where is the old course st andrews

How much is it to play St Andrews Old Course?

The oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. The Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker are recognised across the globe, yet the greatest feature of the Old Course is that despite its grand status it remains a public golf course, open to all. Booking. There are a number of ways to get a tee time on the Old Course.

How to book a round at St. Andrews Old Course?

The Old Course, St Andrews. The Old Course St Andrews is surely the Mecca of the golfing world. Golf has been played here for over six centuries on a course that wasn’t architect-designed, but rather has evolved over time out of the natural terrain. Starting and finishing in the town, it is renowned for its huge double greens meaning that a golfer may face a 100-yard putt, compact …

Is St Andrews a public course?

The Old Course at St. Andrews is iconic. Although it hasn't always impressed first-time visitors from abroad - Sam Snead thought it was "an old, abandoned golf course" the first time he laid eyes on it. The 18 photos in this gallery depict all 18 holes, in …

What is the Old Course in St Andrews Scotland?

Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400 AD and the Old Course is renowned throughout the world as the Home of Golf. The game grew in popularity and by the 19th century it was part of the way of life for many local people, whether as players, caddies, ball makers or club makers. Golf still plays a major part in the ...

How difficult is the Old Course at St Andrews?

The hallowed Old Course lies on public ground, but there's no other place a golfer feels more privileged to play. The course isn't the most technically challenging, but teeing off in front of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club is as nerve-racking as it gets. Read “The Investment of St. Andrews.”Apr 7, 2010

Can you walk the Old Course at St Andrews?

This trail is great for trail running and walking. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Old Course at St Andrews is the ruling house of golf worldwide.

What is the famous course at St Andrews?

The oldest and most iconic golf course in the world. The Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker are recognised across the globe, yet the greatest feature of the Old Course is that despite its grand status it remains a public golf course, open to all.

What town is St Andrews golf course in?

St Andrews Links in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is regarded as the "Home of Golf"....St Andrews Links.Club informationOperated bySt Andrews Links TrustTournaments hostedThe Open Championship Alfred Dunhill Links Championship St Andrews Links TrophyOld Course32 more rows

Do you need a Caddie at St Andrews?

We strongly recommend the use of our caddie service to all golfers especially those visiting for the first time. All caddies are licensed by St Andrews Links but not employed.

Can you play the Old Course on a Sunday?

The centuries-old edict to refrain from golf on Sundays is a sacred part of the Old Course's traditions. Historians trace the Old Course's Sunday closure to religious laws dating at least to the 16th century, when some residents of St. Andrews were cited in town criminal logs for playing on the Sabbath.Jun 14, 2015

What is the oldest golf club in the world?

The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland is the oldest golf course in the world, dating back to 1552. Every golf aficionado knows that St. Andrews is the “home of golf” as the game was played on the links as far back as the 15th century.

What is the oldest golf course in Ireland?

Ireland's oldest Golf CoursesThe Royal Curragh Golf Club, is Ireland's oldest golf course. ... Royal Belfast Golf Club was founded in 1881. ... The Royal Dublin Golf Club was founded in 1885 and is Ireland's third oldest golf club. ... Dooks is one of the oldest Golf Clubs in Ireland and is located in exquisite surroundings.More items...•Mar 11, 2019

What handicap do you need to play the Old Course?

36 or belowThe Old Course at St. Andrews requires all golfers to have a handicap of 36 or below. Muirfield and Royal Portrush Golf Club are a little more restrictive, both requiring an 18 or better to play the course (24 for females at Royal Portrush).Oct 19, 2020

Is St Andrews a city or town?

18,410 (mid-2020 est.) St Andrews (Latin: S. Andrea(s); Scots: Saunt Aundraes; Scottish Gaelic: Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, 10 miles (16 kilometres) southeast of Dundee and 30 miles (50 kilometres) northeast of Edinburgh.

Where in Scotland is known as the home of golf?

St Andrews LinksSt Andrews Links : The Home of Golf.

Where do you fly into for St Andrews?

Most international visitors arrive at Glasgow Airport, which is around 90 miles from St Andrews, while Glasgow Prestwick is slightly further from the city. Both airports offer a number of bus routes into Glasgow, which connect with onward transport options to St Andrews.

