St Andrews (Old Course)

The Old Course at St Andrews stands as the oldest golf course in the world and the undisputed Home of Golf. Golf has been played on this sacred links land for over 600 years, with records showing play as early as 1400 AD and formal documentation from 1552 when Archbishop John Hamilton granted townspeople the right to play on the links.

Originally known simply as the 'golfing grounds' of St Andrews, the course didn't acquire its current name until the New Course opened in 1895. The layout evolved naturally through centuries of play, shaped by the narrow path that cut through gorse bushes and the practical needs of early golfers. The course originally featured 22 holes - 11 out and 11 back - but in 1764, the St Andrews Golfers' Society (later the Royal and Ancient Golf Club) decided some holes were too short and combined them, creating the 18-hole standard that golf courses worldwide follow today.

The Old Course faced existential threats in the 18th century when the town fell on hard times and the land was used for rabbit farming. Salvation came in 1821 when James Cheape of Strathtyrum bought the links and preserved them for golf, earning him the title 'The Saviour of St Andrews Links.' Royal endorsement followed in 1834 when King William IV became patron of the St Andrews Society of Golfers, granting it Royal status.

The course's unique design features seven double-greens, numbered holes that add up to 18, born from the original narrow path through gorse bushes. When golf boomed in the 19th century and golfers found themselves playing to the same holes from different directions, the solution was to place two cups on shared greens - white flags for outward holes, red flags for inward holes. Only the 1st, 9th, 17th, and 18th holes have their own greens.

The Old Course boasts golf's widest fairway, a remarkable 129 yards wide combining the 1st and 18th holes. This iconic opening presents one of the game's most famous tee shots, played from in front of The R&A clubhouse. Yet even this vast target has claimed victims, most famously Ian Baker-Finch's infamous hook out of bounds in 1990.

The links features 112 bunkers, many bearing names steeped in history - Hell Bunker, the Coffins, the Spectacles, and the Road Hole Bunker among them. These pot bunkers, combined with the course's strategic bunkering, gorse, burns, and massive greens (some measuring nearly 100 yards deep), create challenges that change dramatically with wind direction and pin positions.

The Old Course has hosted The Open Championship 30 times, beginning in 1873. Legendary champions here include Jack Nicklaus, who won in 1970 and 1978 before his emotional farewell on the Swilcan Bridge in 2005, and Tiger Woods, who captured the Claret Jug in 2000 and 2005. Bobby Jones, initially frustrated by the course, later called it the greatest golf course in the world after winning The Open here in 1927.

The course is owned by Fife Council and operated by St Andrews Links Trust, maintaining its status as a public course over common land held in trust under an act of Parliament. This accessibility ensures that golfers from around the world can experience the same challenges faced by champions, while on Sundays the course opens to the public as a park, allowing non-golfers to stroll the historic links.

St Andrews Links has grown into Europe's largest golf complex with seven courses, but the Old Course remains the crown jewel. Its influence on golf course architecture worldwide cannot be overstated, with designers both drawing inspiration from and reacting against its naturally evolved principles. The course record stands at 61, shared by Ross Fisher (2017) and Tyrrell Hatton (2024), testament to how modern equipment and conditioning have evolved while the essential character remains unchanged.