MEMBER LOGIN / REGISTER Welcome This is the website for The St Andrews Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, with our inception in 1843. We are proud of our heritage having produced many of the early champions and figures in the game. Today we are still a private members' club and we still feel we have something to offer the golfing world at large. We have a thriving junior section that complements our active adult one which boasts members from all corners of the globe. Medals, matchplay events and other competitions are played throughout the year on the courses in St Andrews. Our clubhouse is the envy of many with its view over the 18th green of the Old Course. If you are considering joining the club please use our contact page to email the secretary. How Did I Do 18 Best Golf Courses in Scotland | Golf.com 1. St. Andrews (Old Course) Fife, Scotland (Public) Nowhere else in the world can you walk in the spike marks of every legendary figure to have played the game.

Augusta National is rightfully hallowed, but Bobby Jones himself said that if he had to play only one course for the rest of his days he'd grow old on the Old Course. 2. Muirfield Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland (Private) Muirfield is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which dates back to 1744. The course has hosted 15 British Opens, most recently in 2002, when Ernie Els was champion. Although it's private, tee times are available with advance planning. 3. Royal Dornoch Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland (Semi-Private) Dornoch was formed in 1877 and has been a Royal club for more than 100 years. The course is not close to major population centers and has never hosted a major tournament, but it has been the site of the Northern Open, the Scottish Ladies and the Scottish Professional Championships. 4.

Turnberry (Ailsa) Turnberry, Scotland (Resort) If Turnberry's Ailsa course lacks the natural ripples and chaotic contours of other British Open rotation links, it's easy to understand why: During World War II, 18-inch-thick concrete was poured over parts of the layout for use as runways. 5. Carnoustie (Championship) Angus, Carnoustie, Scotland (Public) The course's primary defense -- the wind -- is wildly unpredictable. From one day to the next, the gales can turn, morphing an eminently playable hole into a nightmare. 'Tis nae wind, nae golf, the Scots like to say. That's seldom a concern at Carnoustie, where 'tis always wind. 6. Royal Troon (Old) Troon, Scotland (Public) Host of eight British Opens, Troon plays through brambles, gorse and broken sand hills. The most famous hole on the links is the "Postage Stamp," so named because the 123-yard par 3's green is so small. The front nine plays along the beach and then the course turns inland on the back nine. 7.

Kingsbarns Kingsbarns, St. Andrews, Scotland (Public) Kingsbarns was built by American developers and an American architect about six miles from St. Andrews. Although a considerable amount of dirt was moved to create this links-style course, it looks as if it has always been there. 8. Loch Lomond Luss by Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, Scotland (Private) Loch Lomond is host of the Scottish Open, held a week before the Open Championship. The 7,100 yard 18-hole golf course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. 9. Cruden Bay Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (Semi-private) Drenched in quirky charm, this cult classic offers one wild seaside hole after another, including the head-scratching par-4 14th with its amazing funnel-shaped green. 10. Machrihanish Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland (Private) Machrihanish Golf Club is a classic links course set in the sandy dunes of western Scotland.

A 6,225-yard par-70 layout, the combination of winds off the Atlantic Ocean, fescue grasses and cavernous pot bunkers make this course both beautiful and challenging. 11. North Berwick (West) North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland (Private) For pure quirk, the West course, an ancient Scottish configuration, may be exceeded only by Prestwick among the classic courses of the U.K., but few layouts have been more influential -- or fun to play. 12. Western Gailes Strathclyde, Ayrshire, Scotland (Public) A well-balanced links crossed by three burns, its higher holes offering impressive views of the Firth of Clyde and the ragged peaks of Arran. Like many of Scotland's older links, the course is wedged between the sea and a railway. Constant changes in direction invite the wind from all angles. The greens at Western Gailes, imaginatively contoured and demanding careful approach, are among the finest in Scotland. 13. Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) 14.

