Old Course at St Andrews facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Old Course

The Old Course's Swilcan Bridge, 2019
Club information
Location in Fife Show map of Fife Location in Scotland Show map of Scotland
Coordinates	56°20′35″N 2°48′11″W / 56.343°N 2.803°W / 56.343; -2.803
Location	St Andrews, Scotland
Established	1552 (470 years ago)
Type	Public
Owned by	Fife Council
Operated by	St Andrews Links Trust
Total holes	18
Tournaments hosted	The Open Championship, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, St Andrews Links Trophy
Website	Old Course
Par	72
Length	7,305 yards (6,680 m)
Course record	61; Ross Fisher (2017)

The Old Course at St Andrews is a very famous golf course. People often call it the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady. It is thought to be the oldest golf course in the world.

This course is open to everyone. It is located on public land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The St Andrews Links Trust manages the course. This is done under a special law from the Parliament. The clubhouse for The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is right next to the first tee. Many other golf clubs and the public can also play here. The course was first known as the "golfing grounds" of St Andrews. It only became known as the Old Course after the New Course opened in 1895.

History of Golf at St Andrews

Many people believe the Old Course at St Andrews is the "home of golf." This is because golf was first played here in the early 1400s. The game became very popular in Scotland. But in 1457, James II of Scotland banned golf. He felt young men were playing too much golf. He wanted them to practice archery instead.

The ban continued under James III. It stayed in place until 1502. That year, King James IV started playing golf himself. He then removed the ban.

How the Course Was Managed

In 1552, Archbishop John Hamilton gave the people of St Andrews the right to play golf on the links. In 1754, 22 important people started the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This group later became The R&A. The R&A is now the main group that sets golf rules everywhere except in the United States and Mexico.

The St Andrews Links faced a big problem in 1797. They ran out of money. The town council decided to let people raise rabbits on the golf course. This was a challenge to golf's popularity. Golfers and rabbit farmers fought in court for 20 years. In 1821, a local landowner and golfer named James Cheape bought the land. He is remembered for saving the links for golf.

The course changed over many years without one main designer. However, Daw Anderson in the 1850s and Old Tom Morris (from 1865 to 1908) made important changes. Old Tom Morris designed the 1st and 18th holes. At first, golfers played on the same fairways going out and coming back. As more people played, groups would often play the same hole in different directions.

How the Old Course Shaped Modern Golf

A map of the Golfing course at St Andrews from the Royal St Andrews Golfing Society

The Old Course was very important in how golf is played today. For example, in 1764, the course had 22 holes. Players would use the same hole going out and coming back, except for the 11th and 22nd holes. On October 4, 1764, William St Clair of Roslin, who was the captain of The Captain and Gentlemen Golfers, approved changes. He decided that the first four and last four holes were too short. They were combined into four holes (two going out and two coming in).

After these changes, St Andrews had 18 holes. This is how 18 holes became the standard for golf courses everywhere. Around 1863, Old Tom Morris separated the 1st green from the 17th green. This created the current 18-hole layout. It has 7 shared greens and 4 single greens.

The Old Course is home to The Open Championship. This is the oldest major golf tournament. The Old Course has hosted this big event 30 times since 1873. The most recent was in 2022. No other course has hosted The Open Championship more often. The Open is usually played here every five years.

Bobby Jones and the Old Course

Bobby Jones was a famous golfer who later started Augusta National. He first played at St Andrews in The Open Championship in 1921. During the third round, he had trouble getting his ball out of a bunker on the 11th hole. He took many swings and then left the course. He did not turn in his score card, so he was disqualified. However, he still played in the fourth round.

Six years later, The Open Championship returned to St Andrews. Jones also returned. He not only won, but he was also the first amateur player to win two Open Championships in a row. He won by a large amount, shooting a score of 285 (7-under-par). This was the lowest score ever at a U.S. Open or Open Championship at that time. He won the tournament by six strokes.

In 1930, Jones came back to St Andrews for the British Amateur. He won this tournament too. He then won the other three major golf tournaments that year. This made him the only person in golf history to win the Grand Slam. This means winning all four major championships in the same year.

Jones loved the Old Course for the rest of his life. Years later, he said, "If I had to pick one course to play the most important game of my life, I would choose the Old Course." In 1958, the town of St Andrews gave Jones the key to the city. He was only the second American to receive this honor. After getting the key, he said he would still have had a "rich and full life" even if he only remembered his time in St Andrews.

Special Features and Challenges

ESPN has said that "No other golf course has as many famous landmarks as (the Old Course) St. Andrews." Its 112 bunkers (sand traps) and many hills have been a challenge for centuries. Many of these features have their own names and stories. In 1949, the last bunker to be filled in on the course was Hull bunker on the 15th fairway.

