St. Andrews Golf Courses
You owe it to yourself to experience, at least once in your
lifetime, the commonly accepted birthplace of golf -- St. Andrews.
Don't however, allow yourself to be distracted from the existence
of a variety of magnificent coastal and inland courses. Each offers
everything you could want from a visit to this part of Scotland.
St. Andrews Links has six beautiful courses with their own distinctive
character. No matter what your level of golf is, you can find
great enjoyment. The sixth course, the
Balgove, is a nine-hole course primarily for children and
beginners, and is recognized as one of the finest in the country.
Generally regarded as the 'Home of Golf', St. Andrews is second
to none as a golfing mecca. It has been closely associated with
golf from the game's earliest beginnings and is of course, home
to it's governing body, the Royal
and Ancient Golf Club. It has also made golf's most prestigious
tournament, the Open, it's own.
Contrary to popular belief, St. Andrews is built on public land
and welcomes visiting golfers from all over the world. Green fees
are very affordable. The town has almost been completely given
over to golf and therefore offers the golfer every possible amenity.
Besides
playing golf, one can also visit the excellent Museum of Golf
nearby. For more details see www.standrews.org.uk.
To play St. Andrews, you have to turn up early and enter your
name into a massively oversubscribed ballot. Your best bet for
a guranteed tee time, is to contact a tour operator.
The Golf Courses of St. Andrews
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Opened in 1993 as part of a general re-modelling, Balgove has evolved into a beginners course with children given priority over adults in the summer months. It has proper tees, greens and bunkers and a par of 30.
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The Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa
St Andrews, Kingdom of Fife
Scotland KY16 9SP
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Opened in 1914 and designed by H.S. Colt. Updated by Donald Steel in 1989. The Eden course is a very natural course designed to offer the character and interest of the championship courses but not the same degree of difficulty. As such it provides the low handicapper an opportunity to enjoy a round of classic links golf.
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The Devlin Course - Fairmont St Andrews Golf Courses
St Andrews Bay, St Andrews
KY16 8PN
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The Torrance Course - Fairmont St Andrews Golf Courses
St Andrews Bay, St Andrews
KY16 8PN
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Opened in 1897 with 12 holes and named in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee accession to the throne, the Jubilee course was intended as a course for ladies and beginners. Since then it has been upgraded to championship standard (1988). Like other St. Andrews' courses, it is long and exposed to the elements, where wind, length and the natural links topography are dominate aspects of any round.
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Built in 1895 in response to the growing demands on the Old Course, the New Course was commissioned by the R&A, designed by Blyth and laid out by Old Tom Morris. It is a classic links course with great skill designed to exploit the natural topography. It is built over flat open-spaced ground with many undulations and depressions. Sandy soil and coarse grasses dominate the course. Interestingly some of the fairways and greens are actually shared amongst the holes. Some say that the reputation of the Old Course has caused the magnificence of the New Course to be one of golf's best kept secrets.
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Golf historians believe the game was being played here 100 years before Columbus reached America and more than 200 years before Shakespeare was hard at work in England. There is no denying that the Old Course at St. Andrews represents the most esteemed destination of golfers worldwide.
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Designed by Donald Steel and opened in 1993, Strathtyrum complements the longer championship courses by offering a game to suit the high and low handicapper alike. The length combined with carefully placed bunkers (12) and hidden greens demand good iron play. Sloped and undulating greens often make getting down in the regulation two, a real challenge. The prevailing winds blow east to west and can severely impair distance.
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Also known as course No. 7 of the famed St. Andrews Link Trust, the Castle course adds to the brilliance of possibly the world's best collection of links golf courses. Opening in the summer of 2008, the Castle course was designed by David McLay Kidd, the designer of the heralded Bandon Dunes course in Oregon in the U.S.
Besides
playing golf, one can also visit the excellent Museum of Golf
nearby. For more details see www.standrews.org.uk.
Balgove
Duke's Course
Eden
Fairmont St. Andrews: Devlin
Fairmont St. Andrews: Torrance
Jubilee
New Course
Old Course
Strathtyrum
The Castle
