St Andrews Links, Old Course, Fyfe, Scotland

On Sunday Stacy Lewis won the Women’s British Open, hosted by the Old Course at St Andrews. This course review takes a look at this iconic course, considered by many to be the home of golf itself.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is a golfing establishment steeped in history, with the St Andrews Links, Old Course being considered the birthplace of modern golf. The game was played here as early as the 1400s, and after a brief golfing ban by King James II (who believed that young men should be practising their archery instead) the game continued to flourish as it does in Scotland today.

Most golfers are familiar with the Old Course’s weathered appearance and  layout from books and TV broadcasts, and the first thing many people notice about the course is its flatness and apparent lack of trees or changes in elevation – don’t let this fool you. The Old Course may be flat, with a public road crossing the first fairway, but after eighteen links holes you may have a newfound respect for this oldest of golf courses.

The Old Course is designed so that players move in a back-and-forward sequence as they progress from the front nine to the back. Many of the holes share a green, making it essential to note the different coloured greenside flags.

For this reason and many others, it’s recommended that players hire caddy the first time they play the Old Course. The caddies at St Andrews live up to their reputation for being quintessentially Scottish, and provide valuable advice to golfers playing the Old Course for the first time.

The Old Course is open to the public, but tee times can be tricky to secure. A first-come, first-serve system is currently in place for golfers who aren’t intimidated by an early morning tee-off. Alternatively, golfers can call a phone number 24 hours in advance and join a lottery for a tee time – the winners will be contacted before the end of the day. For more information on booking, please visit www.standrews.org.uk.

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