Photo: Nicolesabrina · Public Domain
St Andrews, Scotland
St Andrews Old Course
The Home of Golf — a public links on the Fife coast with documented play from 1552, 30 Open Championship appearances, and the most celebrated holes in the game.
Course overview
Played over public linksland between the town of St Andrews and the Eden Estuary, the Old Course is the most historically significant course in golf. Archbishop Hamilton formally granted playing rights in 1552, and in 1764 the layout was condensed to 18 holes — golf's first standardisation. The course is defined by 112 named bunkers (including Hell Bunker on the 14th and the Road Hole Bunker on the 17th), seven enormous shared double greens used by both the inward and outward nines simultaneously, and the Swilcan Burn crossing the 1st and 18th fairways. It has hosted The Open Championship 30 times, most recently in 2022 for the 150th Open, and remains open to the public via advance ballot and caddie application through the St Andrews Links Trust.
The essentials
- Established
- 1764
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,680 m
- Handicap
- HCP 0–24
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Character & atmosphere
Wide, shared fairways invite aggressive lines from the tee, but deep pot bunkers — invisible until a ball is already in them — and heavily contoured double greens punish anything but precise, thoughtful play. Wind direction entirely rewrites the challenge; local knowledge of blind angles and hidden ground is rewarded as much as ball-striking ability.
Highlights
Why play here
- Sea views feature throughout the round.
- One of our highest-rated courses for scenery.
- A championship-calibre test that has hosted professional golf.
Signature Hole
17
The Road Hole — a par 4 with a blind tee shot over the Old Course Hotel courtyard, the Road Hole Bunker guarding the front-left of a narrow green, and a tarmac road and stone wall directly behind it. Universally cited as the most strategically complex hole in championship golf.
GolfTrip Score breakdown
Editorial scoring framework — not an official course rating.
Facilities
Practical guidance
Plan your visit
How to get there
Edinburgh Airport is the main gateway, with the drive via the Forth Road Bridge and M90 taking around 90 minutes. Dundee is closer but has fewer routes. Regular coaches connect Edinburgh to St Andrews, and the train to Leuchars station (with a short bus connection) is also practical.
Where to stay
St Andrews town is the self-contained home of golf, and for most visitors it is the only base they need. Being in the town means the Old Course is a short walk away and the atmosphere — historic, unhurried, genuinely golf-obsessed — is part of the experience.
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Scotland
Explore St Andrews
The Home of Golf — St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife links corridor.