Prestwick Prestwick, Aryshire, Scotland (Semi-private) The venues in the southwest of Scotland range from classic Open venues to one of the game's most lovable dowagers, Prestwick, a priceless antique and birthplace of the Open Championship (1860). Prestwick hosted its last professional event in 1925, the same year competitors grumbled that success here depended a wee bit too heavily on the rub of the green. But for antiquarians with a sense of humor, this throwback of a links, sandwiched between the seashore and a railway line, has giddy surprises in store. Take, for example, the par-five third hole and its infamous Cardinal bunker. The fairway, incongruously, stops abruptly in front of a bunker big enough to sleep a brontosaurus. An elevated section of fairway, propped up by blackened timbers, swings sharply to the right above the sand pit. Forget your instincts. Follow your caddie's instructions to the letter. 15. Gullane (No. 1) Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland (Semi-private) 16.

Gleneagles (Kings) The Old Course, St Andrews - Golf Tours In St Andrews From £199 The Old Course, St Andrews Choose a date and number of travellers to see accurate pricing and book online. Got it 1 round at Old Course, St Andrews ( The Old Course, St Andrews ) Get this offer best price guaranteed or call us on 0800 043 6644 First name One of our dedicated golf specialists will be in touch with you shortly. Hmm, something went wrong... would you mind trying again? 4.6 Your Golf Travel Verified Reviews The Old Course, St Andrews is rated 4.6 out of 5 based on 18 verified reviews from YGT customers. For avid golfers around the world, playing The Old Course is the ultimate bucketlist golf experience, offering the chance to follow in legendary footsteps of past Open Champions including the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Widely recognised as ‘The Home of Golf', St Andrews and its famous Old Course offers you the chance to enjoy a round in the shadow of the R&A Clubhouse, and to tackle famous landmarks like the Swilcan Burn, Hell Bunker, The Road Hole and the Valley of Sin en route around the links. It is hard to argue against the fact that this is the most icnonic golf course in the world and one that all golf enthusiasts should experience at least once in their lives. Nowhere else in the world will you find a place that is so enthusiastically devoted to golf as the town of St Andrews, which makes the Old Course experience all the more charming and memorable. Top offers for The Old Course, St Andrews We found 2 offers matching your search. Arriving on Choose a date and number of travellers to see accurate pricing and book online. Got it 1 round at Old Course, St Andrews ( The Old Course, St Andrews ) Get this offer or call us on 0800 043 6644 First name Book now best price guaranteed Thank you, ! One of our dedicated golf specialists will be in touch with you shortly. Hmm, something went wrong... would you mind trying again?

from £269 Choose a date and number of travellers to see accurate pricing and book online. Got it 1 round at Kittocks Course ( Fairmont St Andrews ) or Torrance Course ( Fairmont St Andrews ) OLD COURSE MARCH TEE TIMES SOLD OUT Get this offer or call us on 0800 043 6644 First name Book now best price guaranteed Thank you, ! One of our dedicated golf specialists will be in touch with you shortly. Hmm, something went wrong... would you mind trying again? Create your own holiday Scroll for more Get this golf break or call us on 0800 043 6644 The Old Course, St Andrews (change) or call us on 0800 043 6644 Thank you, ! One of our dedicated golf specialists will be in touch with you shortly. Hmm, something went wrong... would you mind trying again? Old Course, St Andrews Golf tours in St Andrews are an incredible experience and, needless to say, The Old Course sits at the head of this golfing paradise.

Nobody is sure just how long golf has been played on this hallowed links, but what is for certain is that the St Andrews Old Course is among the very oldest on the planet and what is arguably the world’s most famous course has acted as a blueprint for all those which have followed since. Teeing off in the shadow of the R&A Clubhouse is a daunting experience despite the vast fairway you’re presented with and from there on in, while making your way around the course, you’re completely at the mercy of the elements, with the persistent see breeze constantly changing the character of the challenge at hand. While the course itself is sure to surprise you if you’ve ever watched The Open here – TV coverage seems to flatten the course and once on the course the humps, bumps, dips and swales are much more pronounced and dramatic than you might think – iconic landmarks and course features such as the Swilcan Burn, Swilcan Bridge and the Valley of Sin will no doubt be familiar, evoking memories of the great champions to have won here down the years.

