The highlight of Andrew’s recent trip to Scotland was being able to play the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, considered to be the home of golf. Spoiler alert, it was even more amazing than he could have ever imagined. Read on to find out what it was like to play possibly the most sought after course in the world.

About St. Andrews

The town sits about 45 minutes north of Edinburgh on the East Coast of Scotland with the course beginning and ending right in town. It has hosted multiple Open Championships, the oldest and, considered by many as the greatest golf tournament in the world. Andrew and his brother attended the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2022, which kicked off his love of Scotland and Links golf.

History

King David I’s charter ratifies that the Links is common land belonging to the townspeople of St Andrews in 1123 and has remained a public space ever since. Golf was being played on the Links at St Andrews through-out the 1400’s. However, in 1552 Archbishop Hamilton signed an official charter recognizing the right of the people of St Andrews to play golf on the Links, cementing the future of the sport at the Home of Golf. The Old Course is open to public play 6 days a week and on Sunday’s, it is considered a public park where anyone can walk the course, cross the famous Swilcan Bridge, and stroll down the 1st and 18th holes.

Rainbow over the Old Course — Cool to see a rainbow over the Old Course.

The Course

The course for everyday play maxes out at 6670 yards from the black tees but we played the blues, which seems to be the tees just about everyone plays, measuring 6359 yards. The forward tees play to 6044 yards. The Old Course also has the distinction of having the ability to be played in both directions, though they only play the course in reverse a handful of days per year.

Getting a Tee Time

There are four different ways to get a tee time on the Old Course. The first and probably the easiest is booking a golf package with a company that has guaranteed tee times. We looked into this but all of the packages required staying at the more expensive accommodations in St. Andrews and was about twice the price of our package. The key difference between those packages and ours besides the guaranteed tee time was the accommodations (theirs tend to be overlooking the course at either the Old Course Hotel or Rusacks). However, our B&B was located two blocks behind the R&A Clubhouse which is actually closer to the first tee than the Old Course Hotel.

The second option is a ballot that occurred the fall (October) before our trip (June). Our travel company applied on our behalf as a twosome but we were unsuccessful.

The third option is a 48 hour ballot which is entered 48 hours before the day players are looking to play the Old Course. Again, our travel company entered our ballot and we were successful on this one. Andrew received an email a few days before heading to the airport which led to a very loud and excited reaction! This meant that our first round during this Scotland trip was to be at the Old Course.

The final opportunity for golfers to obtain a tee time on the Old Course is for Singles to enter the 24 hour ballot by signing up using iPads in the Old Course Pavilion (next to the putting green and first tee). While we didn't use this, we talked to some folks that did and the ballot is used to fill open slots the night before playing. The remaining golfers that aren’t lucky enough to get a tee time are given a number that is used to fill any last minute openings/no shows the day of. Basically, the lower the number, the better the chances of getting on. Every morning, we saw about a dozen golfers hanging around the first tee with the lowest numbers and it sounds like they all got out that morning.

Driving Range

The driving range for all of the St. Andrew courses in town is located alongside the 16th hole of the Old Course. We didn’t use it before our round at the Old Course but we did hit some balls before our round at the New Course. About half the hitting bays are covered, heated, and include a Trackman system. We walked over that morning and were able to find an open bay pretty easily. They appear to have a world class teaching facility as well.

Behind the practice range tees is an amazing short game area with a few large putting greens and three short game greens including a handful of bunkers.

Quick note on the range and getting across the course, there are a few places people can cross the Old Course. We just had to be careful about not interrupting play. There is the street that crosses the 1st and 18th holes, a path that crosses in front of the 2nd tee and 17th green, and another path in front of the 3rd tee and 16th green. If you follow the paved road between the Old and New Courses, there are additional crossing paths but these are the three we used throughout the week.

Clubhouse

The Old Course Pavilion is a small, single level building next to the first tee and putting green. This is where golfers check-in and pay for their Old Course rounds only. There is also a food stand, seating area, and the spot where the iPads are located for single golfers to enter the 24 hour ballot for next day tee times.

What’s considered the main St. Andrew’s Clubhouse is located next to the first tees of the New and Jubilee Courses. This building has large locker room facilities, a small pro shop, the Tom Morris Bar & Grill, rental club pick up, and the starter hut for both courses. There are also stairs that lead to the roof of the building which provides amazing views of the entire St. Andrew’s property.

