The Old Course
St Andrews
The links that shaped the game: double greens, hidden bunkers and the walk home over the Swilcan Bridge.
Golf in St Andrews & Fife
The Old Course, the ancient grey town around it and a coastline of remarkable links.
The Swilcan Bridge and the R&A clubhouse, St Andrews
Every golfer arrives in St Andrews with a picture already in mind: the broad first fairway shared with the eighteenth, the Swilcan Bridge, the Road Hole and the town pressed close to the final green. It somehow lives up to it.
Fife is far more than one course, though. South along the coast lie Kingsbarns and the fishing villages of the East Neuk, Crail and Elie among them. Across the Tay, Carnoustie offers one of the most demanding tests in the game, and inland Perthshire brings the heather and pine of Gleneagles.
The courses
The New Course
St Andrews
‘New’ since 1895: a fine, traditional links running alongside the Old.
The Castle Course
St Andrews
Clifftop golf above St Andrews Bay, the newest of the town's public courses.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
Kingsbarns
Opened in 2000 on farmland shaped into convincing linksland, with the sea in view from every hole.
Carnoustie Championship
Carnoustie, Angus
Across the Tay from St Andrews and widely regarded as the sternest Open venue, finished by the Barry Burn.
The Golf House Club, Elie
Elie
A charming East Neuk links, famous for the ship's periscope used by the starter on the blind first tee.
Crail Golfing Society: Balcomie
Crail
Founded in 1786, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, on a headland at the tip of Fife.
Gleneagles: The King's Course
Auchterarder, Perthshire
James Braid's moorland classic in the Perthshire hills, a lovely counterpoint to the links.
Visitor policies, handicap requirements and tee-time procedures are set by each club and can change. We confirm the current position for every course in your journey, and never assume access.
Practical notes for visiting golfers
- Getting there
- Around 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Edinburgh Airport, depending on traffic. Many guests arrive in Edinburgh and travel north by private car on their first afternoon.
- Seasons and conditions
- Links golf is played all year. May to September offers the longest days (in June, light lingers past 10pm); April and October can be beautiful and quieter.
- How long to stay
- Three to four nights allow two or three rounds without hurrying, plus time for the town itself.
- Pairs well with
- East Lothian to the south, or a journey north to Carnoustie and the Highlands.
Beyond the golf
- The cathedral ruins and harbour of St Andrews
- Lunch in the East Neuk fishing villages
- The British Golf Museum, beside the 18th green
- Private whisky tastings in Fife and Perthshire
- See all experiences
Journeys that include St Andrews & Fife
Signature Collection
5–6 nights
The East Coast Collection
Edinburgh, East Lothian and St Andrews
Edinburgh's grandeur, the walled links of East Lothian and a few unhurried days in St Andrews. An ideal first Scottish golf journey.
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Signature Collection
7–9 nights
The Scottish Links Expedition
Fife, Angus, the Highlands and Speyside
From St Andrews to Royal Dornoch, with whisky country and the hills of Perthshire on the way. The fullest picture of Scottish golf.
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Reserve Collection
7–10 nights
The Grand Scottish Golf Journey
Scotland's most prestigious golf destinations
Coast to coast and up into the Highlands, staying in Scotland's most remarkable houses. Every element is made for your party alone.
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Play St Andrews & Fife, beautifully arranged.
Tell us which courses you have in mind and we will shape a journey around them, with honest advice on what is realistic for your dates.
Begin Planning Your Journey