The course is routed in a rough anti-clockwise loop and after making the turn; the long homeward stretch builds with moments of drama, including the long 14th, the nervy 16th with out of bounds flanking the right side of the hole, and of course the unrivalled challenge of The Road Hole, which is played in the shadow of the stunning Old Course Hotel. There are few more famous holes in world golf than the Road Hole and if you walk off with a par at the 1st time of asking, be sure to give yourself a pat on the back. Just how tough is this fearsome par 4? We’ll leave that to Ben Crenshaw who once said, "The reason the Road Hole at St. Andrews is the most difficult par-4 in the world is because it was designed as a par 6.” In 2015, The Open made it customary return to “The Home of Golf” as it does every five years, when the 144th Championship was contested over the famous St Andrews links in July.

Despite Mother Nature not playing nice, it was a cracker of a tournament once again at St Andrews, with a three-way Monday playoff required to decide it. Zach Johnson emerged victorious over Louis Oosthuizen & Australian Mark Leishman, winning his second career major. Past Open Champions at St Andrews include the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. It was here too where, in 2005, Nicklaus waved an emotional farewell from the Swilcan Bridge as he drew the curtains on a remarkable career. Book a St Andrews golf tour to have your chance to follow in the footsteps of the game’s legends and experience the world's most famous golf course.

STATS Par: 72 Designed by: Mother Nature, the people of St Andrews and eventually Old Tom Morris Opened for play: Golf has been played on the links land at St Andrews since the 1400s – Archbishop Hamilton Charter recognised the right of the people of St Andrews to play golf on the links in 1552 – In 1764 the links was reduced from 22 to 18 holes, which became the standard for all that followed the world over – Old Tom Morris’ involvement began in 1856. Previously hosted: The Open Championship has been staged on the St Andrews Old Course no less than 29 times; more than any other course. Most recently golf's oldest major was held here in 2015, following a pattern of the tournament returning to the Old Course every five years, a patter that might be broken should the R&A decide to hold the championship at St Andrews in 2021 rather than 2020, due to 2021 marking the 150th playing of the tournament.

As well as the Open Championship, the Old Course has also hosted a number of other prestigious events including of course, the shared hosting of the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European Tour, where the world's best players team up with celebrity and amateur partners and play one round on Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and the Old Course, before playing the final round of the tournament on the Old Course as well. TEES Open Championship: 6,933 yards, SSS NA White: 6,721 yards, SSS 73 Yellow: 6,387 yards, SSS 71 Red: 6,032 yards, SSS 76 Signature Hole – No. 17: Par 4, 495 yards (Open Championship Tees) "The reason the Road Hole at St. Andrews is the most difficult par-4 in the world is because it was designed as a par 6.” That’s what two-time Masters Champion, Ben Crenshaw had to say about the world’s most notorious par 4, The Road Hole at St Andrews.

Widely regarded as the toughest par 4 in golf, The Road Hole is one of many iconic holes on the Old Course. Job one is clearing the railway sheds in front of the Old Course Hotel with your tee shot; a tough enough task in itself. From there you play towards a shallow green with a stone dyke running across the back and, of course, the dreaded Rod Hole Bunker protecting the front of the putting surface. Who could forget Miguel Angel Jimenez playing a ricochet shot when he found his ball up against the stone wall; or the many cases of the best golfers in the world taking more than one attempt to extricate their ball from the Road Hole Bunker? Walk off with a par on the card here and feel free to give yourself a big pat on the back! Practice Facilities A short walk from the Eden Clubhouse, The Academy provides golfers with all the facilities they will need to warm up before heading to the links. With 60 floodlit bays and 22 indoor bays, The Academy is a comprehensive facility where golfers can practice their driving, iron play, pitching, bunker play and putting.

There’s even a replica of the Road Hole Bunker so you can practice getting stuck in it before it actually happens! At The Clubhouse The Links Clubhouse at St Andrews is the ideal place for golfers looking to play the Old Course to change, store their non-golf attire, shower and enjoy a bite to eat or a well deserved drink, whether it be before or after their round. Enjoy a hearty meal after a day spent toiling on the links in the Swilcan Restaurant, or a Tom Morris cocktail on the roof garden while overlooking the majestic St Andrews links land. Golfers can park their cars for free at The Links Clubhouse. Other Information Travelling light without your clubs? Not a problem as St Andrews has a large stock of premium rental clubs, trolleys and even shoes for your use. Due to the nature of the Old Course, golf buggies are limited and can only be booked by golfers who are registered disabled with a permanent condition of disability. These will be driven by a qualified caddie driver and while the buggy is provided free, the appropriate caddie fee should still be paid. It is highly recommended that you take a caddie for your round on the Old Course.

