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HOME AT FIRST

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        Visit this center to learn about special golf features of HOME AT FIRST travel programs in Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Scandinavia, and New Zealand.
        See our extensive Course Guides for each country, keyed to Home At First's destination regions in each location.
      HOME AT FIRST also provides advance tee time bookings and pre-paid golf outings for many of the courses of Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Scandinavia, and New Zealand as part of its travel packages.
        For more information visit these pages:
A

The greatest public golf course complex in the world includes the world's oldest course, one of the world's newest great courses, and five other courses offering a full
range of golf challenges for golfer's of all abilities and most budgets.

 

One of golf's classic scenes: the first hole of The Old Course bordering the town of St. Andrews, Scotland.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Photo standrews.org.uk
 

          St. Andrews, as most everyone knows, is “The Home of Golf”. If golf did not actually begin here, it was here on the Fife Coast that the game first gained a solid footing and put down long roots into the sand. The Old Course at St. Andrews traces those roots 600 years back to the Middle Ages: golf was played here before Gutenberg invented the printing press, before Columbus discovered America, before Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel.
         St. Andrews Links has taken a unique route to the top of the golf world. Apparently committed to the idea that golf is a sport for everyman, St. Andrews holds firm to its place as a public facility with play and practice available to golfers of most every level of golf expertise and financial standing. The St. Andrews town fathers oversaw the links property as a public facility until the town council was dissolved in 1974. Next, an act of Parliament created a trust to continue the public operation, the equivalent of Augusta National being administered as a public trust—like a national park—by an act of Congress.
          Ancient tradition and quirky customs accompany St. Andrews operation. No one plays on Sunday on The Old Course—except when the links hosts major tournaments—but the public is invited to walk the course on Sundays on their own or with a guide. Guided walks on The Old Course are available on days of play, too. Tourists are treated to stories about great players and tournaments from the past, and they see The Old Course’s unusual and nearly unique double greens accounting for 14 of the 18 holes, a design that readily permits play on the out-and-back Old Course to proceed counter-clockwise (normal) or clockwise (just a handful of days each year). Visitors see the testing 17th “Road Hole”, and the in-play road across the 18th fairway, as well as the 18th’s ancient arched stone Swilcan Bridge, crossed and posed upon by the greats of golf and thousands of strollers. Such an invasion of tourists and commercial tourism at Augusta National is hard to imagine.
          At St. Andrews, “Europe’s largest public golf complex” has become still larger, adding the cliff-top Castle Course in 2008 to much fanfare. Of the six 18-hole championship courses at the St. Andrews Links complex, four rank on Golf Digest’s current “Best 100 Golf Courses Outside the United States” list: The Old Course (#2), The New Course (#63), The Castle Course (#65), and the Jubilee Course (#92). Mix in the less-challenging, less-costly, and less-crowded 18-hole Eden and Strathtyrum courses, and the downright cheap 9-hole Balgove Course to see St. Andrews’ full range of courses and prices, all open to the public on the near-sacred linksland by the ancient town that has watched (and not always approved) the 700 years of growth of golf from curious pastime to international industry.

    St. Andrews, Fife, East Central Scotland   
 
The Old Course at "The Home of Golf" is still #2 in the world
after 600 years and a frequent host course of the British Open.

        St. Andrews Old Course has more to do with the history and with the future of golf than any other golf course on earth. The private club that has playing rights to the public Old Course, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club—probably second oldest (1754) in the world, behind Muirfield’s Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (1744)—is the ruling body for golf everywhere but in the United States, where the USGA holds dominion. The Old Course traces its roots—literally the roots of the game of golf—back 600 years to the Middle Ages when games of any kind—unless exclusive to the noble classes—were suspected as idleness and, therefore, the devil’s play.
        In the centuries since, the Old Course and the Royal & Ancient have been home to many of golf’s nobility. Kings and princes of the British Empire have been captains of the R & A. Belonging to the grand old club is akin to a peerage in the

The Swilcan Bridge on the 18th fairway of
St. Andrews Old Course: the altar at THE
shrine of Golf. In the background  is the
clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.
Home At First Photo © Greg Elwell.

