a small sea inlet to a green set atop a jutting promontory. Often played into the prevailing wind, this hole measures every inch of its 185 yards.
As the round draws to a close the final three holes provide a very strong finish, especially the 18th where the green sits perched on a ledge that is skirted all around its front by a sheer drop into a waiting burn. Pars here are something to be cherished.