The Clubhouse for the remaining in town St. Andrew’s courses is located behind the driving range next to the short game practice area.

Pro Shop

There are multiple locations where visitors can purchase St. Andrews Old Course gear. There is a pro shop in the main Clubhouse next to the New and Jubilee courses. However, the best selections are actually at two other locations. One is located on the first floor of the Old Course Hotel with the entrance right behind the Jigger Inn near the 17th Green. The second and even larger store is located on The Links Road along the 18th hole. It’s worth going to all three because they do have a few of the same items but most of the merchandise is different at each location. There is also a shop located near the 18th green that sells generic Open Championship merchandise.

The white two-story building on the other side of the 18th green is the Old Course Store. Open Store next door.

Restaurant

Located within the heart of the Links Clubhouse celebrating the life and influence of the Grand Old Man of golf overlooking the courses he helped to shape, The Tom Morris Bar & Grill is a Scottish produce driven casual dining restaurant with a real sense of history and authenticity. We ate here for dinner one night and it was very good and the view of the Old, New, and Jubilee courses is amazing.

The other two locations to get a bite to eat on the Old Course is behind the 9th green and 10th tee and next to the 1st tee in the Old Course Pavilion. One is the actual halfway house for the course and the other has about the same size menu for a quick bite for the round or just wandering around the course. We grabbed a snack a few times at the Old Course Pavilion and it was pretty good.

Steak Dinner at the Tom Morris Bar and Grill.

Pricing

Our round at the Old Course was the only green fee not included in our package price. We paid the course directly, which at the time of our round in late June was £300. High Season runs from mid-April to mid-October with the low season the other half of the year. Green fees during the Off-Season were roughly £100 cheaper.

Caddies

First off, I don’t know why anyone would play the Old Course for the first time without a caddie. Per St. Andrew’s Golf website: Our caddies provide you with a unique and memorable experience during your round. On the course, caddies will give the golfer detailed information about course strategy, provide lines off tees, calculate exact yardages, read greens, clean clubs and balls, replace divots, and provide historical information. Many of our caddies have worked at the Home of Golf for decades, and their experience and knowledge is indispensable for all players, especially those playing at St Andrews Links for the first time.

For every round we have played in Scotland, we have always gotten caddies. We believe they are worth every penny with stories and history about the course alone, not to mention their ability to guide you around the course.

Our Experience

Checking in at the small starter hut, we were handed a small Old Course pouch with a few goodies inside including a pencil, tees, scorecard, and yardage book. It really started to sink in that we were getting ready to play the Old Course the moment we stepped onto the practice putting green right next to the first tee.

When starting the actual round, just walking through the white fence and onto the first tee is a thrill on its own. The moment the previous group walked off the tee, the starter invited us onto the first tee to provide the usual course rundown and to give us time to take pictures. The starter offered to take a bunch of pictures for us with the R&A Building in the background.

Even though the opening hole of the Old Course boasts one of the widest fairways in golf, making contact with the club face and keeping it in play is a little harder to accomplish than one would think because of the setting including the guarantee that there will be spectators behind the tee watching every shot.

After finishing the first hole and walking onto the second tee, we started to settle down into the round. Not that the gravity of playing the Old Course ever really dies down, but getting the first hole completed allows for a sigh of relief before continuing. This is where the course starts to get much quieter as it works its way away from town. People are allowed to walk along the paved path that follows the right side of the first six holes but there are few folks.

Andrew got his first taste of an Old Course bunker on the second hole in the right front green side pot bunker. Even though he was close enough to the wall that he had to play out towards the front of the green, the lasting image was seeing a plastic cap right in front of him that plugs up the hole where a camera would be placed during the week of the Open Championship. We saw quite a few of these throughout the round.

One of the first big surprises is how big the double greens are. The first one we came to was the 2nd and 16th. Can’t remember which green this was but one of them is over 100 yards from front to back. Also, remember that white flags are on the front nine and red for the back nine. We bring this up because it led to a funny exchange with his caddie as the ball was in the air, he asked Andrew if “he pulled it.” Puzzled, Andrew said “no, why?” He soon found out why. Andrew was just right of the fairway on 4 and he hit what he thought was a great shot to about 10 feet but it turned out to result in a nearly impossible putt from about 90 feet.