Hole(s)	Name of hazard or feature	Type of hazard or feature	Notes	Image (Click to expand)
All holes on the course	Direction of play	Until the 1800s, the Old Course was played in a clockwise direction. Old Tom Morris separated the 1st and 17th greens around 1870. After that, the course was played in an anti-clockwise direction every other week. This helped the grass recover. Now, it is usually played anti-clockwise. Sometimes, clockwise play is allowed one day a year. The course is closed on Sundays so the grass can rest. On some Sundays, the course becomes a park for local people. They come to walk, picnic, and enjoy the area.
	Flags		The first nine holes (the front nine) have white flags. The back nine holes (except the 18th) have red flags. The 18th green has a white flag. This helps players see it in front of the red Hamilton Grand building.	7th hole (white flag) 17th hole (red flag)
1 and 18	The Swilcan Burn	Water hazard (Waterway)	This small stream flows from St Andrews into St Andrews Bay. It crosses the Old Course.	The Swilcan Burn
	Swilcan Bridge	Footbridge	This is a small stone bridge over the Swilcan Burn. The bridge is about 30 feet (9.1 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, and 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. It was built over 700 years ago. Shepherds used it to move their animals across the burn.	The Swilcan Bridge
	Grannie Clark's Wynd	Footpath	This is a narrow paved public road. It was once used to pull boats from the town to West Sands Beach.	Grannie Clark's Wynd
	Bunkers	The 1st and 18th holes do not have any bunkers now. But until about 1840, a large bunker called Halket's bunker was in the middle of the fairway. It was later filled in.	The 1st and 18th holes
1, 9, 17 and 18	Greens	The 1st, 9th, 17th, and 18th holes have their own greens. All other holes share greens with another hole.
2 and 17	Cheape's bunker	Bunker	This bunker is named after Sir James Cheape. He bought the golf course from rabbit farmers in 1821. Later, his family sold the course to The Royal and Ancient in 1892. A year later, they sold it to the town of St Andrews.
3	Cartgate bunker	Bunker	A large bunker that protects the third green.
4	Students' bunker	Bunker	These are three small bunkers about 50 yards before the green.
5	The Spectacles bunkers	Bunkers	Two bunkers placed on either side of the path to the 5th green.
	Seven Sisters	Bunkers	The Seven Sisters bunkers were dug out after the 1905 Open.
5 and 14	The Elysian Fields	Fairway	This is the wide, open area of grass between the Beardies bunkers and the out of bounds area.
6	Nick's bunker	Bunker		The 6th bunker
7 and 11	Cockleshell bunker	Bunker	A large bunker found between the 7th and 11th holes.
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12	The Loop	A group of 6 holes	These are six holes at the far end of the course that cross over each other.
8	Short Hole bunker	Bunker	This is the main challenge on the 8th hole.
9	Boase's bunker	Bunkers	These are deep, round bunkers.
	End hole bunker	Bunkers	These are deep, round bunkers.
10	Kruger bunkers	Bunkers	These bunkers were built during the Second Boer War. This was when the British fought in the Transvaal Republic. Its president was Paul Kruger. The bunkers are called Mrs Kruger and Kruger's mistress.
11	Hill bunker	Bunker
	Strath bunker	Bunker	Strath bunker is located in front of the green.
	Eden bunker	Bunker
	Shelly bunker	Bunker
12	Stroke bunker	Bunker	It is said that if a golf ball lands in this bunker, the golfer will likely lose at least one stroke.
	Admiral's bunker	Bunker	There's a story that an Admiral fell into it after looking too long at a young woman.
13	Walkinshaw bunker	Bunker	The story is that it was named after a local golfer who often hit his ball into it.
	Lions Mouth bunker	Bunker
	Coffin bunkers	Bunker	This is a group of three bunkers in the middle of the 13th fairway. Their shape looks like coffins.
14	The Beardies bunkers	4 bunkers	These are four small bunkers. They are said to be hard to mow, which might be how they got their name.
	Kitchen bunker	Bunker	A small, round bunker that was once shaped like a coffin.
	Benty bunker	Bunker
	Hell bunker	Bunker	Golf Monthly magazine called it "one of the world’s most famous golf challenges." It covers an area of 300 square yards (250 m2) and is between 7 feet (2.1 m) and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep.	Hell bunker
	Grave bunker	Bunker
	Pulpit bunker	Bunker	A round bunker just above Hell bunker. Golf Monthly said it is named this way because "you can look down into Hell (bunker)."
15	Miss Grainger's Bosoms	2 Mounds	These are two noticeable hills on the 15th hole. They are named after Agnes Grainger, a local golfer from the 1800s. She was a member of the St Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club.
	Cottage bunker	Bunker	This refers to Pilmour Cottage, which is now Pilmour House and the Eden Clubhouse.
	Rob's bunkers	Bunkers
	Sutherland bunker	Bunker	In 1869, a tiny bunker was filled in. But three days later, it reappeared. It was incorrectly thought that AG Sutherland was responsible for bringing it back, so it was named after him.
16	Principal's Nose bunkers	4 bunkers	The story is that these bunkers are named after Mr. Haldane. He was a head of St Mary's College in the 1800s and supposedly had a big nose. Or, it might refer to the front porch of Sir Hugh Playfair's house.	Principal's Nose bunkers
	Deacon Sime bunker	Bunker	This bunker is about 30 yards past the Principal's Nose group.
	Grant's bunker	Bunker
	Wig bunker	Bunker
17 (The Road Hole)	The old railway sheds (part of the Old Course Hotel)	These were once railway sheds.		Old railway sheds
	The Road (Hole) Bunker (a.k.a. the Sands of Nakajima)	Bunker	The Herald newspaper has called this bunker "The most famous golf challenge in the world."	Road Hole bunker
	Scholar's bunker	Bunker
	The Old Station Road and stone wall (out of bounds)	Single-track road		Old Station Road & wall
18	Valley of Sin	Dip in the ground	This is an 8 feet (2.4 m) deep dip in the ground right before the 18th putting green.