The St Andrews caddies are trained to assist in all aspects of enhancing the player’s experience and know the course like the back of their hands, which will no doubt save you some valuable shots as the vagaries of links golf, especially on the Old Course can often leave first-timers a little dumbfounded. Caddie availability cannot be guaranteed, although it’s highly unlikely your request won’t be able to be accommodated. Due to the inherent location of links golf courses such as the St Andrews Old Course, golfers may well experience all four seasons in one round of golf so pack accordingly. Even if you’re teeing it up on the Old Course in high summer, be prepared and pack waterproofs as well as warm clothing just in case. Be sure to pack a camera. A team photo on the Swilcan Bridge is a must! Features Something every golfer has to experience... November 2014 Something every golfer has to experience. Standing on the 1st tee is a something I'll remember forever.

There are some really good holes that you might not even remember from watching it on TV, the par-3 11th for example is an absolute belter with the large 'Strath' bunker protecting it at the front and a green which is steeply faced towards you it is one of the best I've played. Walking up the 16th, 17th and 18th is one of the best feelings you'll get as a golfer and walking into town for a drink at the Dunvegan pub is a must! Duncan Great to have played it for the history... November 2014 We played here as part of a golf tour including Kingsbarns and the New Course. Unfortunately we found the Old Course uninspiring. That being said, it was still great to have played it for the history of the course but I probably wouldn't play it again. Sean The whole experience was great... November 2014 Would like to play The Old Course again as I thought the whole experience was great and the condition of the course was 5 out of 5. Andy We will be back... November 2014 We will be back to play the Old Course again.

The condition of the course when we played it was 4 out of 5 but guess that is to be expected in March! Pieter Everything was 5 out of 5... November 2014 Would like to play here again as everything was 5 out of 5 from the condition of the course to the facilities in the hotel. Ian I would recommend booking a caddie... November 2014 I would recommend booking a caddie for the Old Course as they greatly enhance the round. We have a small 6 person society which meets twice yearly, it was one of our member's 70th birthday and the Old Course was on his bucket list...easy choice! We had a marvellous trip so many thanks to your company. Neil Pleased to have ticked it off my bucketlist... November 2014 The Old Course was excellent and am pleased to have ticked it off my golfing bucket list. David A great experience... November 2014 I would give The Old Course 4 out of 5 as it's a great experience.

Happily my round on the Old Course was the best I've played tee to green but unfortunately I managed to three putt 12 of the greens! Maybe that tells you something about the course! I managed a gross 90 playing off 14. Keith I would recommend booking a caddy...A must play November 2014 Our round on the St Andrews Old Course was fantastic overall. I would recommend booking a caddy as they are very good for anyone playing the course for the first time. My wife and I played three courses in the area and found them all to be challenging but beatable if you played well. We hope to repeat the experience before we're very much older! Andrew A truly unforgettable experience... January 2015 We had an unbelievable trip to St Andrews to play the Old Course! I took my son, Daniel as a 21st present, and we played the Dukes and the Old Course. We stayed in the Old Course Hotel and our suite overlooking the course couldn't have been better. The full Scottish breakfast is a must too! The Dukes course is a tremendous challenge and the Old Course was truly memorable, especially as we played it in the most difficult of weather conditions.

Who could ever forget teeing off in front of the Home of Golf, launching a drive over the railway sheds on 17 and walking over the Swilken Bridge on 18?! It was a truly unforgettable experience and a definite 10 out of 10 from us! Brian Fantastic experience August 2015 The Old Course is the holy grail for a true golfer, as the majesty and history of this magnificent course hangs in the air. This in turn, raises hairs on the back of the neck when walking down that first fairway and leaves spectacular memories, which will linger forever in the memory. To avoid a bunker on The Old Course is like dodging air, however I managed this on my very first trip, which resulted in a stableford score of 39. Although the first four holes are quite simplistic in Championship terms, the dynamics of the game change along the way, presenting some interesting shots, but God forbid you land in any of those dreaded bunkers, some of which my three playing partners failed to escape from. A pure delight and a must play venue for all decent golfers.

