St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
The Old Course at St Andrews
The oldest and most revered course in golf, the Old Course at St Andrews has shaped the game itself — a place of pilgrimage for every serious golfer.
About the Course
The Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is golf's founding ground. The course has been played in some form since the fifteenth century, making it the oldest layout in the game. Occupying a narrow strip of linksland between the town of St Andrews and the Eden Estuary in the Kingdom of Fife, it is a place where the history of the sport is embedded in the landscape itself — in the bunkers, the double greens, the shared fairways, and the stone arch of the Swilcan Bridge.
What makes the Old Course so enduring is not spectacle in the conventional sense, but depth. The layout demands local knowledge, rewards patience, and punishes overconfidence. The famous shared fairways and enormous double greens create a course that plays differently in every condition. The Road Hole — the 17th — remains one of the most strategically demanding holes in championship golf, with its blind tee shot, narrow approach, and the road and wall that have ended so many rounds.
The course is owned and managed by the St Andrews Links Trust and is open to the public by ballot, making it one of the few world-class venues where any golfer with the right handicap can play a round. It has hosted The Open Championship more times than any other course, with the 150th Open played here in 2022.
By the Numbers
Course Statistics
Based on course length, terrain & layout
Handicap index suggested for full enjoyment
The Course
Why It Stands Out
The Home of Golf
The Old Course has been played since the fifteenth century and is widely regarded as the birthplace of the modern game. No other course carries the same weight of history or significance within the sport.
The Road Hole
The 17th is one of the most discussed holes in championship golf — a blind tee shot over the hotel corner, a narrow approach, and the road and stone wall that have undone countless rounds. It demands precision and nerve in equal measure.
Open Championship Pedigree
St Andrews has hosted The Open Championship more times than any other course. The 150th Open was played here in 2022, and the course remains the natural home of the oldest major in golf.
Shared Fairways and Double Greens
The Old Course's layout is unlike anywhere else in golf. Shared fairways, enormous double greens serving two holes at once, and natural dune features combine to create a course that rewards experience and local knowledge above all else.
The Course
Course Views
Extend Your Itinerary
Pair It with Other Great Scottish Links
Golfers playing the Old Course typically build it into a broader Scotland itinerary. The concentration of world-class links across Fife, Angus, and the east coast makes this one of the most compelling golf regions anywhere.
Golf Travel
How It Is Included
The Old Course is rarely played in isolation. Its location in St Andrews — with Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, and the Fife coast all within easy reach — makes it the natural anchor of a longer Scotland itinerary. We arrange ballot access, tee time strategy, and the wider programme of courses around it, building a trip that does justice to what the east of Scotland offers.
To explore how The Old Course fits into a wider route, visit our Scotland golf tours page.
Begin Your Journey
Play the Old Course at St Andrews
Speak with our team to arrange ballot access and a private itinerary built around the Old Course and the finest links across Fife and the east coast of Scotland.
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