The Open Championship at the Old Course

The Open has been held at the Old Course at St Andrews 30 times. Here is a list of the winners:

Year	Winner	Score					Notes
		R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1873	Tom Kidd	91	88	–	–	179	This was the first time The Open Championship was played on an 18-hole course. Instead of three rounds of 12 holes, there were two rounds of 18. Kidd won £11.
1876	Bob Martin 1st	86	90	–	–	176	Bob Martin tied for first place due to a disputed rule. His opponent, Davie Strath, refused to play, so Martin walked the course and became the champion. He won £10.
1879	Jamie Anderson 3rd	84	85	–	–	169	With this win, Jamie Anderson was the first person to score under 170 in The Open Championship. He won £10.
1882	Bob Ferguson 3rd	83	88	–	–	171	This was Ferguson's third Open Championship win in a row. He won £12.
1885	Bob Martin 2nd	84	87	–	–	171	This was Martin's second Open Championship win. He won £10.
1888	Jack Burns	86	85	–	–	171	Burns won after his score was checked again, giving him a one-stroke victory. The winner received £8.
1891	Hugh Kirkaldy	83	83	–	–	166	Kirkaldy set a tournament record with his score of 166. This was also the last Open Championship that was 36 holes long. The winner received £10.
1895	J.H. Taylor 2nd	86	78	80	78	322	This was the first Open at St Andrews to be played over two days, with a total of 72 holes. He was the first to shoot rounds under 80 at St Andrews. The winner received £30.
1900	J.H. Taylor 3rd	79	77	78	75	309	This Open was special because the "Great Triumvirate" finished in the top three places. These were three golfers who were very dominant. Taylor won his third of five Open Championships. The winner received £50.
1905	James Braid 2nd	81	78	78	81	318	This was the first Open to be played over three days, with 36 holes on the last day. This was Braid's second of five Open Championships. The winner received £50.
1910	James Braid 5th	76	73	74	76	299	This was Braid's last of five Open Championships. He was the first to score under 300 in a four-round Open at St Andrews. He was also the first to win five Open Championships. The winner received £50.
1921	Jock Hutchison	72	75	79	70	296 PO	Born in Scotland, Hutchison was the first American citizen to win The Open Championship. This was also the first time Bobby Jones played St Andrews. He had trouble on the 11th hole and left the course. The winner received £75.
1927	Bobby Jones (a) 2nd	68	72	73	72	285 (−7)	This was Bobby Jones's first Open Championship win at St Andrews. It was his second Open Championship win in a row. As an amateur, Jones did not receive prize money.
1933	Denny Shute	73	73	73	73	292 (0) PO	Shute won The Open title by five strokes in a playoff against Craig Wood. The winner received £100.
1939	Dick Burton	70	72	77	71	290 (−2)	The 1939 Open was the last one until 1946 because of World War II. The Royal Air Force used the Old Course fairways as runways. Burton held the Claret Jug (the winner's trophy) for the longest time (7 years). The winner received £100.
1946	Sam Snead	71	70	74	75	290 (−2)	Sam Snead won the first Open Championship after World War II. He still lost money because of high travel costs. His winner's share was £150. When he first saw the Old Course from a train, he reportedly said, "Say, that looks like an old abandoned golf course."
1955	Peter Thomson 2nd	71	68	70	72	281 (−7)	This was the second of Thomson's three Open titles in a row, and five overall. His winner's share was £1,000.
1957	Bobby Locke 4th	69	72	68	70	279 (−9)	Between 1949 and 1957, Locke won The Open title four times. He almost got disqualified for moving his ball mark on the last green. But because he had a big lead, the rules committee decided not to disqualify him. The winner received £1,000.
1960	Kel Nagle	69	67	71	71	278 (−10)	This was the 100th anniversary of The Open Championship. Arnold Palmer finished second and helped make The Open popular again in America. The winner received £1,250.
1964	Tony Lema	73	68	68	70	279 (−9)	Lema won 12 times on tour, but this was his only major championship. He beat Jack Nicklaus by five strokes. His winner's share was £1,500.
1970	Jack Nicklaus 2nd	68	69	73	73	283 (−5)PO	Doug Sanders missed a short putt on the last hole, tying with Nicklaus. Nicklaus won the playoff the next day. It was his second Open title and eighth major win overall. The winner received £5,250.
1978	Jack Nicklaus 3rd	71	72	69	69	281 (−7)	Nicklaus completed the career Grand Slam for the third time. This means he won all four major championships at least once in his career. This was his third Open Championship. The winner received £12,500.
1984	Seve Ballesteros 2nd	69	68	70	69	276 (−12)	Ballesteros made a birdie on the last hole to win by two strokes. His winner's share was £50,000.
1990	Nick Faldo 2nd	67	65	67	71	270 (−18)	Faldo set a new scoring record for The Open Championship at 18 under par. He won his second major of the year and his second Open Championship. The winner received £85,000.
1995	John Daly	67	71	73	71	282 (−6)PO	Daly beat Costantino Rocca in a four-hole playoff to win The Open title and £125,000. This was Arnold Palmer's last Open Championship and Tiger Woods's first.
2000	Tiger Woods 1st	67	66	67	69	269 (−19)	Winning the 2000 Open was Tiger Woods's second major win in a row. He became the fifth and youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. Woods did not hit a single bunker during the whole tournament. He won by eight strokes and set a new Open Championship scoring record at 19 under par. The winner received £500,000.
2005	Tiger Woods 2nd	66	67	71	70	274 (−14)	Woods won his 10th major championship. It was his fourth major win by five or more strokes. This was Jack Nicklaus's last Open Championship. The winner received £720,000.
2010	Louis Oosthuizen	65	67	69	71	272 (−16)	On the 150th anniversary of the first Open Championship, Oosthuizen played very well. He won The Open title by shooting 16 under par and winning by seven strokes. The winner received £850,000.
2015	Zach Johnson	66	71	70	66	273 (−15)PO	In the 144th Open Championship, Zach Johnson won after a three-man playoff. Tom Watson was allowed to play his last Open at the Old Course. The tournament finished on a Monday because of very strong winds on Saturday. Johnson beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in the playoff. The winner received £1,150,000.
2022	Cameron Smith	67	64	73	64	268 (−20)	In the 150th Open Championship, Smith came from behind to win by one stroke. His final round score was 64. Smith's winning score of 268 (20 under par) set a new record for the lowest score at the Old Course in The Open. It also tied the championship record for score relative to par. The winner received £2,100,000.

