The Old Course St. Andrews
The Old Course St. Andrews
History
The Old Course at St. Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course which is held in trust by the St. Andrews Links Trust. The course originally consisted of 22 holes, 11 out and 11 back, which was reduced in 1764 to 18 holes as it was decided some holes were too short. This created, what became, the standard number of holes for golf courses throughout the world.
A unique feature of the old course is the huge double greens. Only the 1st, 9th, 17th and 18th have their own greens, with the other 14 holes sharing the 7 huge double greens. When a separate green was created for the first hole, it became possible to play the course in an anti-clockwise direction, rather than clockwise which had previously been the norm. The general method of play today is anti-clockwise, although clockwise play has been permitted on one day each year for the past few years. One other unusual thing about the Old Course is that it is closed on Sundays to let the course rest.
The Open Championship was first played on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1873. With the 27th staging of the world’s premier golf event taking place again on the Old Course in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more often than anywhere else. While winning the Open Championship is a crowning achievement for any golfer, a win at St Andrews is considered particularly important due to the course’s long tradition. Past winners at St Andrews include Tiger Woods, John Daly, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Lema, Kel Nagle, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sam Snead, Richard Burton, Denny Shute, Bobby Jones, Jock Hutchison, James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Hugh Kirkaldy, Jack Burns, Bob Martin, Bob Ferguson, Jamie Anderson and Tom Kidd.
Booking information
As a result of the high demand for golf on the Old Course, special conditions apply to bookings. There is a handicap requirement of 24 for men and 36 for ladies. Please bring a valid certificate or card. The Old Course is closed Sundays.
2008 Green Fee’s
1 March 2008 - 29 March 2008 (With Mats) - £61
31 March 2008 - 13 April 2008 - £88
High Season, 14 April - 19 October 2008 - £130
Shoulder Season, 20 - 31 October 2008 - £91
Low Season, 1 November 2008 - 31 December 2008 (With Mats) - £64
Advanced booking tee times on the Old Course between April and October 2008 are now fully booked, however some Low Season times are still available. To see information on Low Season bookings click here.
Ballot - Around 50 per cent of all starting times over the year are put into the daily ballot (lottery) which is drawn every day for next day’s play. The Saturday draw is for Monday play. View ballot card
Chances vary according to the time of year, how busy the course is and the weather. A minimum two golfers can enter by telephone, 01334 466666, or in person before 2pm on the day before play. Names, home clubs and handicaps are required. The results are shown by 4pm on the web, and at various locations on the Links.
In my own experience of the ballot I have a 50% success rate, I’ve entered twice and been successful once. The time that I was unsuccessful was during the week following a European Tour event in October 2005, which meant that there were a lot more people than normal entering the ballot as the course was closed for the tournament during the prior week. In August 2006 I entered the ballot again, as my friend was over from the US, and we were successful. I would say if you’re coming to St. Andrews to play the Old Course then an advanced booking is obviously the best choice, however the ballot also provides an excellent chance to get a tee time. For example, if you enter the ballot every day for a week and the course hasn’t been closed for tournaments etc during the previous weeks, you’d have to be very unlucky not to get a tee time, in my opinion. I’d be interested to hear about other peoples experiences of the Old Course Ballot.
Single golfers - The most common way for a single to get on the Old Course is by going to the starter as early as possible in the morning. The starter will try to join the golfer with the first available 2 or 3 ball.
Old Course Experience - The Old Course Experience guarantees tee-off times on the Old Course at St Andrews. The Old Course Experience will customise your visit, meet you upon arrival at your hotel and take care of all your requirements during your stay. To visit their website click here.
I’d have to say use The Old Course Experience as a last resort if you’re planning a trip to St. Andrews as they seem to be very expensive. You could definitely book everything on your own for a lot less. However, if you have the money and want to guarantee a tee time on the Old Course then this could be for you. Personally I’d book everything myself and try to get an advanced tee time on the Old Course. If I look at their 2 night Old Course experience package, it seems that they’re charging £1000 per person for the following:
It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has used the Old Course Experience.
Looks expensive to me!
The Old Course will be set up in reverse for three days in 2008– Friday 04 April, Saturday 05 April, and Monday 07 April. For more details click here.
For information on caddies, trolleys and golf carts click here.
For information on Old Course busy days, click here.