Chris A historical place to play August 2015 The Old Course is the Old Course, it is a must do bucket list. The 1st, 17th and 18th is why you play there, take in the history! John Make sure you book a caddie August 2015 We went in March, the weather was fantastic which makes the game a lot easier! Hire a caddie, great entertainment and advice! Greg Everything you'd expect August 2015 The course needs no recommendations, it is everything you have heard about it. Tee boxes looking down tight fairways covered with bunkers and gorse. The biggest shock is the size of some of the greens, especially the shared greens. Although not long, the clever design and the integral hazards make the old course a real test of where to put your golf ball. After drooling all the way round you eventually reach the 17th tee. So may famous incidents. Have you got the bottle to put your drive over the lettering on the sheds?? That`s only the start of it.

And then teeing off down 18 over the swilken bridge and impossible not to be seen by the many passing onlookers. Par par finish and life is complete. Irene Memorable trip August 2015 An amazing trip playing on the famed Old Course at St Andrews. Once you've done it, you'll want to play it again and again. Tip - if you have a few extra days to spare, put your name down when you arrive to go into the daily lottery for an extra tee time to play the course again. Douglas Great experience August 2015 Don't worry about your score and just enjoy the experience. The people were exceptional and the weather was equally as good. Leo Looking forward to returning August 2015 Get a Caddie, expensive but well worth it as he kept me out of trouble and helped me read very challenging greens. I shot 79 (playing off 12) on the Old Course, must have been divine intervention.

St Andrews Golf Week | Golf Week at St Andrews | St Andrews Golf Package | Golf Event at the Old Course St Andrews Welcome To The St Andrews Golf Week Can you imagine playing over the world famous links where names such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Old Tom Morris claimed some of their most memorable wins! Well here is your opportunity to achieve this dream and play The Old Course which recently hosted The 2015 Open Championship! You will follow in the footsteps of the great and play not only the legendary Old Course but also the other excellent St Andrews courses - The New , The Jubilee and The Castle . There is also a days golf at the fantastic Kingsbarns Golf Links . Whether an expert golfer or a little less practiced, the weeks programme lends itself to golfers of all standards, whilst at the same time allowing you to relax and savour the unique atmosphere of St Andrews, "The Home of Golf". Competitions throughout the week include scramble, stableford, am-am, medal play, nearest the hole and longest drive. For those wishing to work on their game there is golf tuition from PGA Professionals available throughout the week.

The St Andrews Golf Week was first introduced in 1974 and continues to attract golfers from all over the world. Please take some time to learn about the St Andrews Golf Week by visting the sections regarding the schedule , details on the golf week , the golf courses (Old, New, Jubilee, Castle & Kingsbarns), the hotels , the photo gallery and contact us if you wish to make a reservation . The St Andrews Golf Week Includes: Five Rounds of Golf: British Open hole by hole: Old Course at St. Andrews | Golfweek British Open hole by hole: Old Course at St. Andrews British Open hole by hole: Old Course at St. Andrews By Golfweek Staff Writer July 13, 2015 7:23 pm shares By: Golfweek Staff Writer | July 13, 2015 7:23 pm The first time around, it can seem mundane. By the second round, you’ll start to feel some of the subtlety and intrigue. And if, by the third time, you don’t sense the magic of the place, then you’re altogether tone deaf about golf course design. Such is the sway of St.

Andrews’ Old Course, the setting this week for the 144th British Open, the 29th time that it will be staged at the “Home of Golf” on the Fife Coast of eastern Scotland. Defending champion Rory McIlroy won’t be playing because of an ankle injury. Tiger Woods will tee it up, seeking to recapture the form with which he won on the Old Course in 2000 and ’05. John Daly, the winner at St. Andrews in 1995, also will be part of the show. Nick Faldo (1990 champion at St. Andrews) and Tom Watson (none of whose five British Open titles came at the Old Course) will be making their last appearances in golf’s oldest major championship this week. Even with Jordan Spieth chasing the elusive Grand Slam, the real star this week will be the golf course. Here’s a hole-by-hole guide of what to expect from the Old Course. Note that with a slightly wetter-than-usual late spring/early summer, the course is not running as firm and as fast as usual.