• Note: If a golfer won The Open Championship multiple times, the small number next to their name shows which win it was in their career.
• (a) means the golfer was an amateur (not playing for money).

Scorecard

Women's British Open

Winners of the Women's British Open at the Old Course at St Andrews:

Year	Winner	Score
2007	Lorena Ochoa	287 (−5)
2013	Stacy Lewis	280 (–8)
2024

Senior Open Championship

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

Year	Winner	Score
2018	Miguel Ángel Jiménez	276 (−12)

Buildings Overlooking the Old Course

Here are some important buildings you can see overlooking the Old Course, starting from the north and moving clockwise:

• 

  St Andrews Links Clubhouse

• 

  St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club

• 

  The Caddie Pavilion

• 

  The Old Pavilion

• 

  The R&A World Golf Museum

• 

  Old Course Starter Hut

• 

  The Royal and Ancient clubhouse

• 

  Martyrs' Monument

• 

  The St Andrews Links Golf Shop

• 

  Hamilton Grand

• 

  The Old Course Shop, which used to be the St Andrews Woollen Mill Shop

• 

  The Open Store, once known as the Tom Morris Golf Shop

• 

  The clubhouses of The St Rule Club (left) and St Andrews Golf Club (right)

• 

  Rusacks Hotel

• 

  Jigger Inn, which was once the St Andrews Links railway station master's cottage.

• 

  Old Course Hotel

See also

In Spanish: Old Course de St Andrews para niños

• Golf in Scotland
• St Andrews Links
• The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews