Nestled in the heart of St Andrews, home of tennis in this historic town for over a century. Play, book a court, or join the club.
Modern, all-year clay courts
Once in a generation opportunity
to think about Kinburn Park
St Andrews Lawn Tennis Club has submitted a Community Asset Transfer application to bring Kinburn Park into community ownership. This is a chance to protect the park for the long term, and to imagine a fuller civic role for the space. Tell us what you think.
Looking to play or join the club? Book tennis or padel courts and explore membership →
Now showing: A surface rooted in heritage, improved for everyday use.
Clay courts designed for a longer season, with the quality of play that once drew championship crowds back to St Andrews.
Heritage and possibility
A place with history. A chance to shape what comes next.
Kinburn Park has long been part of the shared life of St Andrews. In 1955, the Scottish Hardcourt Championship drew players, spectators and atmosphere to these grounds. For decades, the park stood as a place of sport, gathering and local pride.
Today, there is an opportunity to build on that legacy in a way that feels broader, warmer and more useful to more people. This is not simply about one activity or one group. It is about how Kinburn Park can become a richer community space, open to more ages, more interests and more everyday moments.
The aim is simple: protect what makes this place special, and open up new ways for the whole community to enjoy it.
Why this matters now
Why this matters now
The future of Kinburn Park should not be reduced to a single use. This is a chance to imagine a fuller civic role for the space: somewhere active, social, welcoming and visibly cared for, where sport, leisure, culture and community life can sit alongside one another. The ideas on this page are presented as possibilities to shape together. Some may resonate strongly. Some may evolve. What matters is building a stronger shared vision of what the park could become for the people who already use it, and for many who do not yet feel it is a place for them.
Tell us what you think
Let us know your thoughts on this vision
These ideas are a starting point, not a finished plan. Whether you use Kinburn Park every day, visit occasionally or simply care about its future, your voice will help shape what comes next.
Inspired by the vision? You can also support Kinburn Park through individual giving or partner with us as a sponsor →
Read more in Fife Today: Tennis club's 'now or never' bid to bring St Andrews park into community ownership ↗
Modern, all-year clay courts
A surface rooted in heritage, improved for everyday use.
Kinburn Park once drew crowds for championship tennis. Modern, all-year clay courts would honour that legacy while giving players of different ages and standards a surface designed for longer seasons, better playability and a more distinctive tennis offer in St Andrews.
- Surface
- Clay
- Use
- Modern, all-year play
- Benefit
- Heritage, quality and wider choice
Outdoor event space
A flexible canopy for the moments St Andrews currently has nowhere to host.
A covered, lit canopy on the lawn could transform Kinburn Park into a genuine outdoor venue. From club socials, alumni evenings and fundraisers to weddings, christenings and town gatherings, it would give the community a setting that St Andrews simply does not have at this scale today. Used a few times a season, it would also help generate the income that keeps the wider park accessible and well cared for.
- Use
- Socials, fundraisers, weddings and gatherings
- Setting
- Covered, lit and weather-tolerant
- Value
- A civic venue the town currently lacks
Café and community kitchen
Somewhere to stop, stay and come back to.
A simple, well-run café would transform Kinburn Park from somewhere people pass through into somewhere they linger. Parents after the school run, walkers, students between lectures, older residents meeting friends and visitors exploring St Andrews would all have a warm, sociable place to land. It also supports the wider park, giving every activity a natural meeting point before and after.
- Role
- A daily meeting point
- Audience
- Families, students, walkers and visitors
- Effect
- More dwell time and a more cared-for park
Padel
The fastest-growing racket sport in the world, brought to St Andrews.
Padel is widely reported as one of the fastest-growing sports globally, with the LTA recording rapid year-on-year growth in players and courts across Britain. Played in doubles on an enclosed court, it is sociable by design, easy to pick up in a single session and naturally appealing to students, families and complete beginners. Adding padel at Kinburn Park would bring an entirely new audience into the park and a sport that people in St Andrews currently have to travel for.
- Popularity
- Among the fastest-growing racket sports worldwide
- Format
- Doubles on an enclosed court
- Appeal
- Easy to learn, highly social
Clubhouse and social space
A clubhouse where people gather, watch the tennis and share a meal.
The clubhouse can be the heart of everyday life at Kinburn Park. Somewhere to come in from a match and warm up, sit out and watch the tennis, host a barbecue with friends and family, run small socials and welcome visitors of all ages. A friendly base that makes the rest of the park feel easier to step into.
- Role
- A welcoming social base
- Use
- Watching tennis, barbecues and socials
- Feel
- Open, friendly and easy to drop into
Beach volleyball
A lively social space for energy, fun and informal sport.
A beach volleyball court would bring an entirely different kind of activity into the park: casual, visible, sociable and appealing to students, families, friendship groups and visitors. It adds movement, colour and a sense of invitation to people who may never walk onto a traditional court.
- Atmosphere
- Social and welcoming
- Appeal
- Students, families and visitors
- Value
- A new reason to spend time in the park
Grass courts
A distinctly British surface, rare in the public game.
Grass is part of the cultural identity of British tennis, yet very few people ever get the chance to play on it. A seasonal grass court offer at Kinburn Park would give residents, students and visitors a genuinely special experience. It would complement the clay vision and add the kind of variety that sets the park apart from any other public facility in the region.
- Character
- A defining British surface
- Season
- A seasonal summer offer
- Value
- An experience few public clubs can offer
Outdoor fitness
Free everyday exercise in the open air.
An outdoor calisthenics gym would make movement part of daily life in the park. It offers something flexible, visible and free to use, with value for teenagers, students, local residents, sports clubs and anyone looking for informal fitness in a green setting.
- Cost to use
- Free
- Style
- Informal, self-led fitness
- Impact
- More everyday use across the park
Covered table tennis
All-weather play that is easy to join and hard to outgrow.
Covered table tennis creates year-round activity in a format that is affordable, inclusive and easy to understand. It suits children, older residents, casual visitors and groups looking for light-touch recreation, and it helps keep the park active even when the weather is less forgiving.
- Access
- Simple, low-barrier participation
- Season
- All-weather use
- Audience
- Children, adults and older residents
Board games and social play
A gentler kind of activity, built around time together.
Not every valuable public space needs speed or competition. Outdoor tables for chess, board games and casual gathering can make Kinburn Park feel more intergenerational, more relaxed and more social. It is a way of welcoming people who simply want to meet, talk and spend unhurried time outdoors.
- Mood
- Intergenerational and social
- Use
- Conversation, play and lingering
- Benefit
- A stronger everyday community feel
Events and shared gatherings
A park that can host memorable moments for the whole town.
From outdoor cinema and seasonal events to community gatherings and family evenings, Kinburn Park can become a place that people associate not only with activity, but with shared experience. That matters because belonging often grows through memorable moments as much as through sport.
- Possible uses
- Cinema, events and community evenings
- Audience
- Residents, families, students and visitors
- Outcome
- A stronger public identity for the park
Tell us what you think
Let us know your thoughts on this vision
These ideas are a starting point, not a finished plan. Whether you use Kinburn Park every day, visit occasionally or simply care about its future, your voice will help shape what comes next.
Inspired by the vision? You can also support Kinburn Park through individual giving or partner with us as a sponsor →
Read more in Fife Today: Tennis club's 'now or never' bid to bring St Andrews park into community ownership ↗