What is the toughest hole in golf?

The 17th hole is often voted the toughest par 4 in golf, with the tee shot having to cut over part of the famous hotel, whilst the Road Hole bunker and the road itself await any loose shot into the green.

What is the oldest golf course in the world?

The Old Course, St Andrews. The oldest, most famous and most iconic golf course in the world.

Why is St Andrews considered the home of golf?

The Old Course at St Andrews is considered by many to be the "home of golf" because the sport was first played on the Links at St Andrews in the early 15th century. Golf was becoming increasingly popular in Sco tland until James II of Scotland banned the game in 1457 because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead ...

What is the oldest golf course in the world?

The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews clubhouse sits adjacent ...

What hole has a white flag?

The 18th green has a white flag so that it can seen in front of the red Hamilton Grand building. 7th hole (white flag) 17th hole (red flag) 1 and 18. The Swilcan Burn. Water hazard ( Watercourse) This waterway flows from St Andrews into St Andrews Bay across the Old Course. The Swilcan Burn.

What is the Old Course?

William St Clair of Roslin as the captain of The Captain and Gentlemen Golfers authorized changes to St Andrews on 4 October 1764. He decided that the first four and last four holes on the course were too short and should be combined into four total holes (two in and two out). St Andrews then had 18 holes and that was how the standard of 18 holes was created. Around 1863, Old Tom Morris had the 1st green separated from the 17th green, producing the current 18-hole layout with 7 double greens and 4 single greens. The Old Course is home of The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's major championships . The Old Course has hosted this major 29 times since 1873, most recently in 2015. The 29 Open Championships that the Old Course has hosted is more than any other course, and The Open is currently played there every five years.

Why was the 1939 Claret Jug the last open?

290 (−2) The 1939 Open was the last Open until 1946 because of World War II. The Royal Air Force used the fairways of the Old Course as runways. Burton held the Claret Jug the longest (7 years), until the tournament resumed in 1946, also at St Andrews. The winners share was £100.

How many greens are there in Old Tom Morris?

Around 1863, Old Tom Morris had the 1st green separated from the 17th green, producing the current 18-hole layout with 7 double greens and 4 single greens. The Old Course is home of The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's major championships.

When did St Andrews go bankrupt?

St Andrews Links had a scare when they went bankrupt in 1797.

How wide is the old St Andrews golf course?

The Old Course at St. Andrews opens with one of the easiest tee shots in golf. Hazards are very hard to find off the tee - the fairway is around 100 yards wide, there are no bunkers, no water, no rough.

What is the second hole in St Andrews?

The Old Course - Hole 2. The second hole on The Old Course at St. Andrews. David Cannon / Getty Images. The second hole at The Old Course is home to the deep bunker known at Cheape's Bunker, and Cheape's is quite costly to any golfer who goes into it.

How far off the tee are the coffin bunkers?

For regular play, The Coffins bunkers are about 200 yards off the tee, making them a real hazard to many Old Course golfers. But the pros had been able to fly them, so prior to the 2010 British Open a new tee was added farther back, and now The Coffins - for the pros - sit around 290 yards off the tee.

What bunker is on the right side of the 11th green?

This hole typically plays into the prevailing wind off Eden Estuary. Strath bunker (visible in the photo) is a small pot bunker on the right side of the 11th green (near the middle of the double green), and Hill bunker is a large, deep bunker on the left side that is the most dangerous hazard.

What bunker is on the seventh hole of the golf course?

The seventh hole shares its double green with No. 11, and fronting the seventh green is the Shell bunker, a cavernous, gaping maw of sand. Avoid the Shell bunker by not going too long off the tee, or too short on the short approach shot to the green. 08. of 18.

What is the name of the 10th hole at the Old Course?

Name of 10th hole: Bobby Jones. Par: 4. Yards: 380. The first hole of the inward nine at The Old Course is named in honor of Robert Tyre Jones, Bobby Jones , who won on The Old Course in 1927 (British Open) and 1930 (British Amateur).

How far is the Spectacles bunker?

