John McGregor
The St. Andrews course,designed and built in 1926 byJohn McGregorof the Chicago Golf Club,will test your game without testing your patience. This course offers a flat terrain as well as large contoured greens and showcases a par 4 finishing hole with a menacing water hazard running along the fairway on the right side.

What is the history of golf at St Andrews?

Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400 AD and the Old Course is renowned throughout the world as the Home of Golf. The game grew in popularity and by the 19th century it was part of the way of life for many local people, whether as players, caddies, ball makers or club makers.

How many tee complexes does St Andrews have?

St. Andrews Golf Club has five tee complexes, allowing players of all skill levels to play an enjoyable round of golf based on their ability.

What is the Highlands room at St Andrews?

The Highlands Room at St. Andrews offers wedding and banquet facilities for groups of 25-250, featuring beautiful views of the golf course and a large outdoor terrace. St. Andrews Golf Club has five tee complexes, allowing players of all skill levels to play an enjoyable round of golf based on their ability.

What is the oldest course in St Andrews?

The oldest course at the Saint Andrews Links is known as the Old Course. There are now seven courses at the St Andrews Links: the Old, New, Jubilee, Eden, Strathtyrum, Balgove and the Castle, which is the newest course added in 2007 and opened in 2008. It all started with King David I in 1123 when his charter ratified that …

What happened to St Andrews Links?

St Andrews Links hit a dark time in 1797 when the St Andrews Town Council went bankrupt and sold the links to local merchants. The merchants turned the links into a rabbit farm. What would ensue became known as the “rabbit wars,” over twenty years of legal and physical war between golfers and the rabbit merchants over the links.

When did golf start in Scotland?

While golf began to grow in popularity in Scotland during the 15th century, Kings James II of Scotland put a ban on the sport. In 1457, James II felt that golf’s popularity was detracting young men’s attention away from their archery practice. The preceding Scotland kings continued the ban until 1502, when King James IV repealed the ban after becoming a golfer himself. The people of St. Andrews were granted the right to play on the links by Archbishop John Hamilton in 1552.

What is the Royal and Ancient Golf Club?

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was the original governing body for the game of golf. In 2004, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club passed along its rule making authorities, one of only two golf governing organizations with the other being the USGA, to its offshoot organization, simply known as the Royal and Ancients or R&A.

Who bought the links in 1821?

The golfers would prevail when a local landowner and golfer James Cheape of Strathtyrum bought the links in 1821 to save it for golf. In 1856, Old Tom Morris, the “grandfather of golf,” laid out the first “double greens” feature which became a defining feature for links golf courses.

When was the first professional golf tournament held at St Andrews?

The first playing of the Open at the Old Course was in 1873 , the winner was Tom Kidd. St Andrews Links has hosted the Open Championship more than any other course. It typically hosts the Open every five years.

Where is the home of golf?

Saint Andrews Links located in the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, is widely recognized as the “home of golf.”.

Six Centuries of Golf

Golf has been played on the Links at St Andrews since around 1400 AD and the Old Course is renowned throughout the world as the Home of Golf. The game grew in popularity and by the 19th century it was part of the way of life for many local people, whether as players, caddies, ball makers or club makers.

Golf Banned

Golf was clearly becoming too popular in the middle ages as the game was banned in 1457 by King James II of Scotland, who felt it was distracting young men from archery practice. This ban was repeated by succeeding monarchs until James IV threw in the towel and in 1502 became a golfer himself.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club

In 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded under its original name of the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This club, which originally composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners, now governs the rules of golf everywhere except the USA. The club also runs the Open Championship and important amateur championships.

From 22 to 18 Holes

The Old Course originally consisted of twenty-two holes, eleven out and eleven back. On completing a hole, the player teed up his ball within two club lengths of the previous hole, using a handful of sand scooped out from the hole to form a tee.

Direction of Play

When Old Tom Morris created a separate green for the first hole, it became possible to play the course in an anti-clockwise direction, rather than clockwise which had previously been the norm.

Double Greens

The track through the whin bushes on which the Old Course evolved was so narrow that golfers played to the same holes going out and coming in. As the game became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century, golfers in different matches would find themselves playing to the same hole, but from opposite directions.

Rabbit Wars

In 1797, due to ‘temporary impecuniosity,’ that is to say bankruptcy, St Andrews Town Council lost total control of the Links, allowing rabbit farming to challenge golf for pre-eminence.

What is the old course in St Andrews?

THE OLD COURSE, ST ANDREWS. The Old Course St Andrews is surely the Mecca of the golfing world. Golf has been played here for over six centuries on a course that wasn’t architect-designed, but rather has evolved over time out of the natural terrain. More Information.

Where is Kingbarns Golf Links?

Just 7 miles south of St Andrews lies Kingbarns Golf Links. It is a stunning golf course with spectacular views and consistently ranks in the top 100 golf courses in the world.

When was the Castle Course opened?

Designed by David McLay Kidd and opened to the public in the summer of 2008, the Castle Course is the newest addition to the St Andrews portfolio.

When was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee opened?

Originally opened on Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and designed for ladies and children, the Jubilee underwent a re-design by Donald Steel in 1988.