The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
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Where to stay while you play The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
3 hotels package this course — cheapest first, every one tailored to your group.
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Fairmont St Andrews Hotel
Golf at The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
Stay & play — from
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The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa
Golf at The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
Stay & play — from
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Scores Hotel
Golf at The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
Stay & play — fromAbout The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
The Old Course at St Andrews needs no introduction. The location, the history and the magic make the Old Course No.1 on every golfer’s “wishlist”. The fairways are generous, the greens large and undulating and the bunkers some of the toughest in the business. Add the wind to this mix and the fact that you’re walking the fairways where all the game’s greatest have walked before, and you have a real test on your hands. A test, however, that you’ll talk about for always…Particularly if you can grab a par or two.
- No buggies on The Old Course
- Trolleys - Only after 12 noon
- Clubhouse - communal clubhouse for all courses run by The St Andrew Links Trust
- Caddies
Our take
Play it once in your life; beneath all the history it remains a genuinely testing links, wide fairways, huge undulating greens and bunkers that take no prisoners.
- Serious golfersThe fairways are generous but the angles into those huge undulating greens matter, and the bunkering punishes anything lazy. Cards tend to come unstuck at the 5th and the 14th, where one poor decision breeds three more.
- Higher handicapsBarely 15 metres of climb all round makes it one of the easiest walks in golf, and the wide fairways keep you in play. The wind and the greens will still cost shots, so play for bogey and enjoy every step.
- Buddy tripsThis is the round the whole trip gets planned around. Nobody plays it well first time out, which is half the fun, and the arguments about club choice in the wind will last the journey home.
Tell us who’s coming and how you like to play, and we’ll shape the right trip around you.
What you are actually facing
The walk. Flat, and an easy walk — 15 metres of climb over the round.
The wind. The wind is usually south-westerly, averaging 15 km/h, gusting to 55. It is the club selection that catches people out, not the yardage.
The water. 6 hazards in play. Bring a few more balls than you think you need.
The design. Evolved naturally; reshaped by Daw Anderson and Old Tom Morris in the 19th century.
The holes that will cost you. The 5th, the 14th and the 4th. The 5th is the one you will be talking about afterwards.
Hole by hole — how we would play it
Terrain and prevailing-weather data, read hole by hole. It is our own assessment of how the course plays, not an official course or slope rating.
The course at a glance
The par-4 17th, the Road Hole, widely rated golf's hardest par-4
Home of golf and host of The Open Championship 30 times since 1873, most recently 2022
WHERE TO STAY
Places to stay while you play The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course
Base yourself near the course — every venue here includes The Old Course at St Andrews Golf Course in your golf holiday.
Tap a hotel to open it, or zoom in on the satellite view to see how close each one sits to the first tee.
- Fairmont St Andrews HotelFrom
£655pp (≈ €765) (≈ $865) (≈ CA$1,225) (≈ AU$1,245) (≈ NZ$1,505) (≈ CHF 705) (≈ kr 8,365) (≈ kr 8,465) (≈ kr 5,715) - The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & SpaFrom
£865pp (≈ €1,005) (≈ $1,145) (≈ CA$1,625) (≈ AU$1,645) (≈ NZ$1,985) (≈ CHF 935) (≈ kr 11,055) (≈ kr 11,185) (≈ kr 7,555) - Scores HotelFrom
£1,230pp (≈ €1,435) (≈ $1,635) (≈ CA$2,305) (≈ AU$2,345) (≈ NZ$2,825) (≈ CHF 1,335) (≈ kr 15,715) (≈ kr 15,905) (≈ kr 10,745)