With rain in the offing this week, conditions could prove just receptive enough for some very low scores. • • • Hole No. 1 Par 4, 376 yards It’s the easiest opening tee shot in championship golf, and also the most nerve-racking. The hole is fraught with history, tradition, the peering eyes of the R&A members from the nearby clubhouse and the prospects of trying not to go out-of-bounds right (easily within play!) or left (only Ian Baker-Finch has done it in the Open) on a fairway that’s 100 yards wide. No need for a river here; the important shot is the approach, invariably a short iron except into the heaviest of westerly winds. Interestingly, the second shot here, across a stone-lined burn fronting the green, is the only forced carry across an irrecoverable hazard on the entire course. It’s the gentlest of opening-hole handshakes. Hole No. 2 Par 4, 453 yards The next six holes, all running straight north, normally play with the prevailing wind coming in from the left – a westerly.

But if, as seems the case this week, the wind blows out of the south, then here’s the stretch to make up considerable ground before squandering it on the incoming nine. On most of the holes at St. Andrews, the clearer, more open line into the green is revealed by a bold drive down the tighter right side – with out-of-bounds and heavy stands of gorse and broken ground lining that side. Everyone talks about the safer side being to the left along the lines into the wide, shared double fairways here. But this safer drive leaves a much tougher second shot at the second hole and throughout the Old Course into greens defended heavily short and left of center. R&A chief executive Peter Dawson, who will be retiring this year, recently oversaw addition of a new bunkering scheme that placed a two new hazards in front of the ideal landing zone. They probably will end up helping players by giving them an ideal drop zone rather than having them figure out from ill-defined terrain where to land the ball. The second hole presents the first of the seven famed double-greens at St.

Andrews, all of them comprising hole combinations (2/16, 3/15, 4/14, 5/13, 6/12, 7/11 and 8/10) that add up to 18. Go figure. Hole No. 3 Par 4, 397 yards This one’s drivable, given a favorable south wind. Some bunkering adjustment has made a drive down the right side more demanding – the last bunker is now 293 yards to carry and a decided one-shot obstacle because a pitch out is the only option. It’s one of several changes Dawson personally instituted, with the work technically implemented by architect Martin Hawtree. Once again, the seeming advantages of an easy tee shot down the open left side are undercut by the (double-) green complex here, which presents crescent-shaped Cartgate bunker totally dominating the inside left-center line. Even with a short iron or wedge in hand, carrying it brings into play a severe pot bunker on the far (back) side or the prospects of the ball rolling off to the back right. Hole No.

4 Par 4, 480 yards For years in modern golf, newly added championship tees were perched on outlooks to provide an enhanced view of the (more) distant landing areas. Not at St. Andrews, where the search for back tees often landed on lower-lying native terrain where a built-up platform would have looked out of place. Thus the often-uncomfortable views from the back tees, including here on the long fourth hole, where all the player can see at the drive is a low-slung broken ridge to carry. At least on the incoming nine the player can orient tee shots around church spires or town buildings. But not here on the front nine headed out to the River Eden. A new kick mound short right of the green further repels slightly wayward approach shots. Hole No. 5 Par 5, 568 yards This one’s simpler – and also very yielding. The drive is up the left side as there’s too much risk down the heavily bunkered right. With the prevailing wind across from the left if not helping, the trick isn’t getting on this green; it’s getting the close. Front hole locations are especially hard to access, given the wind and bounce here.

And for players missing the fairway or in less-than-ideal shape off the tee, it’s common to lay up short with a second shot just beyond the twin “Spectacles” bunkers, 50 yards short of the green and 90 yards short of green center – to a blind third shot, uphill, the most elevated shot on a golf course that presents no more than 20 feet of elevation change. At 37,900 square feet (seven-eighths of an acre), this 85-yard-long double green is one of the biggest in all of golf – certainly of championship golf. Hole No. 6 Par 4, 412 yards With the wind out of the south, this green might be drivable. Normally, however, with the wind prevailing from the left (out of the west) it’s a very tight squeeze of a tee shot to a landing area that’s pinched down until 280 yards out, with bunkers on both sides. From there it’s an awkward short iron in to an unbunkered green that falls off steeply all around, especially up front.

