The Devlin Course at the St Andrews Bay Resort is a disappointing modern layout, especially when compared to the quality of the nearby Kingsbarns course. This was a big budget resort project with some pleasant sea views and outlooks across to the township of St Andrews, but a design style that is distinctly modern and quite out of place on such a beautiful olde-world type property. The mounding here is artificial in appearance, and the greens and bunkers belong more on a north American golf estate than a traditional Scottish moorland course. One can only wonder why the designers didn't try to create a Heathland style test, and add dunes, knolls and hillocks in place of symmetrical mounding, ponds and floral bunkers.

The par threes are a little uninspiring, particularly the short 8th and the 18th with its green abutting a wall. On the front side the best holes are the 6th and 7th, and the final third of the 7th which are terrific in concept if not quite construction. On the back nine the 16th and 17th are decent holes.