House of Lords. The R&A oversees the world’s most

honored and watched golf tournament, the Open Championship—what we provincials in American democratically demote to the British Open, one of four major events in the world of golf, the other three being played Stateside. Of course, golf’s nobility knows the importance of the Open Championship. Each July the best in the world—including all the top Americans—drop what they’re doing to make the pilgrimage to Britain to try to win golf’s most famous trophy, the Claret Jug. Although played in England, too, the British Open is played most frequently in Scotland, the home of golf. Twenty-eight times since the Open Championship first began in 1860 the tournament has been held on the Old Course at St. Andrews. No other course has hosted the British Open more often. The list of British Open winners at St. Andrews is a list of golf’s royalty: Bob Furguson (1882), J. H. Taylor (1895, 1900), James Braid (1905, 1910), Bobby Jones (1927), Sam Snead (1946), Peter Thomson (1955), Jack Nicklaus (1970, 1980), Seve Ballesteros (1984), Nick Faldo (1990), John Daly (1995), and Tiger Woods (2000, 2005). As of 1990 St. Andrews has been scheduled to host the Open every five years. The Old Course hosted its 28th British Open July 15-18, 2010, with a surprise winner: Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa claimed the Claret Jug in a 7-shot walkover victory.

 

The deep bunkers, rolling fairways, and thick rough of The Old Course are exposed to the ever-changing
moods of Scottish weather. Pictured are The Students bunkers lined up on the the 5th fairway.
Photo courtesy standrews.org.uk.
 

        One could easily expect golf at the Old Course to be aristocratically exclusive, aloof, snobbish, unaffordably expensive, unwelcoming, regressively traditional, and not especially fond of upstart American golfers. Not so. The course handles the weight of its prestige and the pressures of being the #1 Shrine of Golf quite lightly, even humorously. Being a public course helps. Not forgetting that golf is a game played in the fresh air (mostly) by amateurs looking to enjoy themselves has kept St. Andrews a happy place. Remembering that during its long history the Old Course had to contend with angry rabbit farmers, royal sanctions against golf by Scottish kings, and even bankruptcy has kept St. Andrews humble.
        The long history of the Old Course has been peopled with as many quirky characters as there are quirky hazards on the course itself. Perhaps the denizens of St. Andrews have come to an understanding that its eccentricity makes the Old Course one of golf’s oddest, most memorable, most delightful and most entertaining must-plays. Eccentricity? Consider asphalt lies, a hole named after a beer concession, fairway bumps called "Miss Grainger’s Bosoms", dykes, the Valley of Sin, public roadways, two-holed greens, play in two directions, a bunker that mysteriously appeared overnight, a bunker from hell, bunkers that look like eyeglasses or coffins or an educators prominent nose. And how about this: the Old Course is closed on Sunday—closed for golf, but not for walkers. Leave your clubs at home on Sunday—bring your camera.

 

The rich history and eccentricity of The Old Course make it the #1 shrine in golf.
 

        Not so, again. The fact is, the Old Course takes its role as Shrine #1 with a great sense of responsibility but not with an overblown sense of pride. They know everyone wants to play the course, and they do yeoman’s work keeping the place immaculate and remarkably affordable. Its current greens fee of about $200 is less than those charged at Royal Troon and Turnberry in Scotland, and less than the popular Irish courses at Doonbeg, the K Club, Old Head of Kinsale, and Portmarnock, and much less than the American shrines: $500+ at Pebble Beach, for instance. If you can get on. The Old Course, it’s true, can be difficult to get on, too. St. Andrews is taking reservations now for next year. But—and this is big—there is a daily lottery (“ballot”) to fill open tee-times. Play the lottery a couple of days and you’re likely to win—about half of the Old Course’s annual tee-times are filled this way. And singles who approach the starter early each morning have more than a decent chance at getting assigned to a less-than foursome.

         Don’t forget that St. Andrews is much more than the Old Course. There are 6 other courses at the St. Andrews complex. At least four of these (Eden, Jubilee, New, and Castle) are excellent challenges, and all cost far less than the Old Course. The New Course—“new” only in comparison to the Old Course—for example, was designed by the great golfer/designer Old Tom Morris in 1894. It’s right next to the Old Course, and has many of its classic features, including shared fairways and

Golf at St. Andrews: quirky, historic, even beautiful,
and still challenging after 600 years.
Home At First Photo © Greg Elwell.

a double green. Tee-times are almost 

always available and the weather is identical to that affecting the Old Course. At £65 per round, the New Course is a bargain.

LOCATION:
        St. Andrews Old Course, Links Clubhouse, West Sands Road,
       St Andrews, Fife KY16 9XL, Scotland
        Tel: +44 (0) 1334 466666
        Bookings: reservations@standrews.org.uk
        Web Site

Open & Playable Year Round, but always closed on Sundays, except the final Sunday of the British Open. Open from 6:30AM May–August (opening time differs in spring, autumn and winter).

LENGTH & PAR: Par 72
     • CHAMPIONSHIP TEES: 7,125 yards
     • WHITE TEES: 6,721 yards, SSS: 73
     • YELLOW TEES: 6,367 yards
     • RED (LADIES') TEES: 6,032 yards 

FACILITIES:
   • Golf Cart (Buggy): not permitted on Old Course.
   • Pull Cart (Trolley): not permitted on the Old Course in winter.
      Permitted April—October if there are no caddies or trainee caddies available.
      Rental trolleys only may be used.
   • Club Rental: Callaway.
   • Shoe Rental (includes new pair of socks)
   • Caddies: Caddie: £40; Trainee Caddie: £25; Request Tel: +44 (0) 1334 466666,
      or via automated form: http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/caddies/request_a_caddie.html. 
   • Practice Center: for practicing driving, iron play, pitching, bunker play and putting.
   • Restaurant & Bar
   • Links Clubhouse: has a range of facilities for both golfing and non-golfing visitors.
    Open to the public with ample car parking and handicapped accessibility.
   • Golf Shops: Three shops at St. Andrews offer clothing, accessories and souvenirs
   with the official Old Course and St Andrews Links logos. All purchases help finance
   the maintenance of St Andrews Links. The shops are behind the 18th green of the
   Old Course and in both clubhouses.

Visitors Welcome! — HOW TO get to PLAY THE OLD COURSE:
    Singles: advance tee times not required for singles.
       • Without Advance Reservations: Singles without tee times should apply to the starter early in the
           day. The starter will try to add single golfers to the first available twosome or threesome.
       • Advance Reservations: Singles wishing to play the Old Course should contact the reservations
           department via e-mail at: reservations@standrews.org.uk or Tel +44 (0)1334 466 718. There are
           a small number of Advanced Reservations tee times for the Old Course available for single
           golfers which may be booked in September for the following year. Singles booking The Old Course
           in advance are required to also book a round on the Jubilee Course. Tee times for the other six    
           courses cannot be reserved in advance so single golfers should approach the Starter on the day.
    Groups: due to huge demand for tee-times, it is very difficult for groups to secure
      advance tee times sooner than one year ahead of their desired playing date.
      However, because of the St. Andrews Old Course ballot system, advance tee times
      are not required for groups.
        • Without Advance Reservations: Around 50% of all starting times over the year are put into the
            daily ballot (lottery) which is drawn every day for next day's play except Sunday - the Saturday
            draw is for Monday play. Success in the ballot is not guaranteed and chances vary according to
            the time of year, how busy the course is, and the weather. A minimum two golfers may apply
            for the daily ballot at one of the clubhouses or by phoning Tel +44 (0)1334 466 666 before 2PM
            the day prior to the day you wish to play. The results are shown by 4PM on the web, at the
            clubhouses, the starters' boxes, the caddie pavilion, local golf clubs and the tourist information
            centre. Ballot results web page:
            http://www.standrews.org.uk/Playing-in-St-Andrews/Book-Online/Ballot-times.aspx.
        • Advance Reservations: Groups (of up to 8 golfers) wishing to make advance reservations to play
            St. Andrews Old Course should write or write or fax the Reservations Office up to two years
            ahead of their desired date of play. Applications are held in order of receipt and applicants are
            contacted in September/October of the year before play. Applications should provide details of
            all golfers in your group (names, home golf clubs, and handicaps), name a Lead Golfer with a
            home address for future correspondence, and list the dates you wish to play. A maximum of two
            times a day may be applied for. For dates between 1 April and 31 October, there is a two-course
            must-play policy; choose a second 18-hole St. Andrews course: Jubilee, Eden, New, or #7 (under
            construction). You will be informed in September the year before you wish to play whether or
            not your application has been accepted. The booking will be valid only for those named on the
            application form and only those named will be allowed to play. At the Trust's sole discretion one
            name change per starting time may be accepted provided it is notified by the Lead Golfer at
            least one month before the date of play. No name change will be accepted within one month of 
            the date of play. Identification evidence is required by the Starter and anyone whose name does
            not match the booking will not be allowed to play. On the day please take the tickets to the
            Starter along with current handicap certificates/cards and proof of identity (e.g. drivers license,
            passport or credit card) for all players. A letter of introduction from a home golf club is no longer
            acceptable. Place reservations by Tel +44 (0)1334 466718 or reservations@standrews.org.uk

BOOKING OF TEE TIMES: To make an advance booking or for more information please contact: Tel +44 (0)1334 466718 or reservations@standrews.org.uk.

Handicap Limits for The Old Course (present valid certificate or handicap card to starter):
    • Men: maximum handicap: 24
    • Women: maximum handicap: 36.

Dress Code for the Old Course: Smart casual. (No blue denims, no shorts unless tailored.) Soft spikes preferred. Socks required.

GREENS FEES: Currency Converter
    • May—October: £130/round
    • April 1-18: £91/round
    • November—March: £64/round

Payment of Fees:
        Once paid, green fees are non-refundable. Ballot times should be paid for at the Starter's Box on the day. The course accepts cash (£ sterling), checks (with guarantee card) and major credit cards (except Diners Club). Tax is payable on all golf bookings made by commercial concerns such as tour operators and hotels. Bookings made with the Trust by individual golfers remain VAT exempt.

LOCATION: St. Andrews Old Course is located just west of St. Andrews, Scotland, at the entrance to town on the A91.

Nearest Home At First Lodgings are Kingdom of Fife Cottages, about 5 miles west of St. Andrews. Other nearby Home At First lodgings are in Central Scotland approximately 90-120 minutes west of St. Andrews.
More information on travel with Home At First to: CENTRAL SCOTLAND

DIRECTIONS: from Home At First’s Kingdom of Fife cottages near St. Andrews, take the A91 5 miles east to St Andrews.

OTHER REGIONAL COURSES OF NOTE:
    • Fairmont St. Andrews Resort & Spa: new resort just south of St. Andrews with two
       championship courses.
    • Kingsbarns Golf Links: recently built world-class championship course just south of
       St. Andrews.
    • Elie: Traditional links along Fife Coast 22 miles south of St. Andrews.
    • Crail Balcomie: Traditional links along Fife Coast 11 miles SE of St. Andrews.
    • Lundin Links: Traditional links along Fife Coast 19 miles south of St. Andrews.
    • Leven Links: Traditional links along Fife Coast 22 miles SW of St. Andrews.
    • Carnoustie: Monstrous links (British Open venue) on Angus coast 25 miles north of
      St. Andrews.
    • Gleneagles: Scotland's best known inland courses (3), including a new Jack
      Nicklaus course, 45 miles west of St. Andrews.

HISTORY OF ST. ANDREWS OLD COURSE: Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400AD. Once golf grew in popularity in Scotland and elsewhere in the 19th century, St. Andrews and the Old Course became the center of the golfing universe. After 600 years golf at St. Andrews has evolved from one simple course hacked through the heather into seven public golf courses—the largest golfing complex in Europe, attracting many thousands of golfing pilgrims from around the world who wait up to two years to get a tee

Clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, just off the 18th
green of St. Andrews Old Course. The R&A is the world's
second oldest golf club. Among other things, the R&A
hosts the annual British Open Championship.
Photo © Home At First.

time. But golf at St. Andrews

• The original Old Course was so narrow that golfers played
    to the same holes going out and coming in. Congestion first
    came to the course in the 19th century when inbound and
    outbound golfers would approach the same hole. The
    solution was to cut two holes on each green. Holes on the
    front (out) nine were pinned with white flags, and those on
    the back (in) nine with red flags.
  
• Once Old Tom Morris designed a separate 1st hole green in
   the 19th century, golfers could proceed in either direction on
   the out-and-back, green-sharing course. Thereafter the Old
   Course was played clockwise and counter-clockwise on
   alternate weeks. In modern times counter-clockwise has
   become the accepted direction of play. Many of the course's
   112 bunkers were clearly designed to come into play
   normally when the course is played clockwise. In 2005 the
   Old Course experimented with offering a limited number of
   days when play would move in a clockwise direction.

19th century congestion required
The Old Course to evolve.

   Clockwise play begins with a drive from the 1st tee in the

   direction of the 17th green. The second hole is then played from the 17th tee to the 16th green, and so on until the
   final hole, which is played from the 2nd tee to the 18th green. Since 2005 a few days of clockwise play are offered
   each spring.

THE COURSE AND SOME NOTABLE HOLES: About St. Andrews Old Course Tiger Woods says, “It's my favorite course in the world.” But such high praise is rare. The truth is that the Old Course is uniquely different—so different that it makes many golfers uncomfortable. Although St. Andrews Old Course is the Home of Golf, it has little resemblance to conventional modern courses. The challenge at St. Andrews has much to do with the unconventional nature of its 600-year-old links.
        Remarkably, the Old Course is a public course—one of what will soon be a total of seven courses on the St. Andrews Trust links land. Over time the Old Course has evolved with the game over. Although

18th green at St. Andrews Old Course.

three men (Daw Anderson in the 1850's, Old Tom

  Some Notable Holes: 
  
• Hole #2, “Dyke”, Par 4, 413 yards, Handicap: 6— The “dyke” is the old wall which forms the
  boundary between the hotel and the 17th fairway.
  
