Destination: St. Andrews
Considered the "Home of Golf," Scotland's St. Andrews has become mecca for many golfers. Apart from its six publicly owned golf courses, St. Andrews itself is a bustling university town with a medieval backdrop, easily walkable and full of pubs, restaurants, hotels and golf shops.
Destination: St. Andrews
Apart from its six publicly owned golf courses, St. Andrews itself is a bustling university town with a medieval backdrop, easily walkable and full of pubs, restaurants, hotels and golf shops. The town has prospered in the last 20 years or so, thanks to the tourist draw of the Old Course, which welcomes public play through a daily ballot except Sundays, when the course closes for golf and becomes a public park.
The unique Old Course, which can be played in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, is one of six original Links Trust courses in town and along the sea. The five others include the stellar New Course, opened in the late 1800s as demand for the Old Course became too much, and the Jubilee, considered the sternest test from the daily member tees.
Higher handicappers can play the Eden, Balgove or Strathtyrum courses, or have a free game on the famous Himalayas putting green next to the Old Course's second fairway.
These aren't the only golf courses in town anymore. Along the A917 southeast of town there are four modern links: Kingsbarns Golf Links, the Fairmont St. Andrews Torrance and Kittocks courses and, most recently, the Links Trust opened the Castle Course in 2008.
Also, just a mile from St. Andrews the Duke's Course, in the hillsides overlooking town, continues to draw praise.
ScotlandGolf.com's five best bets in St. Andrews
Old Course, St. Andrews
Kingsbarns Golf Links
New Course, St. Andrews
Jubilee, St. Andrews
Castle Course, St. Andrews
Golf around St. Andrews
A short drive from St. Andrews are Open Championship host Carnoustie Championship Links and 2014 Ryder Cup Host and five-star resort Gleneagles, boasting three fine heathland courses. Set in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife, scores of other traditional clubs along the coastline and inland are also a short drive away, including Leven Links and Ladybank.
Getting to St. Andrews
St. Andrews is about an hour's drive from Edinburgh (Airport code: EDI). Follow signs over the Forth Bridge through Glenrothes on A92 and then follow signs on A91 to St. Andrews.
See also
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Featured Courses
| Course | City | Rates from |
|---|---|---|
| Course | City | Rates from |
| St. Andrews Links - Jubilee Course | St. Andrews | £46 - £65 |
| Muirfield | Gullane | £160.00 |
| Kingsbarns Golf Links | Kingsbarns | £125 |
| Gulane Golf Club - No. 1 | Gullane | £85.00 |
| Gulane Golf Club - No. 2 | Gullane | £40.00 |
| Carnoustie Golf Links - Burnside Course | Carnoustie | £16.50 - £34.00 |
| The North Berwick Golf Club | North Berwick | £60 - £70 |
| St. Andrews Links - The Castle Course | St. Andrews | £84 - £120 |
| Carnoustie Golf Links - Buddon Links Course | Carnoustie | £14.00 - £29.00 |
| St. Andrews Links - New Course | St. Andrews | £46 - £65 |
| Carnoustie Golf Links - Championship Course | Carnoustie | £57.50 - £125.00 |
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