Farther up the hole are the Spectacles bunkers, two bunkers, one on either side of the fairway, around 60 yards short of the green. For the non-pros, and all shorter hitters, laying up short of the Spectacles is the play, leaving a short third into a raised green that is 100 yards from front to back.

Six Centuries of Golf

Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400 AD and the Old Course is renowned throughout the world as the Home of Golf. The game grew in popularity and by the 19th century it was part of the way of life for many local people, whether as players, caddies, ball makers or club makers.

Golf Banned

Golf was clearly becoming too popular in the middle ages as the game was banned in 1457 by King James II of Scotland, who felt it was distracting young men from archery practice. This ban was repeated by succeeding monarchs until James IV threw in the towel and in 1502 became a golfer himself.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club

In 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded under its original name of the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This club, which originally composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners, now governs the rules of golf everywhere except the USA. The club also runs the Open Championship and important amateur championships.

From 22 to 18 Holes

The Old Course originally consisted of twenty-two holes, eleven out and eleven back. On completing a hole, the player teed up his ball within two club lengths of the previous hole, using a handful of sand scooped out from the hole to form a tee.

Direction of Play

When Old Tom Morris created a separate green for the first hole, it became possible to play the course in an anti-clockwise direction, rather than clockwise which had previously been the norm.

Double Greens

The track through the whin bushes on which the Old Course evolved was so narrow that golfers played to the same holes going out and coming in. As the game became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century, golfers in different matches would find themselves playing to the same hole, but from opposite directions.

Rabbit Wars

In 1797, due to 'temporary impecuniosity,' that is to say bankruptcy, St Andrews Town Council lost total control of the Links, allowing rabbit farming to challenge golf for pre-eminence.

How to Play the St Andrews Old Course in 2022

This brief outline will help explain all the different methods that can be used to obtain a tee time on the Old Course at St Andrews.

Advanced Application Process

Each year, St Andrews Links has an allocation of tee-times that are sold directly to clients. Applications are accepted for these tee-times during a two-week period in August and these are drawn randomly by a computer. We can assist you in the application process but you must submit the forms directly.

The "Ballot" (Lottery)

Nearly half of Old Course tee times each year are allocated to the Ballot to give people who have been unable to book a chance of playing. It is drawn 48 hours in advance of play and golfers should provide their names, home club and handicaps two days before the day they wish to play.

The Lineup (Standing-By)

There are normally between 10 and 20 spaces on the Old Course each day that the starter will fill in with golfers that are registered on the stand-by list. Any golfer wanting to walk on will need to report to the Old Course Pavillion on the day they wish to play.

What is the northern boundary of St Andrews?

The northern boundary of the burgh was the southern side of the Scores (the street between North Street and the sea) with the southern by the Kinness Burn and the western by the West Port. The burgh of St Andrews was first represented at the great council at Scone Palace in 1357.

What is the home of golf?

St Andrews is also known globally as the " home of golf ". This is in part because of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, founded in 1754, which until 2004 exercised legislative authority over the game worldwide (except in the United States and Mexico).

How much rain does St Andrews get?

Rainfall, at little more than 650 mm per year makes St Andrews one of the driest parts of Scotland, shielded from Atlantic weather systems by several mountain ranges. Over 1 mm of rain is recorded on just under 117 days of the year.

What is the Gaelic spelling of St Andrews?

The modern Gaelic spelling is Cill Rìmhinn. It is likely that the Gaelic name represents an adaptation of a Pictish form *Penrimond. The name St Andrews derives from the town's claim to be the resting place of bones of the apostle Andrew.

What is the capital of Scotland?

The burgh soon became the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, a position which was held until the Scottish Reformation. The famous cathedral, the largest in Scotland, now lies in ruins. St Andrews Cathedral was once the largest building in Europe. St Andrews is also known globally as the " home of golf ".

What is St Andrews named after?

According to some rankings, it is ranked as the second best university in the United Kingdom, behind Cambridge. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.

When was St Andrews abolished?

From 1975, St Andrews was administered by North East Fife District Council and Fife Regional Council. North East Fife District was abolished in 1996 when Fife Council became the unitary authority. Fife Council, based in Glenrothes, is now the executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local governance.