• Hole #4, “Ginger Beer”, Par 4, 464 yards, Handicap: 5— 150 years ago Old Daw Anderson set
  up his refreshment stand along this hole. Despite the hole’s name, soft drinks were
  not the only libation Daw hawked to golfers.
  
• Hole #10, “Bobby Jones”, Par 4, 379 yards, Handicap: 17— Named for the great American
  golfer who even more than Tiger Woods had a love affair with St Andrews.
  
• Hole #14, “Long”, Par 5, 581 yards, Handicap: 10— The longest hole with the largest bunker
  (“Hell Bunker” around 100 yards from the pin.
  

• Hole #17, “Road”, Par 4, 455 yards, Handicap: 1—
  Most famous hole in golf? Named after the road
  immediately behind the green. The road—in play—
  has changed the leader board significantly during
  several British Opens. It cost Tom Watson the
  Claret Jug in 1984, but helped John Daly win in a
  1995 playoff.
  
• Hole #18, “Tom Morris”, Par 4, 357 yards, Handicap: 11—
  Another road in play—this time running across the
  fairway—plus the Swilcan Burn with its famous
  stone arch bridge, plus the “Valley of Sin” gulley at
  Tom Morris's masterpiece green, plus hotel row and
  the “Home of Golf”, combine to make Hole 18 one of
  the most memorable holes you may ever play.

A rude bridge arches Swilcan Burn on the
approach to The Old Course 18th green.

THE REGION: When you’re not playing golf—or you’re waiting for the lottery results to be posted—visit the British Golf Museum just off the 18th green of the Old Course (open daily at least 10AM-4PM; admission: £6/adult, £5/senior). Or stroll through St. Andrews town (pop. 15,000, of which almost half are students) and up to the top of the hill to see the dramatic ruins of the 11th century cathedral and the 13th century castle. St. Andrews University, third oldest in the United Kingdom (1411), ranks with the best in Britain. In recent years it became something of a tourist attraction owing to the attendance of Prince William, second in line for the British throne, and one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.
        This corner of Scotland—east central, just north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee—is (the Kingdom of) Fife, but could just as easily be called golf heaven. The Fife coast is home to dozens of golf courses, including new ones (Fairmont St. Andrews Resort & Spa: 2 resort courses) and some wonderful

St. Andrews Cathedral ruins
trace their foundation roots
to the 11th century.
Photo © Home At First.

traditional links courses that may be played for very reasonable

greens fees (Elie, Crail Balcomie, Leven Links, Lundin Links). Not too far (approximately 45 minutes) inland is Scotland’s best known public parkland golf complex, Gleneagles, with its 3 courses including a recent one of Jack Nicklaus design.
        Home At First offers several very comfortable cottages strategically placed for access to St. Andrews and other golf courses in Fife and throughout Central Scotland. Just 10 minutes drive from the Old Course, our Kingdom of Fife Cottages offer great convenience, charm, and—like all Home At First lodgings—all the comforts of home.

THE BRITISH OPEN: The Open Championship was first played on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1873 and the Old Course has now become the most frequent venue, having

2010 Open Championship at St Andrews is the 28th time the event has been played over the Old Course since it first moved away from Prestwick way back in 1873. Tiger Woods won the 2005 Open at St Andrews as he did in 2000 when the victory was part of his inimitable “Tiger Slam”. In 2000, Woods landed in none of the Old Course’s 112 bunkers, capturing his third successive major championship with a record 19-under-par 269. Woods victories in 2000 and 2005 mirror Jack Nicklaus, who won successively at the Old Course in 1970 and 1978. Other notable champions who have won the British Open on the Old Course include a veritable history of golf. The venerable James Braid won the British Open 5

Jack Nicklaus's two victories at the Open
Championship at St. Andrews were
commemorated on a special
Scottish £5 banknote in 2005.

greatest amateur, Bobby Jones, won at St. Andrews in 1930. Another smooth Southerner, Sam Snead, won here in 1937. Other Old Course winners of the modern era include three crowd pleasers: Champagne Tony Lema (1964, Nick Faldo (1990), and John Daly (1995).

INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER SIX COURSES AT ST ANDREWS

TRAVELING TO SCOTLAND TO PLAY GOLF?
Let HOME AT FIRST make your advance tee-times at the courses of St. Andrews and many other Scottish golf courses as part of your pre-reserved Scottish trip itinerary. There’s no extra charge for this service.

MORE RESOURCES:
     • Golf in Scotland
     • Home At First's SCOTLAND travel program