As for these greens, they will have a mottled, multi-hued, multi-textured look, but they have been well adapted over the generations. Mowing heights will be about 0.15-inch, and they’ll be rolled enough (and have been verticut and top-dressed enough) that they’ll roll about 10.5 on the Stimpmeter. There’s no need for more than that, especially if the wind comes up. The surfaces are firm enough that only the rare perfectly struck short iron shot will hold on contact. On a links course such as St. Andrews, a multitude of 20-25-foot putts is the rule during a round, even for players at the peak of their play that week. Hole No. 7 Par 4, 437 yards A crossing hole at the far north side of the layout where the approach shots overlap and share air space, so to speak, with incoming shots on the adjoining par-3 11th hole. Shell bunker, a massive mid-fairway bunker 310 yards from the back tee, is decidedly in reach and cause for a layup off the tee.

The green, at the highest point of the golf course, presents the narrowest target on the course: only 17 yards across and set on a diagonal that makes holding it downwind along its axis very demanding. Hole No. 8 Par 3, 175 yards Seemingly the simplest hole at St. Andrews, it’s usually played into a crosswind from the right if not a direct head wind. Two tiny pot bunkers up front seem to induce players to ensure they are past these – with the effect that shots come in hot and with a strong right-to-left bias. That’s not idea for a green that tilts slightly away. The result is that iron shots often roll into crumpled ground on the right and behind, leaving double-breaking putts or awkward chips back. Hole No. 9 Par 4, 352 yards Here’s one of those truly maddening holes, wide open down the middle to a massive single green, 14,800 square feet, that has less contour than most tees. It’s exactly the lack of definition to the target that makes this hole so unsettling.

All of a sudden there’s irrecoverable trouble on the left in the form of dense gorse – plus three far bunkers, Boase’s (270 yards to reach), End Hole (295 yards) and a new, unnamed one (Dawson?) on its left, 301 yards to pass, that function like sink holes out of all proportion to their size. Hole No. 10 Par 4, 386 yards Back-to-back with No. 9 in opposite directions and a shared fairway; if one of them is drivable, the other is not. There’s a lot of trouble left here, plus two sentinel bunkers 270 yards out on the right, and another one 30 yards farther up smack in the middle of the long-drive zone. All in all, good reason to lay up and leave a short-iron or wedge to another one of those massive, randomly defined putting surfaces that seem to feed the ball off and away. Hole No. 11 Par 3, 174 yards One of the most famous and one of the most copied par 3s in all of golf.

This uphill hole, on a path that crosses with the seventh hole that comes on from the left, offers a very simple strategic choice off the tee. Carry it past the steep fronting bunker called Strath on the right center side, and keep it from going too far past that would leave an impossible slick downhill putt. Also, keep it from going too far left into the adjoining Hill bunker. The scheme is oft-repeated, most self-consciously on the fourth hole at Augusta National. For years, the back-left section of the green could not be used for hole locations because the ground slope was too severe. Now that’s finally been addressed, thanks to some much-overdue softening of the slope so that we’ll now see the hole cut on the dangerous back-left shelf – surely one of the most well protected and demanding hole locations on the course. Hole No. 12 Par 4, 348 yards No fairway at St. Andrews is more littered with trouble than this pockmarked one.

Back in 2000, when Tiger Woods managed his way around 72 holes without once landing in a bunker, he invented a new way to play this hole – drive it through the green and approach it from the other side. Not a bad strategy for approaching a top-hat green such as this one, which was, in fact, more accessible to play on the “left-hand course” when they played the Old Course in reverse periodically through the second half of the 19th century (and lately on a few days in early April). Hole No. 13 Par 4, 465 yards When played into a prevailing headwind or crosswind from the left, this is one of the most demanding holes on the Old Course. A trio of famously named bunkers, The Coffins, occupies central ground between the narrow landing area on the right and the more generous ground (of the adjoining sixth hole) to the left. The clearer, more receptive angle is down the right; the more difficult, usually blind approach is from that safer ground to the left. The uphill approach, often a mid- or long-iron for these players, is to that large double green (5/13).

