The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

. It is a public course over

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has ...

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under an act of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews clubhouse sits adjacent to the first tee, although it is but one of many clubs (

St Andrews Golf Club St Andrews Golf Club, originally known as St Andrews Mechanics Golf Club, is a private members’ golf club located in St Andrews, Scotland. The club is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, having been established in 1843. The club does n ...

, The New Golf Club, St Regulus Ladies Golf Club and The St Rule Club are the others with clubhouses) that have playing privileges on the course, along with some other non-clubhouse owning clubs and the general public. Originally known as the "golfing grounds" of St Andrews, it was not until the New Course was opened in 1895 that it became known as the Old Course.

History

The Old Course at St Andrews is considered by many to be the "home of golf" because the sport was first played on the Links at St Andrews in the early 15th century. Golf was becoming increasingly popular in Scotland until

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

banned the game in 1457 because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead of practising their archery. The ban was upheld by James III, and remained in force until 1502, when

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

became a golfer himself and removed the ban.

Governance

In 1552, Archbishop John Hamilton gave the townspeople of St Andrews the right to play on the links. In 1754, 22 noblemen, professors, and landowners founded the ''Society of St Andrews Golfers''. This society would eventually become the precursor to The R&A which is the governing body for golf everywhere outside of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. St Andrews Links had a scare when they went bankrupt in 1797. The Town Council of St Andrews decided to allow rabbit farming on the golf course to challenge golf for popularity. Twenty years of legal battling between the golfers and rabbit farmers ended in 1821 when a local landowner and golfer named James Cheape of

Strathtyrum Strathtyrum is a country estate in the north-western outskirts of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It is accessed via the A91. Etymology The name ''Strathtyrum'' was recorded as ''Trestirum'' in 1190, and may rooted in either a Gaelic or Pic ...

bought the land and is credited with saving the links for golf. The course evolved without the help of any one architect for many years, though notable contributions to its design were made by Daw Anderson in the 1850s and

Old Tom Morris Thomas Mitchell Morris (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908), otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died ...

(1865–1908), who designed the 1st and 18th holes. Originally, it was played over the same set of fairways out and back to the same holes. As interest in the game increased, groups of golfers would often be playing the same hole, but going in different directions.

Influence on modern golf

The Old Course was pivotal to the development of how the game is played today. For instance, in 1764, the course had 22 holes and the members would play the same hole going out and in with the exception of the 11th and 22nd holes.

William St Clair of Roslin William St Clair of Roslin, 20th Baron of Roslin (1700-1778) was a member of the Clan Sinclair. His title, Baron of Roslin, was not a peerage but a Scottish feudal barony. He had an interest in sport and was a skilled golfer and archer. He redesig ...

as the captain of ''The Captain and Gentlemen Golfers'' authorized changes to St Andrews on 4 October 1764. He decided that the first four and last four holes on the course were too short and should be combined into four total holes (two in and two out). St Andrews then had 18 holes and that was how the standard of 18 holes was created. Around 1863,

had the 1st green separated from the 17th green, producing the current 18-hole layout with 7 double greens and 4 single greens. The Old Course is home of

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

, the oldest of golf's major championships. The Old Course has hosted this major 30 times since 1873, most recently in 2022. The 30

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

s that the Old Course has hosted is more than any other course, and The Open is currently played there every five years.

Old Course and Bobby Jones

Bobby Jones (who later founded

Augusta National Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...

) first played St Andrews in the 1921

. During the third round, he infamously hit his ball into a bunker on the 11th hole. After he took four swings at the ball and still could not get out, he lost his temper and continued the round, but did not turn in his score card, disqualifying himself. However, he did continue to play in the fourth round. Six years later, when the Open Championship returned to St Andrews, Jones also returned. Not only did he win, he also became the first amateur to win back-to-back Open Championships. He won wire-to-wire, shooting a 285 (7-under-par), which was the lowest score at either a U.S. Open or Open Championship at the time. He ended up winning the tournament by a decisive six strokes. In 1930, Jones returned to St Andrews for the

British Amateur The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 1 ...

. He won, beating

Roger Wethered Roger Henry Wethered (3 January 1899 – 12 March 1983) was an English amateur golfer, and the brother of female golfer Joyce Wethered. Early life Born in Surrey, Wethered was the only son of Herbert Newton Wethered and his wife Marion Emmelin ...

by a score of 7 and 6 in the final match. He subsequently won the other three majors, making him the only man in the history of the sport to win the

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

. Jones went on to fall in love with the Old Course for the rest of his life. Years later, he said "If I had to select one course upon which to play the match of my life, I should have selected the Old Course." In 1958 the town of St Andrews gave Jones the

key to the city The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

; he was only the second American to receive the honour (after

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

in 1759). After he received the key, he said "I could take out of my life everything but my experiences here in St Andrews and I would still have had a rich and full life."

Features and hazards

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

has said of the course, "No other golf course has as many famous landmarks as (the Old Course) St. Andrews, its 112 bunkers and endless hills and hollows have been cursed for centuries, and many have their own names and legends." In 1949, the last bunker to be filled in on the course was Hull bunker on the 15th fairway.

The Open Championship

The Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

has been staged at the Old Course at St Andrews 30 times. The following is a list of the champions: *Note: Multiple winners of The Open Championship have superscript ordinal designating which in their respective careers. *(a) denotes

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

Scorecard

Women's British Open

Winners of the

Women's British Open The Women's Open (originally known as the Women's British Open, and still widely referred to by that name outside the UK) is a major championship in women's professional golf. It is recognised by both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour ...

at the Old Course at St Andrews:

Senior Open Championship

Winners of the Senior Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews:

Structures overlooking the Old Course

The following notable structures overlooking the Old Course in a clockwork direction from the north: File:St Andrews Links Clubhouse 5708118 8c03b04c.jpg, St Andrews Links Clubhouse File:St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club (The Himalayas).jpg,

St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club, originally known as the St Andrews Ladies Golf Club when it was first established in 1867 for female golf players to use, now the club is also known as the Ladies’ Putting Club of St Andrews, or simply the Put ...

File:Caddie Pavilion under construction-geograph-6534075-by-Graeme-Yuill (cropped).jpg, The Caddie Pavilion File:The Old Pavilion at the Old Course 6114081 424633ac.jpg, The Old Pavilion File:The R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews with a closer view of the building.jpg,

The R&A World Golf Museum The R&A World Golf Museum (previously known as the British Golf Museum) is located opposite the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St Andrews, Scotland. The R&A owns and operates the museum. The museum, which opened in 1990, docume ...

File:Old Course Starter Hut, St Andrew's Links 2679063 d82c872c.jpg, Old Course Starter Hut File:Royal and Ancient Golf Club.jpg, The Royal and Ancient clubhouse File:Martyr's Monument St Andrews.jpg, Martyrs' Monument File:The St Andrews' Links Shop-geograph-5028168-by-Stanley-Howe (close cropped).jpg, The St Andrews Links Golf Shop File:Hamilton Grand (cropped).jpg, Hamilton Grand File:The Old Course Shop, St Andrews-geograph-5028194-by-Stanley-Howe.jpg, The Old Course Shop, previously the St Andrews Woollen Mill Shop File:Tom Morris House And Golf Shop, 7-8 The Links, St Andrews.jpg,

Store, previously known as the Tom Morris Golf Shop File:12 & 13 The Links, St Andrews.jpg, The clubhouses of The St Rule Club ''(left)'' and

''(right)'' File:Rusacks Hotel portrait view.jpg,

Rusacks Hotel Rusacks Hotel, previously known as Macdonald Rusacks Hotel between 2001 and 2019, is a 4-star hotel in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, overlooking the 1st and 18th greens on the Old Course at St Andrews, Old Course, St Andrews Links. When it first op ...

File:The Jigger Inn, St Andrews Golf Course geograph-6911629-by-JThomas.jpg, Jigger Inn, previously the St Andrews Links railway station master's cottage. File:Old Course Hotel-St Andrews-Geograph-6167264-by-Richard-Sutcliffe (cropped).jpg, Old Course Hotel

References

External links

St Andrews Links Trust official site of the Old Course
– comparison between 1932 and 2012 course aerials (prior to November 2012 changes)
Top 100 Golf Courses - The Old Course3D Course Planner
at ProVisualizer {{Authority control Golf clubs and courses in Fife The Open Championship venues Curtis Cup venues Walker Cup venues Sports venues completed in the 16th century Sports venues in Fife Tourist attractions in Fife St Andrews 1552 establishments in Scotland 16th century in sports