The next big surprise is the undulations throughout the greens and fairways. This was a course we had seen for years on TV during the Open Championship but to see in person how wavy the greens are and the small elevation changes on some of the holes, it really adds to an understanding of the challenges the course delivers. The two biggest surprises were the 15 foot drop in front of the 5th green and the depth of the “Valley of Sin” in front of the 18th green.

White flag is the 5th hole - note the drop off in front of the green.

Golfers can find themselves in what seem like perfectly fine spots but turn out to be nearly impossible. Andrew hit two good shots on the par 5 14th to find himself a yard short of the green. Unfortunately, the flag was nearly on the dividing line of the large green between two bunkers. The only option was about a 40 foot putt straight ahead before turning left 90 degrees and facing another 40 foot putt for birdie. It was a lot of work for par given where he was in two. Those are the types of challenges the Old Course presents.

For golfers needing a snack at the turn, there is a halfway house located behind the 9th green and 10th tees. We only had time to hid the restrooms so we can’t speak to the food but it appeared they had a good selection. It also doubles as the halfway house for the New Course though it sits next to the 7th fairway.

One thing the pictures don’t show is that we got the perfect Scottish weather day for this round. There were plenty of sunny and breezy moments but on two separate occasions, we experienced a passing wind/rain squall that lasted about 10 minutes each. It’s quite amazing how fast the wind and rain can pick up, last for only a short period, then depart just as quick. The first shower hit us halfway through the first hole until we got to our second shots on two. The second lasted for all of 10 and the tee shots on 11. This is why hitting a pure flighted iron to 15 feet on 11 was such a memorable shot.

As we headed back towards the town, it was cool to see the buildings get bigger as we made our way back. While each hole is memorable in its own way, as we got later into the back nine, thoughts of the 17th tee shot started creeping into Andrew’s mind. A birdie on 16 helped increase the confidence level once we arrived to this incredibly intimidating tee box.

Road Hole Bunker — Road Hold Bunker with a very difficult pin placement.

The two most important things to remember is to trust the line your caddie gives you and to make a confident swing. Andrew was surprised at how far right the aiming point was to keep it in the fairway. Even with taking an aggressive line exactly over the aiming point, he still found himself just in the left rough in a dodgy lie. Since the flag was behind the Road Hole bunker, the only option was to play left of the green, which he executed exactly as planned. Unfortunately, the second shot hit off the backside of the 18th tee box, shot forward, and stopped a few paces short of the burn. The third shot came up one yard short of the green and he couldn’t hole the next shot. Walking off the green with a bogey after hitting a few quality shots is just part of playing the Old Course but is also part of its, and links golf’s, charm.

Next comes one of the most famous walks in golf. After teeing off, we walked up to, stood on, and got some pictures on the Swilcan Bridge. The caddies stepped in and took plenty of photos for us. After crossing the bridge, Andrew tried his best to slowly walk up the 18th and take it all in. It’s hard not to think about all the history that has taken place around this green making it tough to focus on your shot. However, seeing all of the people gathered along the white fence around the 18th green does add another layer of nerves. The flag was on the front right on top of the shelf, a place Andrew’s caddie said he had never seen it before. This just added to the difficulty factor and pretty much everyone in the group made a bogey. But who cares, because we just got to play the most famous golf course in the world.

18th Hole Old Course — Walking up the 18th - quite the hole location!

Final Thoughts

As cool as you think it is going to be, I guarantee it will exceed those expectations! Playing a round on the Old Course at St. Andrews is absolutely the highlight of Andrew’s golfing experiences. The second best moment on that list would be going low at Carnoustie later that same trip and that is a distant second.

You will have one half of your brain thinking about the shot and the other half thinking “holy cow, I am playing the Old Course!” You’ll think about all of the greats who have played the course. Arriving at certain holes will bring with it memories of famous shots that have occurred over the years.

The biggest piece of advice we can give is to slow down and take it all in. You won’t care at the end of the day what your score was but you will remember certain moments from the round. For Andrew, it was the tee shot on the first hole, it was the three birdies, the perfect iron shot to 15 feet on 11, successfully pulling off the tee shot on 17, standing on the Swilcan Bridge, and walking up the 18th along side his brother.