With the front and right sides of the putting surface bunkered intensely, the ideal approach angle from the right can make use of the depth here without bringing that sand into play. Hole No. 14 Par 5, 618 yards Nobody in championship golf is comfortable lining up a drive over an out-of-bounds wall. But that’s the sense on the back tee of this legendary par 5, with the prevailing wind from the right or into the golfer. The left side is protected by a notoriously deep bunker complex: the Beardies, 305 yards to clear. Land here and there’s little chance but for a wedge out and a very long third shot in. Just ahead is the flattest ground on the entire golf course, The Elysian Fields. Looming ahead, of course, is the layout’s biggest hazard, Hell, a conch-shaped medieval fortress of sand 7 feet deep that offers little opportunity for carrying the requisite 125 yards to green center.

In other words, avoid at all cost – for which there are alternative paths, including short, right, well over with a bold second shot, or – what appears the timid way but which in fact makes a lot of sense, way left onto the fifth fairway. That’s because the double green here is canted the wrong way, so to speak, and is tipped through town center, away from the line of approach. The ideal angle is to come in from way right and use the right side of the green as a backstop. Otherwise, as will happen frequently this week, seemingly ideal incoming shots will come in hot and roll a long way – perhaps into a nasty little pot bunker on the far right that doesn’t warrant attention until it’s too late. Hole No. 15 Par 4, 455 yards Narrow driving lane here, with out-of-bounds right along a train track. The ideal tee shot settles softly amid a pair of mounds called – no joke – Miss Grainger’s Bosoms.

Such are the seduction on this Presbyterian morality play of a golf course where (on the last hole) Hell sits just beyond Elysian Fields and later, at the 18th hole, you get to pass through the Valley of Sin. A small bunker front left, a crumpled half of green on the right and a surface tipped away that feeds the ball back into Cartgate bunker on the far side – they all end up creating a bit more subtle drama than appears at first glance. Hole No. 16 Par 4, 423 yards A truly great little hole, though under-appreciated. There’s railroad OB right, and a driving zone that has to negotiate the bunker-strewn mound called Principal’s Nose (256 yards to reach; 272 to carry) as well as Deacon Sime bunker another 20 yards on. There’s considerable risk to hitting driver here, which is why many players will just lay up off the tee and face a second shot in the 170-yard range to another of those double greens that are well defended short left and long but offer considerable maneuver room on the right. Hole No.

17 Par 4, 495 yards Blind tee shot over the old faux coal sheds outlined by the Old Course Hotel boundary fence. Awkward to the extreme, with the bailout left offering a terrible angle to the smallest green on the course, a solo putting surface only 7,100 square feet. It’s angled at a cant, with no support behind it and a road that is the resting place for all too many approach shots. That’s because the perched green wraps around the one must-avoid spot on the entire golf course, the infamous Road Hole Bunker – 7 feet below the green surface, revetted straight up, and though recently expanded a little, still provides the scene for tragic-comical escape efforts. Carrying the bunker and holding the line on its left side has now been made harder through an expansion of the bunker face that gives it the appearance of too much Botox. The ideal line of approach is still down the right, which requires an extremely bold line off the tee close to the hotel building proper. There’s no better case in all of golf for how a fearsome greenside hazard resonates and reverberates a quarter-mile back to the tee. Hole No.

18 Par 4, 357 yards The Home Hole at St. Andrews is the least worrisome of the lot, as long as you don’t park your tee shot across the white boundary fence along The Link (a road) and its frontage of houses, hotels, clubhouses and shops. The green is indeed drivable, given the slightest favoring wind and some dry ground – which might not be the case this week, with a forecast of rain for the first three days. The tee shot is toward the clock on the R&A clubhouse, from which it’s a wedge, bump-and-run or long putt through a deep swale (Valley of Sin) to a green sitting in the middle of town and farmed by huge spectator stands. It’s not a very testing hole but certainly a very sporting one – dense with tradition and emotion. In that sense, it’s a fitting end.

Question: What is the name of the main tournament course at St Andrews Golf Club?
Answer: The Old Course