St Andrews — Old Course¶
The home of golf: five centuries of play over the same links land, 22 holes reduced to eighteen in 1764 — the reason "eighteen holes" is the standard at all. Shared fairways, seven double greens, the Swilcan Bridge, and a routing that runs out and back through the middle of town. No single designer: Allan Robertson widened the fairways and created the double greens as Keeper of the Green; Old Tom Morris, Keeper from 1864, separated the 1st/17th greens and revetted the bunkers into the shapes every links since has copied.
Location¶
St Andrews Links, in town — the course literally ends at the R&A clubhouse on the Scores. Map.
The Course¶
Par 72, 7,305 yds championship (about 6,670 from the white tees). Seven double greens (5/13, 7/11, 2/16, 3/15, 4/14, 6/12, 8/10); the Swilcan Burn crosses the 1st and 18th. Famous artefacts: the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th, the Road Bunker guarding the 17th, Hell Bunker on the 14th, Principal's Nose and Wig on the 16th. Holes carry names going back centuries — see the scorecard.
Scorecard¶
Championship yardages (source: The Open / standrews.com; hole names official). White tees play about 6,670 yds.
| Hole | Name | Par | Yds | M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burn | 4 | 376 | 344 |
| 2 | Dyke | 4 | 453 | 414 |
| 3 | Cartgate (Out) | 4 | 397 | 363 |
| 4 | Ginger Beer | 4 | 480 | 439 |
| 5 | Hole O'Cross (Out) | 5 | 568 | 519 |
| 6 | Heathery (Out) | 4 | 412 | 377 |
| 7 | High (Out) | 4 | 371 | 339 |
| 8 | Short | 3 | 175 | 160 |
| 9 | End | 4 | 352 | 322 |
| 10 | Bobby Jones | 4 | 386 | 353 |
| 11 | High (In) | 3 | 174 | 159 |
| 12 | Heathery (In) | 4 | 348 | 318 |
| 13 | Hole O'Cross (In) | 4 | 465 | 425 |
| 14 | Long | 5 | 618 | 565 |
| 15 | Cartgate (In) | 4 | 455 | 416 |
| 16 | Corner of the Dyke | 4 | 423 | 387 |
| 17 | Road | 4 | 495 | 453 |
| 18 | Tom Morris | 4 | 357 | 326 |
History¶
18 holes since 1764; Open Championship host 30 times — more than any other course. Every giant of the game has walked the 18th over the Swilcan Bridge.
Playing It¶
Green fees: £355 (2026, high season 21 Apr–18 Oct); cheaper shoulder/winter rates. Handicap max 36, certificate required. The Daily Ballot: groups of 2–4 (no singles), entered by 14:00 two days before play, results ~16:00, free — roughly 120 slots a day; success runs from ~25% in peak season to 70%+ in shoulder months. No ballot Fridays (course closed Sundays). Alternatives: Advance Reservation (12 months ahead), Singles Daily Draw (in person, day before), or Authorised Provider packages. Book at standrews.com.
Getting There¶
Walk from anywhere in St Andrews — the first tee is by the Tom Morris statue, five minutes from town centre.
Notes¶
The ballot is a lottery — plan the trip so a missed ballot still leaves Jubilee/New as strong fallbacks on the same ground. Caddies (~£80 + gratuity) genuinely help first-timers; the course's geometry is not obvious.