Pilmour House,
St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SF
Office
+44 (0)1334 466 718Pro shop
+44 (0)1334 466 666Fax
+44 (0)1334 479 555Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
David Watt (Head of St Andrews Links Golf Academy).Academy
St Andrews Links Golf AcademyThe Course:
18 holes. Seaside links. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk
Surroundings:
Coastal duneland.
Designer:
Many have contributed to the Old Course layout. Most recently: Daw Anderson (1850s), Old Tom Morris (1860s to 1900) and Dr Alister Mackenzie (1930s).
The 18-hole courses of St Andrews Links are: Old Course (par-72; 6,670 yds from the back tees; over 7,300 yds from championship event tees); New course (par-71; 6,625 yds); Jubilee course (par-72; 6,742 yds); Eden course (par-70; 6,250 yds); Strathtyrum course (par-69; 5,620 yds).
Located a short drive east of the city is the Castle course (par-72; 6,759 yds), and a short drive south of the city is the Craigtoun course (par-71; 7512 yds).
St Andrews Links is also home to the nine-hole Balgove course (par-30; 1,520 yds), and the St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club ("Himalayas") with its 18-hole (Blue) and 9-hole (Yellow) putting courses.
56.343559
-2.802876
o.5 ml N of St Andrews
From the A91 at western edge of St Andrews (first roundabout as you arrive in St Andrews), go straight over into Pilmour Links, direction town centre. After 400 yds turn left into Golf Place. After 300 yds parking is on your right.
St Andrews (Old Course)
St Andrews Links (The Old Course): You are welcome to muse on what makes a round on the revered Old Course so special. But exhaustive in-depth analysis is not really required. For most golfers who have teed it up here (and that's a big number over the past 600 years), just playing these ancient links and enjoying every hit (or whiff) is usually enough.
The Old Course is probably the most sought after tee-time that any golfer can put in his or her diary, and not as difficult to come by as many think. Only Ben Hogan among the great and good appears to have missed out on the St Andrews experience.
Suffice to say, the Old course is an open, out-and-back links layout, played through naturally flowing sand-based terrain. Stray too far beyond the bumps and hollows of the good-width fairways, and you'll discover gorse bushes, thick rough and hellish bunkers lie in wait. Slicers of the ball need to be wary of out of bounds, which lurks on the rightside of many holes. If you can, drawing the ball "into" the course is the safer way to tackle the Old course.
Everyone carries away their own special memories of this historic and fascinating layout. These might include standing on the Swilken Bridge after teeing-off at the drivable par-4 18th, or a miraculous escape from bunkers that dwarf anything you've experienced before ... among them Hell bunker on the par-5 14th and the Road Hole bunker at the par-4 17th. Perhaps you'll hole a monster putt on one of the seven monster double-greens; only four holes do not share a green. There's the thrill of the blind drive over the railway sheds at 17 (don't hit the hotel!), or looking out across the scenic Eden estuary while playing "the turn."
It is not difficult to understand why golfers from every corner of the globe yearn for a game (or yet another game) on the Old Course. There really is no other golfing place quite like it. Once played never forgotten.
Visitors welcome on weekdays. The Old Course is not available for advance booking on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.
Must book very well in advance (as detailed on www.standrews.com). In addition to advance bookings, visitor tee-times also available via the daily ballot or queuing as a single golfer on day of play. Maximum handicap: men 24; women 36. Proof of handicap required.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2026].
Non-metal spike facility. Players generally walk this course. Caddies available at all times. This is a walking course; golf carts only available for medical reasons, and only between April and October.
Excellent
Ever wondered why golf is typically played over 18 holes? The answer, as with many aspects of the game, can be found in the Home of Golf. In bygone days the Old Course St Andrews consisted of 22 holes, 11 going out and 11 coming back. Golfers on the inward 11, played to the same greens (and hole in the ground) as they'd had on the outward 11. They teed-off alongside the greens they'd just putted out on, and used the same fairways coming-in as heading-out. Only at the 11th (the last outward hole) and 22nd (the final inward hole) was the green visited just once in a round.
By the mid-1700s the first four holes (and therefore the last four) were considered too short, and were converted into two holes. This reduced the number of outward holes to nine, with nine corresponding inward holes. By the mid-1800s the popularity of golf had increased to such an extent that playing both the outward and inward nines to the same greens was becoming impractical and dangerous. To solve the problem it was decided to cut two holes on each green, with white flags for outward holes and red for inward ... the origin of the Old Course's seven double-greens.
St Andrews Old Course has hosted more prestigious golf competitions than any other golf course in the world. For details see Top Golf Tournaments at St Andrews Golf Club, Old course.
Old Course:
Scotland's No.1 course (Golf World, 2025).
Britain & Ireland's No.1 course (Golf World, 2025).
World's 3rd best course (GOLF Magazine, 2023/24) and No.1 public access course (Golf World, 2025).
Old Station Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SP
+44 (0)1334 474 371
Visit websiteNestling right alongside the famous par-4 17th Road hole, the iconic Old Course Hotel enjoys a spectacular location overlooking the famous links courses of St Andrews, the West Sands beach and the beautiful north Fife coastline. This prestigious five-star hotel has 144 rooms including 35 suites and is recognised as one of Europe’s leading resorts. A member of the Leading Hotels of the World collection.
No
St Andrews Links (x8 courses); Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks & Torrance courses).
Kingsbarns; Crail (Balcomie links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Elie; Lundin; Leven.
Pilmour Links, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JQ
+44 (0)870 400 8128
Visit websiteLocated alongside and overlooking the 18th fairway of The Old Course.
No
St Andrews Links (x8 courses); Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks and Torrance courses).
Kingsbarns; Crail (Balcomie and Craighead links); Ladybank; Scotscraig; Lundin; Leven.
Sony Open in Hawaii: played at Waialae Country Club near Honolulu, the Sony Open takes over the spotlight from The Sentry as the PGA Tour’s calendar-year opening event (Jan 15-18). The Sentry (not being played in 2026) was formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, with a field typically restricted to golfers who won a PGA Tour event in the previous calendar year.
Dubai Desert Classic: the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2026, is contested for the 37th time (Jan 22-25). First won by Englishman Mark James in 1989, it now boasts a four-time winner, Rory McIlroy. Played on the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course, this once desert-surrounded course is the long-time flagship for Golf in Dubai.
Our visit last month included two rounds at Golf de Chantilly, one of France’s most prestigious clubs.
It offers two superb layouts: Le Vineuil, a five-star championship course with a rich history, and Longères, an excellent four-star course that provides a strong and enjoyable test.
The wider Paris region offers plenty more. Courses such as Fontainebleau, Golf de Saint-Germain, and several other top-rated layouts make this area one of Europe’s most rewarding golf destinations, offering a mix of woodland, heathland, and parkland designs.
The Dutch: "It's no' just a game", as they say in Scotland, and that's certainly true at The Dutch. With 5-star services throughout, a lavishly comfortable Loch Lomond-inspired clubhouse, and a superbly designed and presented golf course, one could not ask for more from this top-end private club.
Join us at The Dutch from August 21–24 for the Festival of Golf, featuring the HotelPlanner Tour. Experience four days of top-tier sport, live music, incredible food, and unexpected surprises. Explore the grounds, connect with others, embrace new challenges, and dive into an unforgettable celebration. Click here to buy tickets.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
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