Old Course at St Andrews

The Old Course at St Andrews is a golf course in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, stretching along coastal dunes beside the North Sea with 18 holes covering roughly 6,721 yards (6,142 meters). The layout runs through gently undulating terrain with broad fairways, natural hollows, and deep sand bunkers positioned at key points.

Local residents received the right to play on these grounds in 1552 through a charter from Archbishop John Hamilton, establishing permanent community access. The course later became the model for golf courses worldwide and continues to host The Open Championship.

Residents of St Andrews enjoy free access to the course on Sundays, when the fairways and greens become public thoroughfares and walkers share the space with players. The name reflects its status as the oldest known golf course in continuous use anywhere in the world.

Reservations should be made several months in advance, or players can enter a daily ballot to secure short-notice tee times. Weather conditions shift quickly with wind and rain coming off the sea, so waterproof clothing is recommended.

Seven double greens serve two directions of play at once, with holes arranged in a counterclockwise loop that starts and finishes near the town. The stone Swilcan Bridge crosses a small burn on the first and eighteenth holes and is one of the most photographed spots in golf.