St Andrews Links (Old Course)

Overview: The Old Course at St Andrews is the "Home of Golf," a place of pilgrimage for every golfer on Earth. Evolving organically over six centuries on common land, the course is a living museum of the game’s history and the foundation of golf architecture. It is famous for its vast double greens, massive bunkers with names like "Hell" and "The Coffins," and a total lack of trees or water hazards. The strategy of the Old Course is hidden in plain sight, requiring players to navigate the subtle ripples of the land and the ever-shifting winds of the North Sea. To play the Old Course is to step into a time machine, where the ghost of every great champion still lingers on the hallowed turf.

History: While golf has been played on the links since at least the early 15th century, the course as we know it today was shaped by centuries of use and the work of Old Tom Morris in the 19th century. Morris, the club’s legendary "Keeper of the Greens," was responsible for widening the fairways and designing the modern 1st and 18th holes. In 1764, the course was reduced from 22 holes to 18, establishing the global standard for a round of golf. Since hosting its first Open Championship in 1873, the Old Course has been the venue for 30 Opens, more than any other course, cementing its status as the ultimate stage for the sport’s greatest drama.

Did You Know? The 17th hole, known as the "Road Hole," is widely considered the most difficult par-4 in the world. It requires a blind tee shot over the corner of the Old Course Hotel, an approach to a narrow green guarded by the terrifying Road Hole Bunker, and a road that sits just feet behind the putting surface, ready to punish any over-hit shot.